After yesterday's time trial, Enric Mas can say he has his hands on the Vuelta a España. There are still two challenging finishes today and tomorrow before the finale in Granada, but yesterday's stage was the biggest hurdle for the Movistar rider from Spain, who could keep the red jersey in Spain for the first time in 12 years since Alberto Contador's third and final triumph.

Over the 32.1 km flat stage on the program, the race leader, in the form of his life, lost only 33" to a far more specialized rider like Primoz Roglic, and now commands the general classification with 1'37" over the Slovenian from Red Bull Bora Hanshgrohe. Without taking anything away from both riders' performances, the comparison of images from the same section covered by the two contenders for final victory raises a reflection on the vehicles surrounding them, creating drafting and air protection that in a time trial makes a significant difference.

If recently the issue of "padded sports bras" had come to the fore, the regulation of distance between riders and motorbikes-cars during the race has been a hot topic in the peloton for over 10 years, both for issues of favoritism and safety. Since 2023, the regulation states that the vehicle following the athlete must remain at least 25 meters from the cyclist to reduce aerodynamic advantages and increase safety (in 2024 Elisa Longo Borghini was penalized for this at the Italian time trial Championship, after the jury's intervention won by Vittoria Guazzini, editor's note), but it does not provide for lateral and frontal distance.

The first request from the riders' association in this regard dates back to 2014, but so far it has gone unheeded, probably because there is no real willingness to impose limits on TV broadcasters who pay for the rights to transmit the race images. If clear regulation were instituted, it would also be necessary to provide an objective, transparent, and real-time method of monitoring distances.

As often happens, it would simply be enough to copy from other sports that have solved the issue long ago. The no draft rule in triathlon is respected even in competitions with thousands of participants like those in the Ironman circuit: there is a zone of 12 meters (behind) and 3 (to the side) in which the following cyclist must not stay/use, and if they exceed it they are penalized with minutes of stoppage or disqualification. Controls are carried out with a laser system, mounted on the following vehicles and monitored in real time by the jury.

It would take little, then, to nip accusations of nationalism in the bud, but the UCI needs the willingness to write a clear and unimpeachable regulation. Will it be more complicated to draft and enforce than the sock length rule? Perhaps, but the safety and credibility of our sport would deserve some work in this direction.