Cycling: suppository ? Star Wars mask ? Alien ? Vingegaard's futuristic helmet fuels mockery

The Dane Jonas Vingegaard caused a sensation this week at Tirreno-Adriatico. MAXPPP – ROBERTO BETTINI

Vingegaard's extravagant helmet leads the UCI to review its regulations. Gadget or progress ? 

Spectacular and controversial, the new aerodynamic helmet inaugurated this week by Jonas Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a bike team raises "a notable problem&quot ;according to the International Cycling Union (UCI) which announced on Tuesday a "revision of its rules”.

Tuesday in Paris-Nice, the riders of the Dutch team wore for the second time this extra-large chrono helmet which had caused a sensation the day before during the Tirreno-Adriatico prologue.

The images of Jonas Vingegaard, double winner of the Tour de France, wearing this impressive bulb with an aquarium visor which, optionally, resembles the nose of a wide-body plane or the head of a creature from space, set social networks ablaze.

Some runners unconvinced by its aesthetic, like the Australian Sam Welsford, declared: if it's like that, "I resign".

👽 Avec son fameux casque, la Visma-Lease a Bike ne passe pas inaperçue sur le contre-la-montre par équipes !

☀️ Suivez #ParisNice en intégralité sur Eurosport avec #LesRP https://t.co/evKV35Bfsg pic.twitter.com/haVLcnGxf7

— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) March 5, 2024

😮 Un mot pour qualifier le nouveau casque de chrono de Jonas Vingegaard et la Visma-Lease a Bike ?

Suivez #TirrenoAdriatico en exclusivité sur Eurosport avec #LesRP https://t.co/RbyIQ0Uwep pic.twitter.com/45raKcMgdX

— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) March 4, 2024

Between performance and security

"This is an excellent chrono helmet, more comfortable than others I've tried in the past& ;quot;, defended Vingegaard on Tuesday at the start of the second stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. "It is different of course and I too smiled when I discovered it this winter. But we laugh less when we see how fast he is."

But the helmet did not make the UCI laugh, which published a press release on Tuesday announcing "a revision of its rules regarding the design and use of helmets in competition". Noting an evolution towards "ever more radical designs", the body believes that the new Visma helmet, but also those of & ;#39;other teams like Bahrain Victorious, "raise a notable problem regarding the current trend (…) which aims more at performance than the primary function of a helmet , namely ensuring the safety of the wearer in the event of a fall".

The UCI poutes and reviews its regulations

The revision of the rules will therefore "ensure that they set a clear and coherent framework with the objectives sought", added the UCI, specifying that "any modification will be communicated quickly". The UCI also indicates that a helmet from the equipment manufacturer Specialized including a kind of hood can no longer be used in its official competitions from April 2, the hood being considered as a element "non-essential".

The Bora-Hansgrohe team of Primoz Roglic and the Soudal-Quick Step of Remco Evenepoel wore this balaclava helmet on Tuesday during the third stage, a team time trial around & #39;Auxerre.