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Spanish federation bans disc brakes at nationals

published 12 June 2017

Braking system not allowed in elite categories

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Shimano provide the disc rotors on the through axle design (Image credit: Pat Malach)

The tug of war over whether disc brakes have a place in the peloton continues with the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) choosing to ban the use of disc brakes during the Spanish national championships next week.

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The RFEC issued a press release on Monday morning stating that riders in the elite categories would not be able to use them.

"The use of disc brakes is not authorised by the RFEC in the Elite UCI and Elite (men and women) categories," the statement read.

The decision is the latest in a disagreement over the use of disc brakes in road racing. The UCI introduced small disc brake trials at the end of the 2015 season and then widened the scope of it for the following year.

The trial was quickly brought to a halt following a crash during Pairs-Roubaix in 2016 when Francisco Ventoso said that a deep cut in his leg was caused by a disc brake. The sudden stop to the trials forced teams such as Roompot Oranje Peloton to make quick changes to their equipment ahead of the forthcoming Ardennes races.

This season saw them return to the peloton with Tom Boonen taking the first victory with a disc brake equipped bike at the Vuelta a San Juan in January. Many more teams have been using them this season, including Katusha, Quick-Step Floors, Team Sunweb and Cannondale, while Peter Sagan has been testing them in training but is yet to use them in training.

There was more controversy for the braking system during the Abu Dhabi Tour when Owain Doull (Team Sky) claimed that a tear in his shoe was caused by Marcel Kittel's disc brakes. The German stopped using his disc bike for the following stages, although that the disc had caused the tear was disputed by the bike industry.