Team Saxo Bank Owner Bjarne Riis has labelled the outlawing of the teams "Shiv" TT bikes by governing body the UCI a major blow to their 2010 campaign.
The bike of the sports foremost TT specialist Fabian Cancellara will no longer be eligable for use by either the Saxo Bank or Astana teams. The area of trouble is the frames aerodynamic nose cone, that whilst Specialized engineers say is needed for the frames integrity, the UCI complain it is there to specifically warp their 3:1 aspect ration on aerodynamic farings.
"It is very disturbing. We have been told that we must not use the bicycle because the UCI will not approve it," Riis told sporten.dk. "Fortunately we have not had a really big time trial yet, but before long there is a major one in Paris-Nice."
Riis continued, "The rules are so specific and complicated that no one can really understand it. It is beneath contempt, the bicycle is both durable and safe. Then they suddenly say that the front of it is illegal - it is always about little details such as this."
