June 21, 2004 – In light of the difficulty in obtaining equipment this year
that complies to the UCI gearing restrictions for juniors, the CCA will
allow blocked gears for the Tim Hortons National Road Cycling Championships
in Kamloops, B.C., June 24-27.

Please note the following:

The gears that are blocked off must be rendered unrideable (by putting zip
ties between them, covering them with duct tape, etc.). Any athlete with a
bike on which illegal gears are functional is liable to be disqualified,
regardless of cable tension or limit screw settings.

The maximum allowed gear is 7.93m, which usually corresponds to a 52×14
gear. However, due to variations in tire diameter the actual distance
covered in this gear may vary. The athlete is responsible for having a
bicycle that passes the rollout test, not simply the correct number of teeth
on the chainring and cog.

We would also like to note that the principle behind the restrictions is
that they protect athletes from using excessively high gearing while their
bodies are still growing. We therefore recommend that athletes use these
gears throughout the season rather than at a single event.

This amendment to the rule will be in place for 2004 and will be
re-evaluated for 2005. It applies ONLY to events on the CCA calendar and
DOES NOT APPLY to international events on the UCI calendar (such as Tour de
l’Abitibi and the World Championships) where blocked gears may not be
allowed. The CCA will make every effort to ensure that equipment that
complies with junior gearing restrictions is readily available in 2005.