UCI to fund SRAM gear limit appeal with SafeR money from SRAM sponsored teams
The UCI is preparing to finance its legal fight with SRAM using funds from SafeR, the safety project backed by riders, teams, organisers and the governing body itself. First reported by Cyclingnews, the move has sparked fresh tension inside the sport, with SRAM sponsored teams potentially contributing indirectly to litigation targeting one of their own key partners.
UCI President David Lappartient asked cycling’s main stakeholder groups to back legal proceedings against SRAM during a meeting of the SafeR Supervisory Board last month, after which the UCI moved to ring fence €300,000 from the project’s budget for the appeal process, a figure reported by Cyclingnews.
The decision passed despite opposition from the teams association, setting up an unusual situation in which contributions routed through SafeR could be used against a supplier that sponsors multiple squads.
The case stems from the UCI’s push to introduce a maximum gear ratio limit in top level racing, a measure the federation believes could improve rider safety by reducing peak speeds in certain scenarios. The governing body had planned to trial a maximum gear ratio of 54x11, which would take the bike 10.46m with one crank revolution, during the 2025 Tour of Guangxi.
SRAM challenged the test and secured a favourable ruling through antitrust proceedings lodged with the Belgian Competition Authority, forcing the UCI to pause and pivot towards an appeal.
In an internal note seen by Domestique, did not spell out the legal next steps beyond the phrase “legal action”, though the UCI had already made clear it intends to challenge the Belgian Competition Authority ruling.Â
Attention has now shifted to how the appeal will be financed. SafeR was created to improve on road safety in men’s and women’s racing and is funded through annual contributions from rider prize money, teams, race organisers and the UCI.
Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of EF Education-EasyPost, responded to the news on social media: "Very sad situation. This is what happens when governance is not elected by the constituency it is supposed to represent and protect," he wrote on X.
In the aftermath, the note revealed that Lappartient floated the idea of bringing SafeR under tighter UCI management, a shift that would reduce the influence and commitments of the other stakeholders and is something which will be discussed at the next UCI Management Committee in the summer.
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