Richie Porte's Wheel Change

As regular readers will know I don't generally write pieces about up to date race news and results however I feel like today I should make an exception. Richie Porte's wheel change, Wheelgate for short, is an example of what I both love and hate about cycling. I'll start with the hate first:

The UCI will have you believe that they aren't fans of grey areas and in the case of Wheelgate they were right to apply rule 12.1.040 which states that riders shouldn't receive non-regulation assistance from a non team member. I'll explain why I think that that rule cannot be concrete later on but for now let's deal in facts and they were right to add 2 minutes onto Porte's time. However it does leave you wondering where was the disqualification of any riders from Paris-Roubaix earlier this year? At least 20 riders passed under closing train barriers and there wasn't a single disqualification. Why was that? How about the following laws that are inexplicably in the UCI rulebook:

• 2.3.031 - No equipment for riders may be prepared or held ready outside the following vehicle. Persons riding in vehicles shall not reach or lean out. When has this rule ever been enforced? Watch any race and you will see mechanics leaning out the window.
• 2.3.034 - It shall be strictly forbidden to cross level crossings when the barrier is down. Apart from risking the penalty for such an offence as provided by law, offending riders shall be eliminated from the competition by the commissaires. See above!
• 2.2.025 - Riders may not, without due care, jettison food, bonk-bags, feeding bottles, clothes, etc. in any place whatsoever. Riders may not jettison anything on the roadway itself but shall draw to the side of the road and safely deposit the object there. Is this the least adhered to rule in the entirety of sport? When have you ever seen a rider ease to the side of the road and shove his energy gel wrappers in the bin, maybe then washing his hands in the local toilettes? 

The UCI prove time after time that they are willing to turn a blind eye to their own rule book if the rule is too hard to implement or will impact on too many people. But why, why oh why UCI, would you enforce a 2 minute penalty against a man, who through no fault of his own, had already lost 47 seconds? Before the UCI can shout down from their pulpit that "rules are rules" they might want to look at the Giro GC, 2nd, 3rd and 4th are populated by Astana riders, that's World Tour team Astana. 

I'm going to end on a positive however! I love cycling, I love almost everything about it. One thing that I love more than any other is the camaraderie and even if Simon Clarke's assistance did lead to Porte's almost certain elimination from the top spot of the Giro imagine the impact it will have on any Australian kids, or for that matter, any kids watching this stage. They can see riders shaking hands after day long breakaways. They can see riders handing each other bottles even when they are not on the same team. They can see sprinters congratulating each other after they've just raced elbow to elbow at 70kph. They can see videos of Jens Voigt refusing to pass Garate in the 2006 Giro after he'd sat on his wheel for the entire length of the final climb. That is the real cycling and no matter the amount of unjustified meddling by the UCI or wilful ignorance by the UCI it's the team work and sportsmanship which means we have an endless stream of young boys and girls coming into the sport.

Chapeau Simon Clarke!

Chapeau Cycling!