The UCI has moved to suspend the use of disc brakes by pro road teams after Spanish Movistar rider Francisco Ventoso sustained this awful injury in Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.
Just three days after Spanish Movistar rider Francisco Ventoso suffered horrific wounds in Paris-Roubaix after a brush involving disc brakes, the UCI has said it was suspending their use.
President of the UCI’s equipment commission Harald Tiedemann Hansen confirmed the world governing body would suspend the use of the brakes in pro road racing.
Movistar’s Ventoso said when he stopped about 130km into Paris-Roubaix to avoid hitting riders blocking his way he made contact with another rider’s disc brakes.
He didn’t realise he was injured and continued on his way, only to look down at his leg a little further up the road to see a deep wound, to the bone.
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After news of the incident emerged the media coverage focussed on whether disc brakes were unsafe.
And the debate was only heightened when the rider took to Facebook to publish images of his wound and pen an open letter about what happened.
And now it appears the UCI has responded immediately, with the Association of Professional Cyclists (CPA) also having called for action before and since Sunday’s race incident.
CPA press officer Laura Mora told ProCycling.no in Norway the UCI had informed her organisation the use of the brakes was being suspended.
And in the same article, ProCycling.no said the UCI’s Harald Tiedemann Hansen had confirmed the information to its reporter.
The CPA’s Mora said the organisation had expressed concern about the safety of the brakes before Ventoso was injured on Sunday.
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But now that the UCI had confirmed the brakes were being suspend, she said the CPA was content its views had finally been heard.
“We have just received support from (the UCI’s) equipment commission,” she said.
“We've talked about the risks of using disc brakes for several months and has sent a letter to the UCI and the organisers to avoid such risks. Now we are finally heard.”
Recent introduction
Just last November the UCI confirmed approval for what amounted to a one-year trial for disc brakes, though it appeared the brakes were here to stay at that time.
They aim to improve the stability of braking and enable faster stopping, though concern had been expressed by many in the sport that they may be unsafe in the event of a crash.
During August and September of last year pro road teams were allowed to trial the brakes at two events of their choice.
Announcing that move last April, the UCI said further trials would follow in 2016 with a view to sanctioning the use of the brakes for WorldTour teams in 2017 and all levels of road cycling thereafter.
But last November the organisation confirmed those further trials would involve all pro road teams being permitted to use the brakes throughout all of 2016.
The sanctioning applied to WorldTour teams and those at Pro Continental and Continental level, as well as UCI women’s teams.
“The use of disc brakes will be carefully monitored throughout the year with a view to definitively allowing them to be used in professional road cycling from 2017,” the UCI said at the time.
“Following the decision to further test disc brakes, the UCI has modified articles 1.3.017 and 1.3.020 of its Regulations relating to frames and forks. These changes will operate from the 1st of January 2016."
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