Officials Checking Female Cyclists For Padded Bras To Make Sure They’re Not Cheating

August 04, 2026 3:33 PM ET The International Cycling Union (UCI) may subject Tour de France Femmes riders to more rigorous clothing checks amid concerns that cyclists are illegally padding their bras for an aerodynamic advantage.The UCI reportedly issued a specific warning about clothing that “could modify riders’ morphology.” Wielerflits, which first reported the story in Dutch, pointed to several instances in which female cyclists appeared to have noticeably larger busts during time trials than during road races.The outlet highlighted one rider at the 2024 Paris Olympics whose bust appeared larger than usual and showed the photo to Bert Blocken, a professor of aerodynamics at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland and LUT University in Finland.“That is not OK,” Blocken said.“Chest fairing” i