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

Update Almost everything about Tadej Pogacar’s outfit was pink on Monday, with the exception of his pants. It was a conscious choice by the Giro organization to give the classification leader special purple pants. Pogacar wanted to start again in these pants today, but the UCI put a stop to it.

It was a striking image during the third stage of the Giro d’Italia. Classification leader Pogacar rode to the finish town of Fossano wearing purple pants. It turned out to be a tribute to the players of Torino FC, who died in an air disaster in 1949. The purple pants are a reference to the garnet red clothing in which this very successful team played their matches.

The top favorite for the overall victory decided to start again today with these special pants, also because it was a speed suit. Yet today Pogacar simply appeared again on the starting podium wearing black pants. The UCI has decided that it is against the rules and so the rose jersey wearer will race again today in a normal combination of pants and a shirt.

“I thought they were nice pants. 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 now have my normal pants,” Pogacar said before the start of the ride Eurosport.

UPDATE 8:20 PM

Some UCI commissioners were not at all pleased with the unusual color combination of the Slovenian leader. Not only did they call UAE Emirates on Monday evening, according to Cyclingnews they also warned the team that Pogacar would be disqualified if he were to wear the purple pants again in the stage to Andorra.

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