The Women’s Tour de France has been rocked after some teams accused riders of inflating their bra size to gain a speed advantage.
Cyclists are suspected of placing padding in their bras – which redirects air flow around the body, thus reducing resistance – in a banned practice known as chest fairing.
Tour authorities are now stepping up their scrutiny of riders’ clothing ahead of this afternoon’s time trial after several teams are reported to have complained to Dutch cycling outlet WielerFlits.
It might sound like a non-issue, but cycling takes this seriously. Earlier this year, the International Cycling Union (UCI), banned jerseys with front internal pockets because they could contain nutritional products and give an aerodynamic advantage.
Chest fairing is a known issue in both women’s and men’s cycling.
Offenders could improve their 21-kilometre time trial performance by 16 seconds, based on figures in a 2024 analysis by aerodynamics professor Bert Blocken.
Some Women’s Tour De France riders have been accused of inflating their bra size to gain a speed advantage
Blocken’s research found that cyclists could gain a 3.6 per cent drag reduction using chest fairing. The time gained, according to Blocken, could ‘decide who wins or loses a time trial’.
In time trials, riders adopt a ‘tucked’ position which can create a pocket between their helmet, shoulders and chest.
The idea is that by increasing their chest protrusion, one can redirect air away from this area and also reduce pressure on the thighs.
Now the UCI is clamping down.
Teams have been sent a notice that the UCI jury will pay special attention to competitor clothing ahead of today’s stage four time trial.
How they will enforce this in a non-invasive manner remains to be seen. Some teams have suggested that a female juror could check riders in a tent to ensure privacy, but this still raises concerns.
‘Riders must be at the final checks before the race (bikes and outfit) no later than 10 minutes before their respective start time,’ a UCI order said.
‘Particular attention will be paid to compliance with article 1.3.032 of the UCI regulations, including nonessential elements and clothing or other items/accessories worn by a rider (including but not limited to helmets, glasses, shoes or in-race communication devices) which could modify riders’ morphology.’
The practice of chest fairing redirects air away from the body during time trials, during which riders assume a unique shape
Professor Blocken told Telegraph Sport that he had seen photographs which ‘seemed to suggest that there are indeed some objects that some female riders stick behind their shirt’.
In a somewhat similar story earlier this year, the Winter Olympics were rocked by a penis enlargement scandal.
There were allegations that some ski jumpers resorted to injecting hyaluronic acid into their genitals to increase their surface area of their skinsuit and achieve a greater lift.
A scandal erupted at last year’s world championships after it emerged the Norwegian team had adjusted seams around the crotch to achieve that outcome.
Magnus Brevik, their head coach, his assistant coach Thomas Lobben and another staff member, Adrian Livelten, were handed 18-month bans in the fallout. The defending Olympic ski jump champion Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang were also suspended for three months, though it was found the athletes were not aware of the plot.
