<\/p>\n
Visma-Lease a Bike has been forced to abandon its in-race tire pressure system after a last-minute ruling from the UCI, a move the team says came without warning, according to WielerFlits.<\/p>\n
The team had been using the Gravaa<\/a> system throughout the cobbled races. Most recently, the Dutch team used them at the Grand Prix de Denain. That, however, has changed rapidement<\/em>. \u201cWe received a letter, without prior announcement that this was coming,\u201d Visma\u2019s head of performance Mathieu Heijboer said on the In de Waaier<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n The explanation from the UCI centres on uncertainty around the system\u2019s availability after the company behind it went bankrupt. While operations have since resumed, Heijboer said the governing body now doubts whether it meets the requirement of being commercially available. That explains the big ole ban for the rest of the season. Basically, if pros want to use a product, it needs to be something you can buy. That\u2019s why sometimes you\u2019ll see a crazy fast track frame sold for $50,000, even though no one would ever buy it. It\u2019s just to appease the rules so that a national team can use it at the world championships.<\/p>\n That reasoning hasn\u2019t entirely convinced the team. Heijboer described the situation as \u201ca bit of a vague story.\u201d He said that the rules around availability haven\u2019t changed and the system is still on the market.<\/p>\n An appeal was considered, they figured it\u2019s not worth it.<\/p>\n Both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s Paris-Roubaix goes down on Sunday, and it\u2019s gonna be a gooder. It\u2019s the toughest one day race of the year, and we cycling fans are in for a treat. (The riders, are not.) In the men\u2019s, Tadej Pogacar is trying to do the impossible and take the win, which would complete his Monument sweep, something unheard of in the modern era. It\u2019s also unheard of by a rider of his size\u2013Roubaix is meant for the big riders, Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, those kinds. So far, one Canuck is racing, NSN\u2019s Guillaume Boivin. It\u2019s been a few years since he finished 9th, but what a race that was!<\/p>\n Startlists are still being finalized for both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s. But it\u2019s safe to predict St Michel \u2013 Preference Home \u2013 Auber93 will have national champ, and former winner, Alison Jackson on the roster. The junior and under-23 men are also racing. Canada\u2019s Justin Picoux (Team COPPI \u2013 BO.Buro) is there for the espoirs, along with Toronto\u2019s Ashlin Barry (Visma-Lease a Bike.) Barry, who races on the Continental team but has also made a few appearances with the WorldTour squad\u2014including a strong recent ride at Grand Prix de Denain, a.k.a. the \u2018Mini Paris-Roubaix\u2019 Heijboer referenced\u2014has made this race a major target for the season. He did well at the junior version, and excels on tough, cobbled races.<\/p>\n You can catch both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s races on Flobikes.com<\/a>. Canadian Cycling Magazine<\/em> will also be sure to report on the junior and under-23 races too, even if you can\u2019t watch them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\nUCI concerned about commercial availability<\/h2>\n
Visma won\u2019t appeal, but questions UCI<\/h2>\n
Canadians racing at Paris-Roubaix<\/h2>\n