Rainbow decals on your bike? Only if you're a UCI world champion - and in that discipline! Australia's Cameron Meyer said he wouldn't back down, but his team thought better of getting a hefty fine.
The UCI has handed out plenty of fines over the first four days of competition at the Track World Championships. Most of them are for ignoring commissaires’ instructions and are almost a symbolic fine of CHF 100.
The Indian federation were handed the largest fine, CHF 2,500, for not registering their riders within the correct time frame.
On Sunday morning, newly-crowned points race world champion Cameron Meyer tweeted “Just found out I got a fine for having my rainbow sticker on my bike. Well I’ll be getting a second one because it’s staying on tonight.”
An hour later he tweeted again: “Just got told my fine will more than double if I ride with rainbow sticker on my bike. Well I’ll be getting a second one because it’s staying on tonight.”
But when we sent our photographer to go find the offending bike it had white tape covering the blue red and black stripes, leaving just green and yellow, Meyer’s national colours.
The UCI rules state that only a current world champion may have rainbow piping on their equipment. When a rider no longer holds the title of world champion they may wear rainbow piping on the collar and cuffs of their jersey.
The right to have rainbow piping on equipment is rescinded on the morning of the event, as that is when the rider ceases to be world champion in that event.
Any rainbow piping is also specific to the discipline in which the rider won the world title.
The Australian team obviously didn’t want a CHF 1,000 fine so they have covered up the rainbow piping for tonight’s Madison.
Cameron Meyer and his ‘illegal’ bike after last night’s points race
Meyer’s bike for tonight’s madison. Spot the white tape
The rules referring to the rainbow bands can be found on the UCI’s website on the rules page under General Organisation of Cycling as a Sport, rule 1.3.064.