An unusual row has broken out at the Tour de France Femmes after some riders were accused of exaggerating their breast size to gain an aerodynamic advantage. Concerns have been raised over cyclists allegedly padding out their bras to “fake” a larger cup size, according to WielerFlits.
It’s claimed that several teams have flagged the issue, which could lead to a potential competitive advantage for Tuesday’s time trial. Known as chest fairing, increasing the surface area of the chest can manipulate the airflow around the cyclist, proving beneficial over the course of several kilometres.
Bert Blocken, professor of aerodynamics at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, said he had been sent photographs suggesting that some cyclists were stuffing their bras.
He told The Telegraph that the images “seemed to suggest that there are indeed some objects that some female riders stick behind their shirts”.
Blocken added that “it was definitely a concern with the men’s races in 2023 and 2024”, which was addressed in a scientific article he had published.
The article found that chest fairing can reduce aerodynamic drag by 3.6 per cent, concluding that “time gains by chest-fairing can decide who wins or loses a time trial”.
During time trials, riders adopt a tucked position with their forearms pulled close together over the handlebars. This creates a pocket between the helmet, shoulders and chest.
Air flowing into this gap can increase drag, but riders can mitigate this effect by padding out their chest area, guiding the airflow cleanly around the body.
In a three-stage jury report on Monday night, Tour de France organisers said that riders would face mandatory kit and equipment checks at least 10 minutes before taking to the course.
They added: “Pre-checks on riders’ equipment (race and spare bikes, their respective accessories and devices) will be carried out by the two appointed UCI Technical Commissaires, Sandro Coccioni and Alexandre Nouhaud, with the support of Magali Barbe for the check of the jersey at the start area.
“Particular attention will be paid to compliance with article 1.3.032 of the UCI regulations, including non-essential elements and clothing or other items/accessories worn by a rider (including but not limited to helmets, glasses, shoes or in-race communication devices) which could modify riders’ morphology.”