{"id":256130,"date":"2026-08-04T12:01:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T12:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/padding-the-results\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T12:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T12:01:28","slug":"padding-the-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/padding-the-results\/","title":{"rendered":"Padding The Results"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

When it comes to the Tour de France and pro cycling in general, nobody feels as strongly as I do that the women\u2019s races are just as important as the men\u2019s. This is why I ignore both equally. It\u2019s also why I didn\u2019t know about this<\/a> until someone mentioned it in the comments yesterday:<\/p>\n

\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Yes, apparently you can get an aero benefit with the right kind of bra:<\/p>\n

\n

According to\u00a0WielerFlits, some teams believe a small number of riders might be wearing extra padding inside their sports bras during time trials to alter the shape of their chest and reduce aerodynamic drag. The practice is prohibited under UCI equipment regulations because it artificially changes a rider\u2019s body shape.<\/em><\/p>\n

Aerodynamics expert\u00a0Bert Blocken, a professor at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland and LUT University in Finland, told the Dutch outlet that the concept is backed by science.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking about a chest fairing, which changes the airflow around the body and reduces pressure on the thighs,\u201d Blocken said. \u201cYou won\u2019t gain tens of seconds. But think about a 20- to 30-km time trial can save enough seconds to make the difference.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Bu don\u2019t worry, because the UCI is on it:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

By the way, just an editorial note on the HILARIOUS t-shirt:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

You don\u2019t need the \u201cfor inspections,\u201d because it\u2019s repetitive and redundant.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, it was only until I read about the chest fairings that I learned the UCI has recently banned jerseys with front pockets<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Though I\u2019m a little confused by the reasoning:<\/p>\n

\n

After observing teams using internal front pockets filled with nutrition products to improve aerodynamics, the UCI has decided to prohibit front-mounted pockets altogether starting July 1, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

The UCI claims the nutritional products were \u201cgenerally not consumed because they were extremely difficult, or even impossible in race conditions, to access. These pockets result in significant alterations to the riders\u2019 body shape.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The governing body said the practice was supported by aerodynamic studies and raised concerns about both sporting fairness and rider safety, arguing that speed gains can contribute to more severe crashes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Wait. Are they banning front pockets because it\u2019s too hard to get at your food? Or are they banning front pockets because the speed gains are so tremendous that they\u2019re contributing to more severe crashes? <\/p>\n

Oh, wait again, I don\u2019t care\u2013though it did explain why this<\/a> never took off:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

He doesn\u2019t seem to be having trouble accessing his food at all.<\/p>\n

Anyway, while the UCI may be able to get wind-cheating sports bras out of the pro peloton, it\u2019s only a matter of time before they start turning up in your local men\u2019s masters races:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There are few things faster than an old Fred in an AeroManzier\u2122 and a PNS helmet: <\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Does it come in fleshtone?<\/p>\n

Just make sure you\u2019re wearing one of these<\/a> if you participate in any unfamiliar group rides:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

You can\u2019t be too careful.<\/p>\n

As for this old Fred, I don\u2019t need to worry about PNS protection because I ride alone, and my new granny gear<\/a> is way more useful than a chest fairing on an incline strewn with Very Small Rocks:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Yes, the rain finally stopped yesterday and I managed to squeeze in another quick ride on the Farbman, and while I\u2019m very pleased with the new drivetrain configuration, it is causing some tension at home:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

That\u2019s because this is the point in the season when all my bikes start competing for the position as my Official Summer Vacation Bike, and up until now last year\u2019s winner<\/a> was the front-runner once again:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

It\u2019s the obvious choice, because not only did I conceive of the Roadini as my default vacation bike in the first place, but after a year and a half I have it exactly the way I want it:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

And yet the Farman does present a compelling alternative. In fact another reason I held back on making these changes to it was that I didn\u2019t want too much Farman\/Roadini overlap, which I knew would lead to fraught decisions just like this one. But while they may be set up somewhat similarly at the moment, the Roadini will always be the more luxurious of the pair thanks to its less racy geometry, ample mounting points, and even ample-er tire clearance<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Which is why it can easily assume any number of guises, from sporting to genteel:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Oh great, now I want to redo the Roadini, and that\u2019s the last thing I need.<\/p>\n

No, wait, more stuff is the last thing I need<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Maybe you can get something and I can live vicariously through you.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to the Tour de France and pro cycling in general, nobody feels as strongly as I do that the women\u2019s races are just as important as the men\u2019s. This is why I ignore both equally. It\u2019s also why I didn\u2019t know about this until someone mentioned it in the comments yesterday: Yes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":256131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-256130","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}