Giro 2024: UCI threatened with disqualification if Pogacar races again in purple pants

to update Almost it’s all about the outfit Tadej Pogacar He was pink on Monday, except for his pants. It was a conscious choice by the Giro organization to give the classification leader special purple pants. Pogacar wanted to start again with these pants today, but the UCI stopped that.

It was a striking image during the third stage of the Giro d’Italia. Classification leader Pogacar rode into the final city of Fussano wearing purple pants. It turns out that this is a tribute to the Torino FC players who died in an air disaster in 1949. The purple shorts are a reference to the garnet red kit in which this highly successful team played their matches.

The favorite for the overall win decided to start again today in these special trousers, also because it was a speed suit. However, today Pogacar appeared again on the starting podium wearing black trousers. The UCI decided that was against the rules and so the pink jersey wearer will race again today in a normal pants and jersey combination.

“I thought they were nice trousers. The organization gave me the suit, so I put it on. Then we got a call from the UCI that it was not allowed. That’s why I’m now wearing my normal trousers,” Pogacar said before the trip began. Eurosport.

Updated 8:20 p.m

Some UCI commissioners were not at all satisfied with the Slovenian leader’s unusual color combination. Not only did they contact the United Arab Emirates on Monday evening, according to what it reported Cycling News They also warned the team that Pogacar would be disqualified if he wore the purple pants again in the Andorra stage.

RCS Sport and people from clothing sponsor Castelli tried to convince commissioners that their own rules actually allowed the merger, but commissioners then looked to more experienced officials and UCI president David Lappartient to make the final decision.