Following the recent discussion about disc brakes and mechanical doping, the rider union CPA has taken a stance in both matters, sending out two statements.

You can find both statements below:

Mechanical doping

The reportage of the journalists Thierry Vildary of Stade 2 (France 2 TV) et Marco Bonarrigo of Corriere della Sera on electric motors into the riders bicycles during the races Strade Bianche and Coppi & Bartali has raised many questions within the association of the professional riders.

The CPA is now at the forefront in the fight against mechanical doping and hope that UCI will take into account what is revealed by the news report to fight with every means this new scourge of cycling.

For this reason, the CPA asks the UCI to use exemplary and severe sanctions such as the suspension for life for the riders who have committed such misdeeds, because they unjustly besmirch honest cyclists.

The association of riders will retain the right to sue against unknown for such crimes because it is unthinkable that certain devices are used by individual riders without complicity.

The CPA is also ready to cooperate with the UCI for the improvement of the controls during the races to find those who commit these shameful and unsportsmanlike crimes.

Disc brakes

With this statement, the CPA would like to reply to all the people, including the riders, who asked what the Association of Professional cyclists did to prevent accidents such as the one who occurred to the rider Francisco Ventoso, seriously wounded by a disc brake during a crash at the Paris-Roubaix race.

It was during the race Paris-Nice 2015, when the delegate of the CPA Pascal Chanteur noted the concern among the riders for the tests on the disc brakes programmed by the UCI.

At this race, many riders, not all of them, expressed their fears related to the use of disc brakes (such as burns and injuries from falls).

The riders also considered not normal that the same braking mode in this test was not used by all the riders. They also raised the question of the neutral wheels service.

The CPA began to discuss the issue within the association: there were conflicting views but it was clear for everybody that the riders must enter into the discussion on this issue. The national rider associations collected the opinions of the riders and sent it to the UCI, upon a first contact with the Equipment Commission, by the secretary of the CPA David Chassot.

Meanwhile, because of the high amount of incidents during the 2015 season, the CPA obtained to be part of the Security Commission with its vice president Pascal Chanteur and the rider David Millar. During these meetings in October / November, our two representatives emphasized again the problems associated with the use of disc brakes in road races.

But the UCI clearly wanted to continue the planned tests without taking into account the CPA remarks and despite the numerous red flags.

The CPA in January 2016 wrote a letter to the UCI which warns again about the security risks for the riders using disc brakes and notes that the riders were not consulted about the decision of testing them. At this time, the CPA requested to have a representative in the Equipment Commission.

The CPA also sent a letter to the AIOCC which highlights the responsibility of the organizers in case of accidents because of the use of disc brakes in their races. Again, the CPA lists the problems associated with the testing of the disc brakes even saying that insurance companies may refuse to cover all accidents.

The UCI responds diplomatically taking note of the letters and accepts that a member of the CPA could be part of the Equipment Commission as an observer.

In December 2015 the CPA had also informed the press of its opposition to the use of disc brakes: in this press release the CPA says it wants to conduct a survey among the riders and deliver the results to the UCI, to make the rider views taken into account.

In all the UCI commissions the CPA talks about the problem of the disc brakes. The CPA always highlights the risks for the riders but the UCI does not backtrack on the decision to continue his race test plan.

The CPA never wanted to oppose the technological progress, but gave always the maximum attention to the safety of the riders and their right to express their views on the issue.

It is undeniable that many riders were officially in favor of this technical innovation, but the CPA believed it was necessary to make an anonymous survey to know their real views, without pressure from sponsors (bicycle manufacturers) and teams.

Since the UCI was strictly convinced to pursue its plan, the CPA decided to wait until the end of the "Classics" where the brakes are tested to make an accurate and anonymous survey on the riders.

The rest is the chronicle of these recent days: the accident of the rider Francisco Ventoso during the Paris-Roubaix race! We were afraid that such an accident could happen and unfortunately it did.

The CPA has written a letter to the UCI to request the immediate suspension of the tests of disc brakes. Fortunately, the Equipment Commission and the AIGCP are of the same opinion today.

The CPA is sorry that too often the rider comments are heard after the accident has already happened.

The CPA wishes once again to work with all the cycling stakeholders for the development in all areas of our sport but on one condition: the riders SAFETY.