Radio ban

The UCI has decided to postpone the introduction of an outright race ban in all pro racing for at least another year, smoothing the way for the top professional teams to attend next month's Tour of Beijing.

The UCI has agreed to extend the Tour Down Under's WorldTour licence until 2015, it was announced on Wednesday.

SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHATEAUX, France (VN) — The UCI and the Tour de France parent company (ASO) rolled out a new agreement Monday to get the debut Tour of Beijing off the ground this October.

Tension between the UCI and the top pro teams is reaching a breaking point over the use of race radios in elite professional races. Things got so bad that teams walked out of a meeting last week in Belgium that was supposed to be a sit-down between the major players to hammer out an understanding. Instead of reaching a common ground, both sides seem further apart than ever.

Several team directors walked out of a UCI meeting in Brussels Monday protesting the way the sanctioning body is dealing with disagreement over its race radio ban.

The professional cyclists association has called off plans to hold a rider protest at this weekend's Harelbeke race over the UCI's radio ban. The CPA's Gianni Bugno told members Wednesday that UCI president Pat McQuaid had agreed to meet with him to discuss rider concerns over the ban.

Dario Cioni has a front-row seat to how decisions are made on such topics as the controversial ruling to phase out race radio.

Johan Bruyneel gives an interesting interview with the Belgian daily Het Laastse Nieuws

USA Cycling on Tuesday reversed course and announced it would ban race radios at national level events, including National Racing Calendar and national championship events.

UCI president Pat McQuaid cried foul over USA Cycling’s recent decision to allow race radios in its sanctioned events this season and said the federation has been “hijacked” by special interests.

MILAN (AFP) — As the UCI dug in its heels Friday over the radio ban, it was revealed that the peloton aims to defy UCI orders by wearing the radio-earpieces during the Harelbeke GP E3 on March 26, the Coppi-Bartali international cycling week on March 22-26 and the Criterium International on March 26-27.

Pat McQuaid issues an open letter to riders regarding the radio ban

UCI president Pat McQuaid is digging in his heels over the race radio issue and promises there will be no moving backward.

The UCI on Thursday said cycling teams' decision to boycott the Tour of Beijing will not affect the organization's policy on race radios.

"President McQuaid regretfully noted this new element of tension in the situation. It will not, however, change the UCI’s position on the subject. "

UCI officials say they will push ahead with plans to hold the Tour of Beijing despite a call Thursday for a protest by the top professional teams of the inaugural event scheduled for October.

Frustrated teams threw down the gauntlet Thursday and vowed to not attend the UCI-backed Tour of Beijing in October over a long-running feud on the race radio ban issue.

Press Release: Statement from the AIGCP re: the race radio ban

PARIS (AFP) — Professional cycling teams opposed to the UCI's proposed ban on earpieces announced on Thursday that they plan to boycott the Tour of Beijing in protest.

When the French Cycling Federation sanctioned Paris-Nice 2008, in violation of UCI rules, the UCI fined and suspended the French governing body for six months. After its March 11 decision to allow the use of in-race radios in National Racing Calendar events, USA Cycling could be facing a similar fate.

MARINA DI CARRARA, Italy (VN) _ A coalition of riders and teams says the UCI has 20 days to begin talks with on the radio ban. If they refuse, riders will begin wearing race radios on March 26. That was the message at a joint press conference with representatives of the sport's events, riders and teams Tuesday night.

The debate over the race radio ban heats up as the race director at the Vuelta a Murcia blamed the absence of race radio for several crashes during the three-stage race in Spain.

Saxo Bank-Sungard boss Bjarne Riis blasts UCI leadership over what he called an arbitrary ban on race radio, saying the cycling governing body is out of touch with the elite level of the sport.

AIGCP press release on radio ban, March 4, 2011

Press Release: UCI President meets with AIGCP delegation

UCI president Pat McQuaid met with a delegation from the cycling teams association (AIGCP) on Thursday in Switzerland to discuss the race radio ban.

UCI president Pat McQuaid will meet with representatives from the professional teams association Thursday to discuss the race radio ban, the association announced Tuesday.

LEON, Spain (VN) — A protest this weekend appears to have been averted, but riders and teams promise to carry their growing frustration over the race radio ban to other upcoming events.

At least one team is breaking rank with the peloton this weekend and will sit out any protest of the UCI ban on race radios. BMC Racing general manager Jim Ochowicz said in a release Thursday that his team would not take part in any demonstration planned for the opening weekend of the spring classics in Flanders, Belgium.

Several WorldTour riders said they plan to meet with UCI president Pat McQuaid this week at the Tour of Oman to discuss the radio ban.

Riders and teams went toe to toe with the UCI on Sunday at the Mallorca Challenge.

Boom tells VeloNews that the Qatar peloton will follow the lead of riders at the Mallorca Challenge and demand the use of race radios before starting stage 1 on Monday.

After battling the UCI on its decision to ban radios in all but major events, Johan Bruyneel tells VeloNews that major changes are needed in the way important issues are decided in the sport.

Unless the UCI backtracks at a meeting with team directors on Friday in Switzerland, race radio communication between riders and their team cars will be banned this season in every road race except the 27 events of the new UCI WorldTour.

Evans, Cancellara and Farrar say the race radio ban at Sunday's road race is a bad idea

Benjamin takes San Dimas stage win, Abbott holds lead

There are a lot of big names expected for the 101st edition of Milan-San Remo next month, but Riccardo Riccò isn’t among them.

USA Cycling's COO Sean Petty says that only time will tell whether the race radio ban is a good thing for American racing.

Race radios for riders will be banned in nearly all USA Cycling road and track races going forward. The USCF Board of Trustees met this week and on Tuesday afternoon amended the rule regarding radios in response to a request from the UCI.

VIDEO: Neal Rogers chats with Team RadioShack's Chris Horner

A gallery of the new RadioShack team bikes

The 2010 team will include 26 riders from 16 nations.

With most dividing issues there usually ends up being some sort of compromise solution, so here is mine for race radios.

I'm not a lawyer either, but I believe Charles Pelkey’s interpretation of Virginia law is correct. Military members are subject to civil prosecution all the time.

As a physician and not an attorney, I would argue that this physician (see “California road-rage case heads for court”) should be charged with attempted manslaughter.