UCI to phase out two-way radios in races

The UCI, cycling's governing body, has made a decision to phase out the use of two-way radios in professional racing, stating that use of the radios 'distorts the nature of cycle sport'. There's already a ban up to the U23 category and the UCI will be announcing a calendar for rolling this out to the senior categories.

The radios have been in use since the Motorola team introduced them in the 1990s and now they're ubiquitous among in the pro peloton. But the UCI have had their teeth in the radios for a while now, and announced earlier in the year that two stages of the 2009 Tour de France – stages 10 and 13 – would be run without them. However, the riders effectively neutralised the first of the two radio-free stages, causing the UCI to climb down and allow them for the second.

It was always the UCI's intention, it seems, to phase the radios out and this announcement merely serves to underline that. We'll see how the pro teams respond in due course.

The UCI announcement:

After a thorough discussion of the subject of the use of two-way radio in races, the Management Committee decided to accept the UCI Road Commission’s recommendation to gradually phase out the use of two-way radio for all categories of rider. The members were of the opinion that two-way radio distorts the nature of cycle sport. They also took into account the desire expressed by the majority of those involved in cycling to prohibit the equipment. A ban on two-way radio is already in place for the Junior and Under-23 categories. It was agreed that a calendar for implementation of this measure would be drawn up.