UCI threatened Pogacar and UAE with disqualification over pink-purple RCS suit, so Pogi switched to black in Giro

Tadej Pogacar did not launch an attack during the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia. Many cycling fans were taken aback by the Slovenian's unexpected move on Monday, along with Geraint Thomas, and the terrain on Tuesday, featuring Capo Mele, seemed perfect for a breakaway. However, that didn’t happen. Pogacar explained his approach in several interviews after the stage.

"Thanks to the great work of the team, today was a relatively calm day for me. They kept me safe and entertained on all parts of the course, so it was a good stage," began the race leader in the flash interview. He hadn't considered attacking this time. "Today was too dangerous, even if Molano (Juan Sebastian, UAE's sprinter, ed.) would have still been up front. When Filippo Ganna attacked, unfortunately, I wasn't in a good position to follow him. And when I reached the top of Capo Mele, I just looked at the chaos in front of me and let myself drop back. But I enjoyed the hint of Milan-Sanremo today. I know the area well because I often train here."

UAE-Team Emirates was unremarkable as Molano did not sprint. The Colombian was allowed to join the Giro, but obviously, he does not have a sprint train with the team. Pogacar found this quite frustrating for his teammate on Tuesday. "Today, Molano had quite a tough day. First, he crashed and then had a bike change in the last fifteen kilometers. On these super-fast roads, then you just know it’s really difficult. It's also very hard for him that the team is not structured around him. It's a tough Giro for him, for sure, but I think he's enjoying it so far and he will try to win a stage."

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Pogacar required to change out of pink-purple suit by UCI

Pogacar has already secured a stage win. While things are going smoothly, he still found himself at the center of discussion, even on a day when he was less visible. This was due to the outfit he wore on Tuesday, or rather, what he didn’t wear. In the third stage, Pogacar turned heads by donning a pink-purple skinsuit. This was a Castelli suit provided by Giro organizer RCS, as a tribute to the football team of FC Torino, which tragically perished in a plane crash that happened 75 years ago that Saturday, killing all 31 passengers onboard.

It was a heartfelt gesture, but Cyclingnews reported that the UCI approached UAE-Team Emirates and Pogacar with a stern warning on Monday evening. The race officials even threatened disqualification if Pogacar wore the suit on Tuesday. RCS Sport attempted to persuade the UCI of their stance, but on Tuesday, Pogacar appeared at the start wearing black UAE shorts under his pink Castelli jersey. "The organizers handed me the pink-purple suit, so I wore it. But then the UCI called us up and said it wasn't allowed," he explained to Eurosport before starting. "I might be able to attack today since I’ll be slower without the skinsuit," he joked.

Why was it not permitted? It remains unclear, even to the Giro organizers. "To our knowledge, we adhered to all the rules regarding uniformity and matching."

Watch the reaction of Tadej Pogacar below.