I know the World Cup has started, but we really need to talk about cycling. Last week, Jan-Willem van Schip was disqualified for the third time since October while riding in a competition. He is a two-time world champion on the track, but mainly causes noise on the road.
Cycling is an extremely conservative sport, in which you are quickly considered strange. For example, if you ever read literature, you are already “special”. If you take beautiful photos or are interested in art, then you are “colorful”. If, in addition to cycling, you also enjoy cooking or playing the guitar, then you are a “multi-talent”.
Jan-Willem likes to experiment with nutrition, materials and training methods. If a trainer tells him to do B, he will also try A and C. Because you never know what that greater bandwidth will bring you. He himself doesn’t understand why other riders don’t do that. He pushes the boundaries of what his body can do, what is scientifically known, and what is allowed according to the rules of the UCI world cycling association.
Jan-Willem was one of the first to experiment with the amount of carbohydrates he could consume per hour. He pioneered a very narrow handlebar. Cut sleeves from an aero suit and use them as extra fast socks, something else. Initially he was laughed at, but many of his experiments are followed. Racing with narrow handlebars has become a trend. Eating many more carbohydrates is commonplace in the peloton.
Because he pushes the boundaries, they consider him a nuisance at the UCI. Nowadays the jury has his eye on him every match, and the crazy thing is: the verdict is different every time. A handlebar that is allowed in one race is disallowed in another race. Sometimes he gets a warning, other times a fine, and a third time he is simply disqualified, like last week in France, because of a water bottle under his shirt.
From July 1, water bottles or gels on the front under your shirt will no longer be allowed. That gives too great an aerodynamic advantage. You can still get food and drinks for your teammates, but you must hand them in immediately. (I don’t want to wake sleeping dogs, but are breasts still allowed? They are also on the front of your shirt, and you would say they also provide an aerodynamic advantage.) In any case: although the rule has not yet come into effect, Jan-Willem had a water bottle under his shirt for too long in the Ronde de l’Oise, according to the jury.
What bothers me is that a world sports association is concerned with such nonsense and not with the really important issues, such as the safest possible course. What bothers me even more is the class justice; other riders are not even fined for the same violation, let alone disqualified.
But perhaps what I find worst is the aversion to an original thinker like Jan-Willem van Schip. Why is swimming against the current so often seen as difficult – while looking the other way literally offers a different perspective? I don’t understand that. The world does not progress with followers, but with people who step out of line, experiment, and dare. Types like Jan-Willem. Embrace that anyway. There’s a good chance that they won’t turn out to be troublemakers, but that you will actually learn a lot from them.
Marijn de Vries is a former professional cyclist and journalist.