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Riders in the Tour de France Femmes were examined for hidden aerodynamic enhancements, or chest fairings, before the race’s time trial stage to Dijon on Tuesday, in a clampdown on the latest attempts to circumnavigate cycling’s rules.
Changes to body morphology to improve aerodynamics are banned under International Cycling Union rules. The UCI’s commissaires were looking for padded chest fairings that would artificially improve airflow and reduce wind resistance.
In June the male rider Jan-Willem van Schip was disqualified in a French race for inserting a water bottle into the front of his racing jersey on the basis that it enhanced his aerodynamics and speed.
The UCI directive that selected riders have extra checks before the stage to Dijon came at the instigation of some teams who had noticed changes to rider physiques before time trials.
Stijn Steels, director of the AG Insurance-Soudal team, said he first noticed suspicious padding at the Paris Olympics in 2024. “There was a rider who suddenly had huge breasts,” Steels told the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste News.
“Last year, many riders filled their bust area completely with ice or other items to create a larger volume, which gives a much better aerodynamic effect. It’s only a few watts difference [in power], but a few watts matter a lot in a time trial. It’s possible and it does make a difference, but I wouldn’t risk it.”
Stephen Delcourt, manager of the race favourite Demi Vollering’s FDJ United-Suez team, said: “We never play with the rules like this. If they want to have controls for this, it’s because someone is doing it. Every season everybody does more work in wind tunnels and looks at equipment from the handlebars, the bike, the helmet. But we don’t play with the rules, we are always transparent.”
The former world champion Marianne Vos, teammate to the defending Tour de France champion, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, supported the clothing checks. “It’s good that they try to enforce the rules,” Vos said. “Everybody is looking for the best aerodynamics, so there are some games. But there are rules to live by.”
In a statement to the teams taking part in the Tour Femmes, the UCI said “particular attention” would be paid to ensure cyclists complied with regulations over “non-essential items or other accessories worn by a rider that could alter their physique”.
Vos said of the checks: “I don’t think it’s really body searching, so I don’t have a problem with it, as long as it’s not too invasive.”
Rolf Aldag, team manager to Kasia Niewiadoma, winner of the Tour Femmes in 2024, saw little difference between the clothing inspections and standard doping controls. “You have to enforce the rules,” Aldag said. “Otherwise, don’t make them. If there’s something to check, then it should be checked. They do that every time they do a doping control. So do we question doping controls?
“If we question it due to the privacy of an athlete, then you have to skip doping controls too, which we all agree that we should not do. It’s the same rule for the men and they would also be checked. I think there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Bert Blocken, professor of aerodynamics, aerospace and mechanical engineering at Scotland’s Heriot‑Watt University, said a chest fairing can alter airflow around the body and reduce aerodynamic drag, allowing riders to conserve energy.
“You don’t gain tens of seconds on a time trial, but over 20-30km, it can make a decisive difference,” Blocken said, adding that it could mean a gain of 0.78 seconds per kilometre.
The UCI’s directive has led to accusations of sexism as no clothing checks were carried out either before, or after, the men’s Tour de France time trial, between Évian‑les‑Bains and Thonon-les-Bains on 21 July.
Philip Roodhooft, manager of the Fenix-Premier Tech team that won three stages in the men’s Tour in July, said that he was “not surprised that people are exploring it”.
Roodhooft said: “When you see that the men try things with water bottles placed in strategic spots, then I can imagine that women are thinking about it as well. Still, it’s not good that it happens because it’s still cheating.”
