New rule on restricted gear ratios to be tested at Tour of Guangxi
The UCI have announced restricted gear ratios will be tested at the season closing WorldTour race in late October. They have also claimed their analysis reveals rider error as the leading cause for in-race incidents.
Cycling’s world governing body has announced its restricted gear ratio test will take place between October 14-19, at the season’s final WorldTour event, the Tour of Guangxi in China.
The UCI recently revealed a swathe of measures designed to curb the rise in serious crashes, and consequent injuries, which have marred the sport in recent seasons. These innovations were developed by the UCI's safety body, SafeR, which is composed of stakeholders from across the sport.
During the proposed test, the maximum permissible gear ratio will be a 54x11, which would take the bike 10.46m with one crank revolution. This move is designed to restrict overall race speeds, which it is believed contributes to the rash of accidents and injuries and have been increasing in recent years.
The UCI say the test will be followed by a rider survey and “any further testing in 2026,” indicating gear ratio restrictions may not be with us anytime soon.
Daniel Benson reported on his Substack that the testing protocol would be implemented from August 1, and that relevant races would be selected at a later date. It has now emerged that the UCI will wait until the final event of the year to conduct the test.
However, while the test will take place at the six-day men’s Tour of Guangxi, there are apparently no plans for test at the corresponding one day Women’s WorldTour race, once again raising concerns that rules will be imposed on the women’s peloton without consultation. This follows the furore around restricted handlebar widths, which prominent riders such as Lorena Wiebes and Charlotte Kool have accused the governing body of a lack of consultation and undermining their safety in races.
The UCI also provided an update on SafeR’s race incident analysis. The organisation has analysed 297 incidents across both men’s and women’s WorldTour and ProSeries events in the preceding six months, identifying 203 causes.
Of those, they report the rider’s own mistake is the main contributing factor, affecting 29% of incidents. Positioning for crucial parts of a race parcours is the man factor in 12% of incidents, as was slippery roads. Other contributing factors identified noted were descents, traffic infrastructure, sprints feed zones and other riders’ errors.
The findings have not been received with universal approval. Richard Plugge, manager of Visma | Lease a Bike responded on X to the UCI's press release, suggesting the UCI had tried to blame rider error by separating all other contributing factors, when they could collectively be called environmental factors. The Dutchman posted; "Fixed: 'The most common cause – or main contributing factor – is the race environment (71%). While riders own mistake counts for 29% of the incidents.'"
SafeR was created back in 2023, the entity bringing stakeholders such as race organisers, teams and rider representative together with the aim of increasing safety for competitors.
