Officials at the Tour de France Femmes have begun checking riders' clothing and bikes before stages amid concerns that some competitors have used padded bras or similar inserts as "body fairings" to gain an unfair aerodynamic advantage. Race organiser ASO issued a statement confirming the checks after Dutch media reported that padding could be smoothing airflow around riders' chests, potentially saving as much as one second per kilometre—a significant margin in a sport where fine aerodynamic details can decide races, especially time trials.

Riders must now present themselves for final checks no later than ten minutes before their start time, with particular scrutiny applied under UCI rule 1.3.032, which bars non-essential items that alter a rider's morphology. Dutch outlet Wielerflits said the practice had previously been observed in women's cycling, including at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and offenders could face disqualification and a fine of nearly £200. Industry figures, including Lidl-Trek's Koen de Kort, questioned how such rules could realistically be policed, while wind-tunnel research from Scottish and Dutch universities has shown that fairings, particularly wider ones, can produce meaningful drag reductions.