Time trial helmets from Visma | Lease a Bike: UCI probably grants temporary approval
How Sporza reports that Visma | Lease a Bike has been given the green light by the Cycling World Federation for an initially limited period of use of the Giro Aerohead II. This is to be valid until 17 January 2025. After this date, the helmet must be Sporza be freely available on the market. "After this period, the prototype must be available for sale to the general public in accordance with the applicable conditions," it says.
The helmets were popular in cycling circles because of their futuristic design. caused a lot of discussion. It didn't take long, before the cycling world federation intervened and issued a statement. It stated that the helmets from Visma | Lease a Bike and the new models from Rudy Project and POC do not violate the UCI regulations, but noted that they would raise questions about the trend towards helmets that focus more and more on performance and less on safety. At the same time, a review of the regulations for helmets was announced by the UCI.
Development according to the team within the framework of the regulations
The Visma | Lease a Bike team can now breathe a sigh of relief as it will probably be allowed to continue using the new time trial helmets. At the beginning of March, the team initially reacted angrily to the UCI's initial statement. After all, a lot of money was invested in the development of the Giro Aerohead II and, according to Performance Manager Mathieu Heijboer, it was done within the applicable regulations. "The rules for dimensions and safety were laid down a year ago. We and the helmet manufacturer Giro have started to work within this framework," Heijboer told the Dutch newspaper at the time AD and added: "It's driven by emotions and all the reactions on social media. I have no problem at all with jokes on the internet. But if the UCI has a problem with the design, they should have said so when they submitted the helmet for approval."
Balance of the new helmets
The Giro time trial helmets have not yet been particularly successful under competitive conditions. In the individual time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico, Jonas Vingegaard finished ninth as the best rider for the Visma | Lease a Bike team, while the Dutch team finished sixth in the team time trial at Paris-Nice one day later.
