Time trial position rules: reach, height and the rider list.

The articles on this page are as reproduced in the Japan Cycling Federation's copy of the UCI clarification guide (uploaded March 2026; its exact edition date is unconfirmed). They apply in UCI events; national federations and other organisers may set their own rules.

Where time trial equipment is allowed

Article 1.3.023 allows a fixed time trial extension handlebar, made up of two extensions and two forearm supports, in:

• road time trials (individual and team);
• the track individual pursuit, team pursuit and kilometre time trial.

Everywhere else, only the traditional handlebars of Article 1.3.022 may be used. Article 1.3.008 says a rider's only points of support are the feet on the pedals, the hands on the handlebars and the seat on the saddle, and the guide says resting the forearms on the bars is not allowed outside time trials. The UCI Management Committee decided in September 2025 (meeting of 22 to 24 September) that riders may not use the handlebars as forearm supports except in time trials on fixed extensions. The track events themselves are described on the track cycling page.

A base bar steering system used with the extension must be at least 350 mm wide outside to outside, and a base bar is only allowed together with a fixed extension.

The three height categories

Article 1.3.023 measures three things: E, the reach of the extension from the bottom bracket; H, the height difference at the forearm supports; and S, the saddle setback. The allowed values depend on the rider's height.

The rider height list

Categories 2 and 3 are only for riders on the UCI's published list. A rider joins it by submitting a "rider height attestation application form" no later than 15 days before an event. A rider who is 180 cm or taller but not on the list, or whose bike does not match their category, falls into the default category, limited to a reach of 750 mm. In other words, a tall rider who has not been listed gets a shorter allowed reach than a rider under 180 cm.

Forearm supports

Under Article 1.3.023, each forearm support may be at most 125 mm wide, at most 125 mm long and at least 60 mm long, and at most 85 mm high, with an inclination limit of 30 degrees.

The saddle rules

Two other articles apply to every road, track and cyclo-cross bike, time trial or not:

• Article 1.3.013: the tip of the saddle must be behind a vertical plane through the centre of the bottom bracket spindle. The S value in the table above adds a minimum setback of 50 mm for time trial positions.
• Article 1.3.014: the saddle may be tilted no more than nine degrees from horizontal, and must be between 24 and 30 cm long, with a 5 mm tolerance. The guide says commissaires carry an official measuring device for saddle angle and check when in doubt rather than on every bike.

The UCI's guide also says riders and mechanics may not modify equipment away from what the maker supplied, giving changing a saddle's length among its examples, without prior UCI approval (commentary on Article 1.3.002).

Triathlon is different

Wikipedia says triathlon bikes resemble time trial bikes but use a steeper seat tube angle and are not bound by the UCI's saddle setback rule. This site does not cover triathlon rules.

Time trial helmets and wheels

The time trial events above are also the only ones where a time trial helmet is allowed under Article 1.3.031, together with the track team sprint; the helmet rules in racing page has the detail. On the track, Article 1.3.018 allows a front disc wheel only in events against the clock, and in the individual sprint only for the 200 m qualifying ride, not the matches. Wikipedia says time trial bikes may use solid disc wheels or spoked wheels.

Distances changed in 2025

Two track events that allow time trial equipment changed distance on 1 January 2025, according to UCI Regulations Part 3 (version applying 1 January 2026, read in the Japan Cycling Federation's copy): the individual pursuit is now 4 km for elite women as well as elite men (3 km for juniors), and the kilometre time trial is 1,000 m for both men and women at World Cup and World Championship level.