Mathieu van der Poel’s time trial rivalry with Tadej Pogačar attracted attention for it’s thrilling display of peak athletic prowess. But that’s not the only reason Saturday’s Tour de Suisse showdown is livening the sometimes staid world of TT racing.
The Duch racer’s hot seat theatrics drew us into the story, carrying us on the emotional rollercoaster of losing by such a narrow margin. His hot seat attire also caught the attention of the internet, which did internet things and quickly photoshopped his pre-Pogačar lounging into a new meme. (Both van der Poel and his team quickly chimed in with their approval).
The UCI? Not so impressed.
That’s a fine
Where the rest of the world saw athleticism, entertainment and humor, the UCI, unsurprisingly, saw a glaring violation of its labrynthian regulations.
The problem? Dress code. With heat creeping into the 30s, and Pogačar’s speed making the hot seat feel a little hotter than usual, van der Poel stripped down the top half of his skinsuit while on camera. Which, fair enough. Not only was it warm, those things are optimised to fit in a very specific aero position. It’s probably not that comfortable to lounge in. Especially not with more than 50 riders between van der Poel and Pogačar on the start list.
The UCI was less than moved. Never one to miss an opportuinty for a fine, van der Poel’s topless act was quickly rewarded with a 500 CHF fee for “Damage to the image of the sport.”
Specifically, the rule van der Poel violated was 2.12.007 8.6. That is “Unseemly or inappropriate behaviour (in particular undressing or urinating in public at the start or finish or during the race) and damage to the image of sport.”
Waiting all day just to lose by 0.31 seconds sucks. Getting hit by a fine after, while it won’t exactly make a dent in MvdP’s personal finances, is just kicking him while he’s down.
Van der Poel wasn’t the only one who found himself on the wrong end of the UCI rulebook on Saturday. Four teams were fined 500 CHF each for not checking their bikes in on time to be inspected by UCI officials (2.12.007 9.2, if you’re wondering). Decathlon CMA CGM Team, EF Education-EasyPost, XDS Astana and Pinarello Q36.5 were all hit by that rule.
That’s a big fine
At least it wasn’t a team time trial. At thd Dauphiné, Lotto-Intermarché were fined a staggering 3,000 CHF for showing up late for the third stage TTT. That’s 500 CHF per rider on the squad. Oof.