Clark Ritchie
From Cyclingnews...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/aug04/aug23news2
Missing decals - what's the story?
Observant Cyclingnews readers have noticed how some
decals on the road bikes used in the Olympic Games
have been taped over. Now that competition has moved
to track, the offending decals on the
highly-aerodynamic track bikes are being sanded back
and painted over. This is due to the poorly-understood
regulations of how much 'advertising' is allowed on
the machines used in the Olympic events.
One bike supplier told Cyclingnews, "It's a bit weird,
but it's the Olympics. Some decals are OK, others are
not. The problem is, we don't know what is allowed."
However, it's believed that the length and width of
the main decal for some brands has been the issue,
with the large brand name positioned along the frame's
down-tube being the most offensive. If it's too big,
then it gets covered completely and the top tube decal
remains. If the down-tube decal is OK, then the
top-tube is covered.
What is clearly not allowed are any team sponsors'
names on the bikes, unless they are also the actual
bike manufacturer. This would explain why the
Alessio-Bianchi machines still carried the Bianchi
decal, but not that of Alessio. However, on other
bikes, the downtube decal is OK - presumably due to
its smaller size and length - but then the decal on
the head-tube is not allowed.
Consequently, team mechanics have been advised to
either cover up or remove the offending decals. The
thought of applying ugly duct tape to the sleek,
aerodynamic machines used on the track has seen the
mechanics using sandpaper to rub the decal back to the
paint, and then the frames have been touched up to
restore their appearance.
As one manufacturer said, "Without any clear
guidelines on this, it's difficult. It can make them
(the bikes) look a bit unprofessional as we go to so
much trouble to prepare these bikes, and then we have
to use tape or sandpaper to cover up the decals."
One thing is for certain, the UCI stipulates that any
machine used in competition must be commercially
available, even if the price tags may be a little
stratospheric for the weekend warrior.
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail