Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes

Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds

- Tom Thewlis

Whistleblowers associated with British Continental team Saint Piran have accused the squad of using non-UCI compliant bikes and of allegedly owing former staff members tens of thousands of pounds.

The team, run by Richard Pascoe, began using unbranded bikes imported from China during the 2022 season after a sponsorship deal with Lapierre collapsed. Some riders used these bikes in multiple races during that season, including the Lincoln GP and several other UCI races.

Sources told Cycling Weekly that they discovered the frames were not UCI legal; they are unbranded and the sticker does not conform to the UCI's approval specification.

Allegedly, Pascoe arranged for the counterfeit UCI compliance labels to be applied to the frames and then lacquered over with clear nail polish. It is understood that riders challenged Pascoe on multiple occasions regarding the legality of the frames dubbed the "Wuhan weapons" by riders - and questioned him on whether they were UCI compliant.

CW has seen a series of WhatsApp messages from Pascoe in which he batted away safety concerns and insisted that the frames were UCI legal.

A number of riders even compiled a document outlining safety concerns with the frames but the problems were allegedly ignored and riders were accused of "moaning".