Notorious UCI-rules-challenger Jan-Willem van Schip, was reportedly “forced” to stop racing by French police following yet another disqualification by UCI officials at the Ronde de l'Oise on Sunday.
According to WielerFlits, the Dutch rider was disqualified during the race’s final stage for putting a bottle down the front of his jersey.
Reports say van Schip initially refused to stop riding, leading race officials to ask the police marshals to make him stop.
Race officials ruled this contravened article 1.3.032 of the UCI’s technical regulations, which states that “Clothing and other items or accessories worn by a rider… may not modify the morphology of the rider”.
Azerion / Villa Valkenburg team manager, Paul Tabak, told WielerFlits that he disputes this interpretation of the rule, saying “there is no rule in the current regulations that explicitly prohibits two water bottles or gels under a shirt”.
A recently announced update to the UCI’s regulations looks to deal with riders carrying things on the front of their body that, according to the sport’s governing body, “result in significant alterations to the riders’ body shape”, but this regulation does not come into effect until 1 July 2026.
What’s going on?
If you’ve been paying attention to pro racing in the last few years, you’ll know this isn’t Jan-Willem van Schip’s first run-in with the UCI over its infamous technical regulations.
The Dutchman has been a professional cyclist since 2014, and is a two-time world champion on the track.
Over the years, van Schip has been noted for his progressive approach to bikes, equipment and riding.
We first spotted him riding 32cm-wide handlebars at Scheldeprijs back in 2018, for example, and he was also the first rider to use (and be subsequently disqualified for using) Speeco's Aero Breakaway Handlebar in 2021.
In recent months, though, as the UCI has clamped down on what it views as excessively narrow handlebars and dangerous riding positions, van Schip has come under increasing scrutiny from race officials.
His disqualification from the Ronde de l'Oise is reportedly his third since October, according to WielerFlits – all for various infringements of the UCI’s technical regulations, relating to equipment and riding positions.
This has led van Schip’s team manager to accuse the UCI of treating the Dutchman and his team differently from other riders in the peloton.
Tabak told WielierFlits: “I think it doesn't matter a damn anymore what he does. Every single day they came to check Jan-Willem's bike in the Tour de l'Oise. Every day! They measure it up… If they can find anything, they get you.
“Jan-Willem was recently disqualified from the Tour of Greece because of the position he adopted on the bike. On that same day, Jonas Vingegaard did the same in the Giro d'Italia and received a yellow card. There needs to be clarity, because that is currently lacking. Those rules must apply to everyone, not just Jan-Willem.”
Why can’t riders carry bottles in the front of their jerseys?
According to the UCI, the move to ban riders from carrying items in the front of their jerseys stems from the “recent publication of studies demonstrating the aerodynamic advantage provided by this practice”.
As demonstrated in triathlons and time trials, carrying a bottle or large object down the front of your jersey can help ‘fill in’ the gap between your torso and legs, thereby improving the aerodynamic efficiency of your body shape.
The UCI regards this practice as contravening article 1.3.032 of its existing regulations, which outlaws “non-essential items” designed to “modify the morphology of the rider” for aerodynamic purposes.
As often with cycling’s technical regulations, there are grey areas to this rule, however, because riders are permitted to carry water bottles and nutritional products to and from team cars as part of their domestique duties.
Where it crosses the line from permitted to banned behaviour is clearly open to interpretation.
Why does van Schip keep pushing the boundaries?
When asked why van Schip doesn’t simply dial back his setup to something less extreme, Tabak said: “He is a boy of extremes. He seeks out the spaces. He wants to cycle as aerodynamically as possible and be as aerodynamic as possible.
“And that is allowed by me, as long as everything stays within the rules and the law of the UCI.”
Tabak said he and van Schip have tried to engage with the UCI to get clarification on what is and isn’t allowed, but said: “It is really very sad. If we can help him with anything, we will. But I don’t think we will get very far with the UCI.”
