The UCI is offering the opportunity for teams to try out disc brakes at road events for several events in the 2015 season. © Cyclocross Magazine
The UCI just announced that it will be allowing the use of disc brakes on road bikes during the 2015 season, for two separate events of each professional road team’s choosing. The long term forecast, if the tests over the next two years produce the results the UCI is looking for, would be allowing road cyclists to use disc brakes during the UCI World Tour in 2017. Big questions remain: will road cyclists see similar benefits that the UCI cyclocross world has over the last few years with the technology, and what kind of reaction will we get from the peloton? Many details remain, and the UCI has offered the following information in their press release:
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) announce that, following numerous consultations with different stakeholders, tests will begin this season with a view to introducing disc brakes to professional road cycling in the future.
During the 2015 UCI professional road season, all teams will have the opportunity to use bikes with disc brakes at two events of their choice during August and September. The testing will continue in 2016 at all events on the UCI professional road calendar and, if the experience is satisfactory, disc brakes will be officially introduced to the UCI World Tour in 2017. The aim is to eventually introduce disc brakes to all levels of road cycling.
UCI President Brian Cookson said: “Although disc brakes have been used for around a decade in mountain biking and for the last two years in cyclo-cross, their introduction to road cycling must be carefully studied in collaboration with all those who are directly concerned. That includes riders, teams and manufacturers. This step is part of the UCI’s desire to encourage innovation in order to ensure cycling is even more attractive for spectators, riders, bike users and broadcasters.”
“The industry is delighted by this news and also thanks the UCI for the very positive collaboration. This decision will further develop innovation and create new possibilities for the bicycle industry as well as additional performance for the riders. There is still some fine tuning to do on detailed requirements for the procedure, but it is very exciting to finally have reached this decision. The remaining open topics such as neutral race support or the UCI and Teams protocol will be tackled soon,” states WFSGI Secretary General Robbert de Kock.
Further information regarding detailed procedures will be communicated at a later stage.
