I get that this position is objectively unstable, but have there actually been any notable crashes in the pro peloton due to it? Dumb AF though... breakaways are fun and this'll just discourage making moves.

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

i guess i'd like to know who the "many" are who opposed this. and, i'd like to know the cases of supertuck-initiated crashes. seems like this should be part of the process by which the sport is educated about the rules process.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

"The use of the “super tuck” has courted controversy, however, as many have questioned the safety of the method, both for the rider using it and for those around that rider."




Probably the ones that lost.

I thoroughly disagree with this one. I would agree if the riders were removing points of contact from the bike to do this, such as unclipping from the pedals and laying prone on the saddle or some weird stuff.

WRT it going on in races, it's usually at most a group of 8 or so folks over the top of mountains trying to hold onto their gains on the chase. The chase doesn't need to tuck.

So, the safety really is only for the individual rider or few in the lead group.

IMO, TT bikes are probably less stable than the super tuck is. Your hands are off the damned brakes! You have to remove both hands simultaneously from the bike to reach the brakes. And this is in a team time trial also! Not just alone.

In super tuck you still have all points of contact with the bike, butt, feet, both hands on the brakes.

Just because a bunch of Freds crash trying it out shouldn't make it bannable. I'd rather see folks put it in the rules for Cat 3/4/5 amateur racing and fondos. Not for bloody pros. C'mon.

I don't really agree. The position is not "objectively unstable." Certain bike geometries/setups make it easier or harder, but the position is not difficult to do or inherently unstable.

Now, pedaling while doing it? I don't do that.

THIS position is inherently unstable, but objectively stable (since Kienle knows wtf he's doing).

I know this move will be controversial but i agree with it. Its an inherently unstable position and sets a bad precedent for cyclists in the viewer base.

A pro doing a supertuck on a pro-maintenanced bike on roads cleared for racing is ok, but on real roads it presents with serious risks. Its not a safe position, it shifts your center of gravity from where the bike is built to have it, overly loads the front wheel, and significantly reduces braking ability.

---

Strava

I mean. It's definitely more unstable than sitting on the saddle. Having more weight over the front wheel isn't exactly helping the ability to correct steering. But my point is that these guys are clearly perfectly capable of handling the position. It feels like this is more discouraging Sunday group riders from mimicking what they see in the Tour, which is of course, ridiculous.

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

What about a dropper post? With weight limits might as well go with that. More bike parts to buy too. New frames to be made and sold. Seems like something UCI should like.

Yea but they're not banning it for the Cat 5's of the cycling world, they're banning it for the most elite of the elite. Are they also going to ban taking bad lines into corners or braking late and diving in? Because those set a far worse "precedent" and are FAR more dangerous.

UCI has been under some fire over safety (not specifically supertuck) for a while now... especially in regards to finishes / sprints.

I think this is just the start honestly. I suspect you'll see much harder (actually...defined at all) lines on sprinting as that's where this really all stems from... and I suspect eventually it'll spill over to TT/track timed events as well, as I would guess they aren't big fans of seeing things like Archibald "technically" being within the rules with his pads pushed all the way up to his wrists.

As with anything the UCI does, a statement doesn't really mean anything (in regards to increasing safety) we'll just have to wait and see how it actually applies itself. Depending on how severe the penalty is (I see in the cyclingtips link it suggests possible expulsion, but I've also seen financial penalty...) it may or may not put an end to the supertuck

---

My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

is this the standard? that a behavior should be banned in the pro peloton because it might be emulated by amateurs riding in their neighborhoods? because, if this is the standard, then let me get out my yellow pad and start listing all the stuff that ought to be banned in the pro peloton, starting with pedaling through intersections and riding in the oncoming traffic lane.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

A governing body shouldn't be concerned with what viewers are going to copy. I would be extremely surprised if they have any liability there. They should be doing what is best for the competition, and banning random sh*t like this certainly isn't that.

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

right, but i think what we've seen in sprinting behavior is a LOT of crashes. i'm not saying the UCI shouldn't make rules regarding safety. i'm saying that the rules should be: 1) evidence based; 2) the result of a transparent debate that includes named parties in the debate; and 3) attempts to fix existing problems, rather than fix phantom problems. yes, i see that sprinting is an existing problem. sometimes the UCI, and sometimes riders, come up with phantom problems, like the disc rotor that slices your leg. i currently see this as a phantom problem. if i should see this as an actual problem, i'd like to see some evidence of the problem.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I would disagree. As the governing body and face of the sport, they are responsible for setting the rules to make the sport safe for both the players and its viewers and not setting bad precedents

---

Strava

I wonder if Zwift will remove it?

I don't disagree with anything you're saying, mainly it goes to my point being... the UCI is doing this to "get in front" of it and make it look like they are taking big steps for rider safety... the Supertuck, based on evidence, isn't unsafe (to my knowledge of accounts) but it's easy to point to it and be like "See, unsafe, we took care of that." It's also easily "tangible" (kind of like disc brake rotors) for the layman to see the cyclintips article and be like "yeah, gotcha" whereas nuances in sprinting or course layout, while actually much more important, are harder to make into that point and chest bump presentation.

also...
1.) Hahaha.... The UCI? Really?

---

My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

That was my first thought. Bicycle industrial complex. Make perceived obsolescence happen as fast as possible. It’s 202X and I can’t possibly ride my 4 year old Emonda anymore it doesn’t have a road dropper post!

Listen here, minds have already been made up; don't confuse them with the facts.

Isn't that the way most things go these days; or maybe I'm too pessimistic.
Stephen J

---

I believe my local reality has been violated.
____________________________________________
Happiness = Results / (Expectations)^2

I think a governing body has to take into consideration how it's sport is viewed by the public. The youth of today watching are going to be the pro's of tomorrow in said sport. I can't count how many times I've read on this very forum that just letting the pro's dope would have a negative impact on the youth watching said sport w/ doping usage.

I also don't think they are liable but I think it's more or less a "good will responsibility" that their rules take into account both the pro racing rules + the "overall" perception of said sport.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

It's not inherently unstable either... I wouldn't normalize that by responding to that argument.

E

---

Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

I'm not even sure what inherently unstable means, here. All bike riding is inherently unstable...meaning it always requires active balancing or you fall over. I agree that the super tuck is generally a more dangerous position than normal riding. I'm not sure it's worth banning from UCI racing.

I think this one is more our fault. The UCI released a long statement on safety covering the subjects of course design, sprinting conduct, barrier design and positioning, road furniture, communication during events, behavior of the motorized convoy vehicles during races, throwing bottles. And more. Near the very end of that, they point out that some positions on the bike may be reviewed, including sitting on the top tube.

So what does the cycling media and us all talk about? That one little statement at the end. Cycling News and CyclingTips are pretty savvy...they knew which headlines would trigger us, so they ran with the supertuck headlines.

Though of course action is required more than just press releases...but if the press release is indicative of genuine intent, I think you can remove the quotes from get in front. They would actually be finally getting in front of it.

Well now, I guess I better not sprint at 70kmh on a narrow road with 40 of my friends, or descend a mountain pass at 90kmh either.

I can only be reminded of this:
https://www.facebook.com/EnduraOfficial/videos/634174203719177