Japanese cyclists fined for celebrating after sprint gold

As long as they won the race on their race bikes, what is the reason for getting mad at them switching bikes? Seems a bit silly to me.

Amidalism: "As long as they won the race on their race bikes, what is the reason for getting mad at them switching bikes?"

Because there's a reason road bikes are not allowed on the tracks -- it's designed for racing bikes and road bikes could cause more wear and tear. In any case, it's a role and they broke it. Fifty Francs won't dampen their celebration though or hurt their pockets much -- they deserve a congrats.

Ha!

why swiss francs? the event is held in SK :)

I came into this headline thinking they did a victory dance, spraying champagne or gloating in front of other players. ...so how is it that riding a bike waving your flag is OK but using a street bike (Because it's easier? safer? to hold the flag) is not?

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for sports cycling, and oversees international cycling competition. The headquarters are located in Aigle, Switzerland.

Sometimes rules in International comps are an ass...but they are rules. 50 Swiss Franks is the price of one bottle of champers these guys will spend on celebrating the medal! Well done on the ride fellas!

I have to side with smithinjapan on this. Velodromes rely on unmarred racing surfaces and this particular velodrome is outdoors in the elements. Using a road bike on that surface could cause issues. I imagine there was a case of a velodrome surface getting damaged by bikes not used for racing in some previous event and so the rule was added to subsequent events.