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Faced with what was reported to be a united front of manufacturers, the UCI took a step back to regroup. A revised protocol will be released early in February, but based on the short message that appears on the UCI site, don't expect them to throw in the towel.

A revised version of the « Approval Protocol for Frames and Forks » will be published at the beginning of February 2011. The number of approval requests expected means it is necessary to adapt several measures in the protocol. Thank you for your understanding.

I've highlighted the second sentence because I think it offers an insight into the mindset of the organization. The fact they think they'll be overwhelmed with the number of approval requests presupposes that manufacturers will go along. Given the industry reception the protocol has received I think it demonstrates an incredible arrogance.

BikeBiz.com reported that an email sent to manufacturers (read it in its entirety here) included the following. Again the bold emphasis is mine.

We will contact you again before the end of next week in order to inform you of a procedure that has been adjusted to take your contributions into account. As a consequence, the procedure in its current form is suspended until 1st February. From this date, a revised version will come into force.

We are confident that this process, which in no way questions the foundations and the objectives of the approval procedure, will benefit all concerned. We will endeavor to carry out the necessary modifications as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

The UCI reaction reminds me of boxers who've just been rocked by a big shot... smiling, and shaking of the head often precedes a trip to the canvas. If I'm in the manufacturer corner, I'm telling them to stay aggressive and go for the knockout.

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