– They are completely on wild roads. When they make such threats, they want to make themselves bigger than the sport. It is completely idiotic to just mention such a punishment.
That’s what Henrik Alpers says to NRK. He works as a journalist at Landevei.no and is obsessed with cycling fashion.
OPINIONLESS: Fashion-obsessed cycling journalist Henrik Alpers shakes his head at the fashion handling of the jury.S
Photo: Andy Bokanev
The start of what has almost become a fashion scandal in cycling took place after the second stage of the Giro d’Italia.
Pogacar then drove into the iconic pink leader’s jersey in the three-week race. At the start of the third leg on Monday, he appeared in the correct pink color on his upper body, but the “wrong” color of the shorts.
To start problems.
See the difference between the shorts here:
UNHEARD: The color of these shorts did not match the pink jersey. It did not go down well with the jury.
CHANGE OF CLOTHES: On the fourth leg on Tuesday, Tadej Pogacar and the team gave in: They went for the black team shorts.
BUCK UNDER: The team does not want to risk a UCI penalty, so it was only necessary to join the fashion police at the race, also known as the commissioners.
According to Cyclingnews, who mentioned the case first, commissioners from the International Cycling Union (UCI) contacted after the third stage. They were not satisfied with the alternative color choice.
They must have warned the team that Pogacar would be disqualified from the race if he did not wear the correct color of shorts.
– I have the trousers, but no more aerodynamic overalls. Now it may be that I can’t attack anymore, as I’m not that fast anymore, says a joking Pogacar according to Cyclingnews.
Would it be right to punish Pogacar?
Yes, of course. No, that would be unheard of! I have no strong opinions on this.
Show result
– Childish and unsportsmanlike
The purple shorts with the wrong color had been awarded to the team from RCS Sport, which organizes the three-week race.
– Threatening to overrule the sports doctor against an athlete who generates large incomes is so very symptomatic of what cycling is like. It is childish and unsporting behavior from the international cycling federation and the commissioners, says Alpers.
BACK IN THE RIGHT COLOR: Tadej Pogacar on the starting line with the “correct” color of his shorts before the fifth stage on Wednesday.
Photo: LUCA BETTINI / AFP
The reason for the color change on the shorts part was to honor the football club Torino. They play matches in the same purple color as the shorts Pogacar was cycling with on the third stage.
The club marked that it was 75 years since the Superga plane crash happened – and this was the tribute to the Giro organizer after the accident. All 31 people on board died after the crash which occurred shortly after departure on 4 May 1949.
– Today I drive naked
Both the organizer and the equipment supplier subsequently tried to explain to the UCI commissioners that the rules allowed colors in two tones.
– I don’t know how much I can say. The organizer gave us the aerodynamic suit that I used, before the UCI called and said that “this is illegal”, Pogacar told Eurosport before the fourth stage where he kept the leader’s jersey.
At this stage, Pogacar chose to show up in the team in his own colours, namely black. He leads the Giro overall, 2 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of second place.
On Saturday morning, the UCI will confirm Eurosport that they have decided that Pogacar will not risk being disqualified from the Giro if he continues to use the disputed shorts.
– Today I drive naked, comments a humorous Pogacar to the news.
– Simply unnecessarily prickly
In cycling there are several strict rules for clothing. Among other things, Uno-X got to experience this before the Tour de France. There, the leader’s jersey is yellow and the Tour organizer asked the team to change the color of the jersey so that the team would not be confused with the leader in the race.
They change the team color from yellow to red.
Alpers supports such a correction, but the strict threats from the jury and the commissioners against Pogacar are completely understandable, he believes.
– There is no misunderstanding about who this is. This breach of the rules has no consequences, neither for riders, the public nor the sport. They could only talk to the team and the rider to ask them to change colour. Alternatively, they could also issue a fine with a requirement that the fine be paid for a charitable purpose, suggests Alpers.
- In the 2023 edition of the Giro d’Italia, a dog caused a mass collapse:
Published 11.05.2024, at 10.01 Updated 11.05.2024, at 10.03