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Team SD Worx-Protime's Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey celebrates on the podium after winning the second (out of 9) stage of the fifth edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race, 147.9 km from Aigle to Geneva, in Geneva on August 2, 2026.
At the highest level of professional cycling, even the smallest level of aerodynamic advantage can lead to significant time gains.
With that in mind, women’s riders at the 2026 Tour de France Femmes have allegedly resorted to clever means in order to gain an advantage over their competition.
According to a report for Wielerflits in the Netherlands, several women’s world teams believe their rivals are breaking the rules by using padded bras to fake a larger bust and gain an advantage in time trials.
How Does The Tour de France Padded Bra Scheme Work?
If that sounds a little crazy to you, or you may not understand how it would be an advantage, we’re here to help. It’s very similar to the ski jumpers at the 2026 Winter Olympics who were accused of using penile injections to gain an advantage.
“We are talking about a Chest Fairing, with which you change the airflow around the body and thus get less overpressure on the thighs. As a result, the rider experiences less air resistance,” researcher Bert Blocken said of the practice. “It’s not that you take tens of seconds of advantage of this in a time trial, but in a ride of 20 to 30 kilometers, it can yield seconds that can be decisive.”
Essentially, by creating the illusion of a larger bust, there is less room for air resistance between the chest and the legs, leading to a more aerodynamic position and less drag.
Researchers found that doing so could lead to an air resistance reduction of up to 3.6 percent, which is not insignificant! That number converts to around 0.78 seconds per kilometer. Tuesday’s individual time trial at the 2026 Tour de France Femmes is 21 kilometers long, so a rider could gain around 16 seconds on their competition.
According to UCI Article 1.3.033, riders are required to wear clothing that only has the function of clothing and should not artificially adapt the morphology (body form) of the rider. Those found to have broken the rule are immediately disqualified.
However, some teams feel that the rule has not been properly policed. If that’s the case, it could have a major say in who wins this year’s Tour de France Femmes.