At Stage 2 of the Étoile de Bessèges, riders and mechanics of the Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur team were stunned by a last-minute decision by the UCI to ban use of their prototype Ekoi pedals. MatosVelo reporter, Guillaume Robert, broke the story, having witnessed the panic that ensued at the start line, when the UCI dropped the bombshell less than an hour before the race start.
The over-sized Ekoi pedals are reportedly only usable with Ekoi’s own shoes, which is not so surprising given their monstrously large size. Given their incompatibility with the standard 3-bolt system used by Look, Shimano and Time, the riders were forced to source new shoes at extremely short notice. Some borrowed shoes from fellow competitors, while others are reported to have resorted to buying second-hand shoes from a nearby pop-up stall.
Read more: Spotted: Ekoi’s New Road Pedals Are Massive
It is, as of yet, unclear as to why the UCI made such a late decision on the use of the pedals. Prototype equipment can be used at races, but only if it has been registered with the UCI ahead of time. Perhaps the team failed to register the equipment within the stipulated timescale, or perhaps the pedals break another UCI rule (we can’t imagine which one, though).
Regardless, it seems all riders of the Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur team were able to find replacement pedals and shoes, and all made it to the start line ready to race.
The proceedings have cast a veil of controversy over the Ekoi prototypes, which are the largest road cycling pedals we’ve ever seen. The French brand claim the pedals, called the PW8, offer as much as an 8 Watt saving versus competitor’s pedals, owing to their unusually low stack height of just 8mm. It’s unclear under what conditions the pedals were tested, and by whom. Either way, that’s no minor improvement, and we’re sure riders of the Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur team will want to have them back on their feet sooner rather than later.
We have reached out to the UCI, Ekoi Cycling, and the Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur team for comment on the ban, and will update this article as soon as more information comes to light.