The UAE Team Emirates-XRG team have dismissed suggestions that team leaders Adam Yates, Jay Vine and Marc Soler crashed out of the Giro d'Italia on stage 2 due a decision to use time trial tyres during road stages.
Other riders have crashed in the first week of the Giro, with Igor Arrieta slipping out and struggling on descents on the way to victory in Potenza on Wednesday.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG are supplied by Continental and riders prefer to use the GP 5000 TT model in most races, with the German brand saying it is "one of the fastest road tires in the world, without compromise". Continental also says it is suitable for time trials, triathlon, road racing and track cycling.
However, during their regular Watts Occurring podcast, Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe suggested the GP 5000 TT tyres "have less grip" than standard road tyres. Both former riders, Thomas now works as Director of Racing at the Necompany Ineos team, while Luke Rowe is a Sports Director at Decathlon CMA CGM.
"We all know they're faster. They are faster. They always use them. They're the one team who use them under almost any circumstances. But they do have less grip," Rowe said, discussing the tyres with Thomas and talking about how it could have played a part in the stage 2 crash.
"The first guy down was a UAE guy. He lost both wheels. It might feel harsh to say, considering three of their guys are at home, but you also question the decision making there, right? Well, I do."
Thomas agreed and revealed that Netcompany Ineos have used the Continental GP 5000 TT tyre in road races in the past.
“Yeah, it's been a bit of a topic in our team because we started using TT tyres and then obviously you end up using them more and more and more often and then before you know it becomes standard," Thomas explained.
The teams in the Giro knew that rain was forecast for stage 2 but UAE had faith in their technical choices.
"I don't understand that decision making, mate. I really don't. I really don't understand that decision making," Rowe said.
"In a Tour stage or any stage, you look at the road, you assess, you might put certain guys on it, certain guys not. But to have a wet day and have TT tyres, seemed like a strange decision."
UAE's tyre choices and response
UAE Team Emirates-XRG appear to be using the TT model as standard this season in all conditions. On stage 5, where rain was obviously forecast and came down in bucketloads, Igor Arrieta rode the tyre to victory, though not without a crash and a couple of wobbles.
Continental released the archetype tyre last June, which said to be developed for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, but they use it more rarely. Tadej Pogačar rode the GP 5000 TT every day in his recent dominant Tour de Romandie victory.
When contacted by Cyclingnews, the team dismissed doubts about their tyre choice.
"We don't feel it was a tyre issue," a team spokesperson told Cyclingnews, in reference to the stage 2 crashes.
"The riders have been using TT tyre for a long time. We think it was just because of the wet and the speed."
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