Bra Doping in Cycling?

Tweet

Competitive cyclists are always on the lookout for an edge, a way to shave precious time in a race. Thus, cycling’s governing body, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) has a very stringent set of rules on clothing, bike weight (there is a minimum that the bike can weigh,) on-the-bike positioning (some positions are banned,) and devices. So what is the UCI on about now? Bra doping is the latest “scandal” rocking the cycling world, particularly the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. According to an article in Canadian Cycling Magazine, there are a few teams competing in the Tour that are claiming “a small number of riders might be wearing extra padding inside their sports bras during time trials to alter the shape of their chest and reduce aerodynamic drag.” UCI rules specifically ban clothing that artificially alters the shape of a rider’s body. The teams are calling for female Commissaires to conduct bra checks after Tuesday’s time trial, a discipline where shape-altering clothing can make a small difference over the kilometers. Such as a padded sports bra. Before you laugh, aerodynamics expert Bert Blocken says this: “We’re talking about a chest fairing, which changes the airflow around the body and reduces pressure on the thighs,” Blocken said. “You won’t gain tens of seconds. But think about a 20- to 30-km time trial can save enough seconds to make the difference.” The Giro d’ Italia saw superstar sprinter Lorena Wiebes disqualified for using a bike that was, as the magazine said, “barely a cheese slice under the weight limit.” Will we see a rider disqualified from the Tour due to a sports bra infraction? We might find out Tuesday. Since I couldn’t find anything about this on You Tube (all I found were videos about toxic substances found in sports bras,) the link is to a video explaining the ins and outs of the women’s Tour: