The UCI is about to make use of funds from the SafeR security challenge to battle a authorized battle towards SRAM, creating a unprecedented state of affairs through which some groups will successfully be funding litigation towards their very own sponsor.
The dispute surrounds the UCI’s plans to restrict the dimensions of gears utilized in races. Believing such a measure may enhance rider security, the game’s governing physique was set to check a Most Gear Ratio Commonplace in 2025 however SRAM launched authorized motion and scored a victory via anti-trust proceedings lodged with the Belgian Competitors Authority.
The UCI had already introduced its intention to enchantment, and Cyclingnews can now reveal the way it will fund this course of and and the way the jurisdiction of the case has divided biking’s stakeholders.
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Based on a abstract notice obtained by Cyclingnews and confirmed by a number of sources, UCI President David Lappartient requested for the sports activities’ stakeholders to help authorized proceedings throughout a latest assembly of the SafeR Supervisory Board. The notice doesn’t specify what steps are to be taken past ‘authorized motion’ however in principle the UCI is ready to enchantment the BCA’s verdict.
Cyclingnews understands the UCI has ring-fenced €300,000 from SafeR’s funds for its authorized battle with SRAM and the Belgian Competitors Authority. It’s unclear how this may influence SafeR’s funds and work to enhance security in professional biking.
Based on the notice seen by Cyclingnews, the shortage of unity amongst stakeholders sparked Lappartient to suggest that UCI world additionally take over administration of SafeR, decreasing the opposite stakeholders’ commitments and affect. This might be mentioned on the subsequent UCI Administration Committee in the summertime.
The background
The dispute regarding the Most Gear Ratio Commonplace started after the UCI introduced plans to restrict the utmost gear ratio of the chainring and cassette to a distance coated per pedal revolution of 10.46 meters, or an equal of 54×11. The check was as a result of be carried out on the finish of season Tour of Guangxi WorldTour race in China.
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The UCI’s Most Gear Ratio Commonplace was primarily based on tyre dimension of 28mm. Nevertheless, groups usually use greater tyres and so would fall foul of the rule in the event that they used 30mm tyres and a gear of 54×11. The implementation of the ruling, as initially proposed in 2025, would have solely been enforced primarily based on gear ratios, nonetheless, as a right given to tyre dimension.
The SRAM cassette is designed round a 10-tooth smallest sprocket and so when used with a 54-tooth chainring, wouldn’t respect the Most Gear Ratio Commonplace. Utilizing a smaller chainring would go away the SRAM-equipped groups at an obstacle, as would someway manually blockading the ten-tooth sprocket, one thing which might be achieved in an identical method to how Lidl-Trek modded their derailleurs to make a 13-speed setup 12-speed for Paris-Roubaix.
Crimson Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Movistar, Lidl-Trek, NSN, EF Schooling-EasyPost, Uno X Mobility, Decathlon CMA CGM, Pinarello-Q36.5, Visma-Lease a Bike and CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto all used SRAM parts in 2025, with lots of the groups thought-about as events within the BCA verdict.
Initially, all SafeR stakeholders, in addition to SRAM, accepted the Guangxi assessments. Nevertheless, SRAM later introduced a authorized problem to the UCI’s proposed rule by way of the Belgian Competitors Authority in September, claiming the foundations unfairly deprived SRAM-equipped groups in addition to disparaged SRAM within the street drivetrain market.
“This protocol penalizes and discourages innovation and places our riders and groups at a aggressive drawback,” SRAM CEO Ken Lousberg stated in a press release despatched to Cyclingnews on the time.
The BCA dominated that the UCI’s Most Gear Ratio Commonplace didn’t meet the required situations of objectivity and transparency and “generated disproportionate unfavourable results on a sports activities gear provider, particularly SRAM.”
The UCI withdrew the check in China however lamented that security was not a shared goal and questioned the worldwide authority of the BCA. “The UCI expresses its shock on the intervention of a contest authority on a topic desired by all stakeholders of biking […] particularly contemplating that the choice is issued by a Belgian authority responding to a criticism from a US firm towards a Swiss sports activities affiliation relating to a check to be carried out on Chinese language territory,” learn a UCI assertion in October.
Now the UCI plans to enchantment towards the ruling, utilizing funds from the SafeR challenge – and due to this fact cash immediately invested by SRAM-sponsored groups – to fund the authorized battle.
The UCI has not responded to Cyclingnews’ request for remark. SRAM declined to touch upon the matter.
