UCI decide against repeat of Tour de France communication blackout
Riders will be permitted to wear radio earpieces during stage 13 of the Tour de France on Friday after the International Cycling Union (UCI) opted not to go ahead with a ban.
All communications between sports directors and their riders were banned during last Tuesday's stage 10 as race organisers attempted to inject some extra excitement.
It was the first time in almost 15 years that a stage of the Tour de France had been run without earpieces - an experiment that prompted 14 of the 20 teams to sign a petition in protest.
"To put an end to the controversy which is compromising the running of the Tour de France, the UCI management committee has decided not to repeat the experiment of a stage without radio communication on Friday 17th of July," the UCI said in a statement.
