Vittoria says Thomas De Gendt crash "unrelated to hookless rim design" and caused by "impact with rock"

Vittoria has responded to criticism and concerns following Thomas De Gendt's crash at the UAE Tour last week, the tyre brand insisting that the incident was "unrelated to the hookless rim design" being used by the Lotto Dstny professional.

Eye-catching pictures of De Gendt's wheel post-crash did the rounds in the hours after the incident — the tyre and foam insert almost completely detached from the Belgian's wheel. However, Vittoria has attempted to clarify the cause of the crash, previously presumed to be a freak blowout, and said it was caused by "impact with a rock", not due to the "hookless rim design" or "compatibility issues among the components utilised by the team".

In a statement released on Wednesday lunchtime, a Vittoria spokesperson said: "In the aftermath of Thomas De Gendt's crash during the UAE Tour last week, there has been some discussion about the hookless system. It is crucial to clarify that the rim's failure resulted from an impact with an object, in this case, a rock, and is unrelated to the hookless rim design. The intensity of the impact caused the rim/wheel to break in a manner that prevented the tyre from staying securely in place. The force was so severe that it tore apart the tyre insert.

"It's important to emphasise that the accident was not a result of any compatibility issues among the components utilised by the team. The Vittoria Corsa PRO 28mm TLR underwent extensive testing on various hookless commercial wheels, including Zipp models (such as 353NSW). The compatibility was thoroughly validated through laboratory tests, outdoor field tests, and races, with official communication provided through the Sram website. As members of ETRTO, we consistently develop our products in strict adherence to ETRTO norms, encompassing both current ETRTO standards and 'Previous Standard Data (PSD)' ETRTO."

Vittoria referred to the "discussion" that came "in the aftermath" of De Gendt's crash at the WorldTour stage race, CPA riders' union president Adam Hansen stating that "there are a lot of people who want this banned out of the peloton".

> Pro cyclists' union "not happy" with hookless wheels after "freak" blowout causes Thomas De Gendt crash – but team defends tyre system as "100% within the rules"

"The CPA is not happy with riders racing on hookless system in the peloton. There have been concerns from riders and teams with this new system," Hansen wrote on social media.

Speaking to Velo, Hansen, who was teammates with De Gendt on the team between 2015 and 2020, said the riders' union was "100 per cent against hookless rims" and claimed that they could potentially cause a "mass crash".

"When you look at the images of Thomas De Gendt's bike, his tyre came off, the safety foam inside got caught in the fork, and that locks up the front wheel," Hansen said.

"Some teams are racing with hookless rims. This crash is why the CPA are 100 per cent against hookless rims. Tyres should not come off a rim. The maximum psi these hookless tyres can have put in them is 73, and if you hit something for sure it goes above the maximum 73psi rating on impact. That is why tyres are coming off.

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"We have heard from some teams that they have put tyres on before, they left them out in the sun and their tyres just pop off. But the manufacturers really like them because it is much easier to produce the rim, you need less moulds for this. The rims are much lighter, it is easier for production, so they are pushing for this."