Willie Smit was disqualified after the opening stage of the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai for wearing video recording glasses that race officials deemed forbidden under UCI rules. Smit said on X that he had not known a rule implemented in April prohibited the eyewear and that a warning or fine would have sufficed.
The race stage was a 120.6km sprint in Xining, won by Alexander Salby, and organisers removed Smit from the results after seeing footage recorded on his Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses. Smit posted the clip online and contrasted his penalty with footage of Tour de France riders vlogging with handheld cameras, which he said appears to be allowed.
UCI regulation 1.3.006 bis restricts onboard technology and authorises only devices fitted to the bicycle unless a discipline expressly permits wearable equipment. The rule treats video recording glasses as forbidden onboard technology and sets penalties that include start refusal, elimination or disqualification. The UCI reinforced the requirement in April 2026 after smart glasses became more common in cycling.
Reactions And Implications
Smit told followers his glasses have no active AI functions on the bike without a phone and that he would not have posted the video if he had known the rule. He also pointed to an apparent double standard when riders at the Tour de France use handheld cameras to film themselves, including footage by Toms Skujinš shown alongside Smit’s clip.
Critics and commentators have highlighted two issues. One is enforcement, where Smit said a lesser sanction might have been appropriate for a first offence. The second is privacy and safety, since the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses include a 12MP camera and Meta AI features that some reviewers have described as technically impressive and unsettling. Race organisers and the UCI require applications and documentation to approve onboard devices, and that process now governs whether wearable cameras are permitted.
The incident may prompt teams and riders to more closely review UCI guidance before racing. It also puts pressure on officials to clarify how regulations apply to new consumer devices and to explain why handheld cameras remain acceptable in some events while wearable cameras are not.
