Artistic licence?

Simon von Bromley thinks the UCI's vague new helmet regulations could cause issues

- Simon von Bromley

The UCI have revealed their updated road and time-trial (TT) helmet regulations for 2026, and have all but confirmed that TT-style helmets such as the POC Procen Air will be banned from mass-start road races next season. However, the new rules from the sport’s international governing body appear to leave plenty of room for creative interpretation by teams and manufacturers.

Using TT helmets in road racing has been one of this year’s most notable pro tech trends, alongside huge chainrings, enormous helmets for use in time trials, and narrow handlebars.

The UCI first announced their intention to distinguish between ‘road’ and ‘time trial’ helmets in mid-June, as part of a wider set of revisions designed to improve rider safety by slowing down the peloton. At that time, however, details of exactly how such a distinction would be drawn weren’t available, pending approval by the UCI Management Committee.

This caused consternation among many within the cycling industry, who decried both the lack of substance and the limited time they’d have to adapt their equipment to adhere to the updated rules.