UCI condemns use of helicopters for rider transfers from stage finish

SEGA DI ALA ITALY MAY 26 The peloton at start in Canazei Village during the 104th Giro dItalia 2021 Stage 17 a 193km stage from Canazei to Sega di Ala 1246m Landscape Public Helicopter UCIworldtour girodiitalia Giro on May 26 2021 in Sega di Ala Italy Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images
A broadcast helicopter at the roadside during the 2021 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has criticised the use of helicopters to transfer riders from Friday’s Gran Sasso finish to their hotels, saying it “constitutes an advantage that goes against the principles of fair play regulatory provisions for ensuring equal treatment for transfer of teams to their hotels” and the UCI’s “principle of carbon footprint reduction”

The UCI said it “will take necessary measures and sanctions to ensure that such a practice does not occur in the future.” The governing body did not specify what the measures and sanctions will be.

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.