Yesterday we presented the SRAM statement about the appeal filed with the Belgian competition authority regarding the gear ratio limitations proposed by UCI, which will be tested during the Tour of Guangxi and would put riders using SRAM groups at a disadvantage compared to their competitors.

Today, we present the UCI's response to the same Belgian competition authority, without naming the company that decided to file the appeal. Here is the full version.

On September 19, 2025, the Belgian competition authority announced that it has opened "an investigation into the International Cycling Union's adoption of a technical standard that limits the maximum transmission ratio allowed in professional road cycling races".

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) understands that the investigation refers to the maximum ride test that will be conducted at the Tour of Guangxi 2025, which will take place from October 14 to 19, 2025. The test was communicated by the UCI on June 20 and July 3, and a dedicated "test protocol" was adopted by the UCI Management Committee at its meeting on June 10-12, 2025 to enable the test implementation.

The test was recommended by SafeR, the body that brings together representatives of riders, teams, organizers, and the UCI, with the aim of increasing safety in professional men's and women's cycling, particularly for riders.

The UCI is perplexed by the issuance of the Belgian competition authority's press release before the UCI has even received the complaint and by the evident inaccuracies contained in such statement. In particular, the statement does not reflect the fact that the UCI has publicly indicated that it will consider the results of this test before considering whether further tests are relevant in 2026. Only then might the UCI consider potential regulation modifications. Even more surprisingly, the statement does not even deem it necessary to indicate that the test to be conducted by the UCI is aimed at exploring measures to increase rider safety, which is a fundamental prerogative of all sports governing bodies.

The UCI is confident that its proposal to test gear limitations is compliant with EU and Belgian competition law. It is not the role of competition law to lead to a "race to the bottom" of regulatory and safety standards.

The UCI will continue to collaborate with cycling stakeholders through SafeR to improve safety and will make no further comments on these proceedings.