The UCI has done it again. A few days ago it came to light that the French team Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur was testing a prototype of pedals built by the components and accessories firm Ekoi. Pedals characterized by their large platform and with a new cleat and anchoring system to obtain the best transfer of forces that the brand itself valued at a gain of around 8 watts.
Surprisingly, the UCI decided to ban the use of these pedals, arguing that, despite the fact that the use of these pedals had been correctly requested, the file had not yet been resolved.
All this in the run-up to the second stage of the Etoile de Bessège, with hardly any time to react to the team, whose riders had to ask other teams to lend them pedals and shoes in order to be able to compete that day, as they use the Ekoi pedal system, a proprietary system that requires specific shoes for its cleat system.
Some cyclists went to the extreme, unable to find someone to lend them shoes and pedals to their needs, to have to buy these elements in some of the stalls selling cycling equipment that are usually mounted at the start and finish of the race, a real nonsense.
Once again, this calls into question the attitude of the UCI, very concerned about the compliance of certain bureaucratic aspects, especially when the French team had been using the new Ekoi pedals for several weeks without any problem and it was the publication in the media of this novelty that made them aware of them. In the meantime, as the peloton continues to criticize, certain goals that are not compatible with rider safety are still allowed.
In any case, Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur and Ekoi have no choice but to wait for the relevant file to be resolved in order to continue testing these innovative pedals.
Fuente: www.brujulabike.com