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Oct 18, 2024

Conti team found gluing fake UCI stickers to non-compliant bikes

Photo: Saint Piran team via Instagram Get a free Giordana cycling jersey when you subscribe to Velo with Outside+! It’s our way of celebrating the 2024 Road World Championships in Zurich. Includes

Photo: Saint Piran team via Instagram

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British Continental team Saint Piran has been caught and has admitted to using unmarked Chinese frames with fake UCI approval stickers, according to a report by Cycling Weekly.

The team — led by Richard Pascoe (as seen on the Bobby & Jens podcast here) and recognized as a British Cycling Elite Development Team — was discovered racing on all-black frames from a Chinese manufacturer. To make the bikes appear compliant, fake UCI approval stickers were applied to the seat tubes.

According to the report, riders called the bike the “Wuhan Weapon.” Saint Piran won’t clarify where the frames are sourced specifically, saying only that it used a “Chinese brand.”

The Saint Piran Continental team appears to have gone down this path starting in 2022.

Saint Piran raised concerns about the safety of the frames from its then-sponsor, Lapierre, a claim Lapierre firmly denied. No recalls were issued on the bikes, and no issues were reported by Lapierre’s WorldTour team, Groupama-FDJ.

Saint Piran’s safety claim amounted to £100,000, leaving the team without bikes for a period until Trek stepped in as a new sponsor.

During that in-between period, however, the team purchased those frames the riders called the “Wuhan Weapon.”

The team downplayed any safety concerns about the non-UCI-approved frames. Rather, they insisted the frames met UCI standards, according to a run of WhatsApp messages from Pascoe revealed to Cycling Weekly.

While the team won’t clarify what frame they ended up using, it appears the frames are from Lightcarbon, with the model simply named “Integrated Road Bike Disc Frame.”

The wild part here? Lightcarbon offers custom paint, and it doesn’t even look like the team sprung for that. They just went for raw carbon without any branding.

Yes, at least if you’re racing in UCI-sanctioned races.

All equipment used in UCI races must be officially approved, with compliant frames receiving stickers applied during manufacturing.

However, the stickers seen on Saint Piran’s frames could be easily lifted with a fingernail, suggesting they were not authentic.

Pascoe allegedly used clear nail varnish to apply the stickers, which could have dissolved the ink, making them invalid. The UCI strictly prohibits individuals from applying these approval stickers, which must be indelible and permanently affixed to the frameset.

The stickers in question differed from current UCI-approved ones, lacking the unique code that links the frame to the UCI list of approved equipment. No Lightcarbon frames appear on the UCI’s approved list.

A post shared by Saint Piran Pro Cycling (@saintpiran)

Saint Piran addressed the issue in an Instagram statement today, acknowledging that their unbranded frames did not comply with UCI regulations.

Here’s the statement:

“After a detailed inspection, we can confirm the unbranded frames were not compliant with the UCI regulation process.”

“Saint Piran acted on the advice of the manufacturer and an external expert and understood they were in line with UCI regulations at all times. It appears that advice was incorrect. We have now reported this to the UCI and British Cycling and will abide by their ruling.”

The team has since reported the issue to the UCI and British Cycling, stating they will comply with the governing bodies’ rulings.

While the use of unapproved equipment is prohibited for safety reasons, it also ensures no team gains an unfair advantage.

Saint Piran maintained in their statement that the frames met all ISO safety standards and adhered to UCI geometry and design regulations, asserting that no performance benefit was gained.