If you follow pro cycling, you already know this story: Dutch rider Nils Eekhoff wins the UCI U23 World Championship Road Race, only to be stripped of the title twenty minutes later. The race jury, after reviewing video evidence, disqualified Eekhoff for drafting behind his team’s car for at least two minutes following a crash at 130 km to go (barely halfway through the race).
Eekhoff dislocated his shoulder in the crash, but after putting it back into place, remounted his bike and began a long chase. He rejoined the field many miles later, before any serious action had occurred- before any of the winning moves, race-winning splits, or crucial attacks have been made. After such a long chase – and with a recently dislocated shoulder – Eekhoff was now much more fatigued than his rivals, if we’re talking about fairness here.
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The UCI rules are a mess – long story short – because many are discretionary, and left up to each individual race’s jury. Certain rules are concrete, but most are not. In many cases, a rider can be disqualified for “various or prolonged” actions, such was deemed in Eekhoff’s case. Suddenly, an action that was once legal can lead to a rider’s expulsion. Without getting too deep into the politics and philosophies behind rule-making in cycling (perhaps I already have), the only point I want to focus on here in this article is this:
Should a rider ever be allowed to draft their team car during a bike race?
Yes – after a crash or mechanical, a rider should be allowed to rejoin the field by using a vehicle’s draft.
Compassion, pity, and sympathy. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we should give these riders a helping hand (or draft). As a result of a crash or mechanical, they are often injured and upset, sometimes holding back tears on the side of the road. They’ve worked so hard for this moment, but suddenly, it is taken away from them. Perhaps it was a pothole in the road, a touch of wheels, or an exuberant spectator. Surely, they deserve our sympathy.
No – Crashes and mechanicals are part of the sport.
What if the crash is the rider’s fault? What if they attack into a corner, take a dangerous line, and put other riders at risk by diving up the inside?
What if the mechanical is the riders fault? What if they pinch-flat while attempting to bunny-hop a curb? If the incident is their fault, do they deserve our sympathy?
It’s difficult to say. After much deliberation – both internal and external – I still cannot decide for myself. To me, it seems most fair and honest to use discretion on a case-by-case basis, and trust the race jury to make the right decision. As we have seen, most of the time they get it right. But sometimes they get it very, very, very wrong.
In the case of Nils Eekhoff, I believe the race jury was far too harsh. These incidents happen, and if we’re going by precedence, he should never have been disqualified from the race. Like 99% of the cycling world, I believe Nils Eekhoff is the 2019 U23 World Champion.
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At risk of starting a war, what do you think? Should Eekhoff have been disqualified for his actions? Should vehicle drafting ever be allowed in professional cycling?