Reforming the UCI

[Flying_Monkey]

Take it up with Paul Kimmage

I'm taking it up with you because you posted it here clearly with the snide implication that Wiggins might be a bit like Armstrong. You really don't give up, do you?

 

[thom]

The Danish Cycling Union writes to the UCI demanding Heinricus Vebruggen is removed.
There's a link to video there, including a doc with Tyler Hamilton.

 

[thom]

The Luxembourg Cycling Federation call for various things from the UCI.
My flaky reading translates to:
1) better governance
2) an investigation for the conduct of the UCI over the past 20 years
3) a truth commission as requested by WADA

If someone who can read french properly cares to clarify if there is more interesting stuff in this then please do.

Edit: I suspect the Danish and Luxembourg stories will be written up later on velonation or similar ;-)

 

[Scoosh]

Wow.

Sponsor SKINZ sue the UCI, McQuaid, Verbruggen.

This really turns the heat up on the named defendants. I can't see their position is tenable now.

I wonder if SKINZ will accept the resignation of McQuaid and Verbruggen as their settlement?

Whether the letter is genuine or garbage, reputable or mince, what caught my eye was the list of teams with whom Skins were linked - especially Rabobank.

Is this Rabobank using Skins (and maybe other similarly linked companies) to start the process of getting rid of the UCI/HV/PM ? How many other letters from all the other sponsor companies will it take ? Could it work ? Drip-feed of lawsuits against HV/PM ?

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Graham Obree calls the UCI a 'chum-ocracy' - pretty much spot-on (like most of the international governing bodies of sports, unfortunately).

 

[ufkacbln]

I'm taking it up with you because you posted it here clearly with the snide implication that Wiggins might be a bit like Armstrong. You really don't give up, do you?

You really need to learn to read these posts

The discussion prior to this post is about whether everyone is suspect, and this has included Greg Emond etc.

There is nothing "snide about this at all.

Paul Kimmage wrote this and it illustartes clearly the points made by arlier posters, the factthat you seem to take this personally is really not my problem.

 

[ufkacbln]

When was that article written by Kimmage? It's old news which has been superceded by Wiggins' recent categorical anti-Armstrong statements.

You could click the link ?

 

[beastie]

I still read these threads, but I can't be arsed to post very often because of the huge amount of farkwittery written. You know who you are.

 

[rich p]

You could click the link ?

I knew it was 4 months old and preceded Armstrong's public exposure but I was rather hoping you'd enlighten me as to why such an old quote was relevant in the light of what's happened since. I assume you're still clinging onto some vestige of hope that Santa Claus will make Lance innocent and Wiggins guilty, but I'm not clear why you keep posting red herrings. Obfuscation is so last month.

 

[ufkacbln]

Go back and read Orbytal's post about Greg Lemond.

Now read the points amade in parallel about Kimmage's comments.

It is about linking unfounded allegations and suggestions. Neither rider is really suspected of doping.

You are of course entitled to your own bizzare fantasy interpretation.

 

[thom]

The Luxembourg Cycling Federation call for various things from the UCI.
If someone who can read french properly cares to clarify if there is more interesting stuff in this then please do.

So @deptfordmarmoset furnished me with a stylish translation of the above letter. It's a little long but quite a spectacular and funny read so I post below (with @deptfordmarmoset's kind permission).




Dear President,

Your letter of 25 October to all the national federations invites us to join you in continuing to help evolve the top priority concern, namely the fight against doping, and to give our suggestions to the UCI.

After the grave and irrefutable revelations of USADA in the Lance Armstrong affair you have at last addressed the national federations.

You were forced to accept the report and to suspend LA for life and to strip him of his 7 victories in the TdF.

In the report, the American anti-doping agency repeatedly and justifiably lambasts the UCI, and underlines its distrust of UCI officials.

Allow me to remind you that on numerous occasions I have asked that the rules of ''good governance'' be applied to the management of our international institution. In case I need to spell it out, the rules of good governance stipulate that:

The UCI, in close collaboration with the national federations, will assure the leadership, the development, the regulations and the controls of cycling in accordance with article 5 of the good governance code, which invokes the general principle of transparency.

I am obliged to note that these good governance rules have remained nothing but empty words.

I am also obliged to note that the image and brand of cycling has been more than tarnished and is at the lowest point in public opinion. And it's not just the public!

The leadership of the UCI no longer enjoys the confidence nor has the necessary credibility to assure the management, the development, the regulations and the controls of a new cycling, conducted with full transparency with the national federations.

I therefore happily back the USADA proposition to establish an independent truth and reconciliation commission, which could guide cycling towards real reforms and give birth to the hope of true change.

I am glad that such an independent commission be established along the lines of the USADA proposition or the IOC.

Personally, however, I will opt for a WADA proposition in close consultation with Transparency International: the IOC does have the honorary president of the UCI within its fold!

The objectives of the commission should not be limited to doping and the LA affair. It is imperative that it extend to the whole management of the UCI over the last 20 years.

The commission's investigations should also take account of the suggestions of the KNWU (Royal Netherlands Cycling Union) president, Marcel Wintels, contained in his letter of 25 October 2012 to the UCI.

It goes without saying that the FSCL completely subscribes to the analysis and suggestions of M Wintels.

Finally, it is imperative that the findings of the commission be submitted to an extraordinary general meeting/Congress of the UCI. Congress to decide which reforms to adopt and what the future mode of governance by the UCI will be.

Such a voyage into transparency is, in my view, the only way of restoring cycling's prestige, confidence and credibility.

(Signs off with an altered form of a formal French ending which I have no hope of translating. It's the equivalent of taking the standardised ''Yours truly'' and replacing it with ''Up Yours, truly'')


I think now the cycling federations of Luxembourg, Denmark and Holland have openly criticised the UCI. Will Belgium be next, to complete the full set of Low countries ?

Many thanks for the translation - it appears a good amount of work.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Neither rider is really suspected of doping

And none of this is really even relevant in a thread about reforming the UCI. There's a whole different thread on Kimmage's battles. Can we try to stick at least somewhere near the topic, which I think is pretty important which is why I started the thread, as opposed to carrying on the same discussions from other threads.

 

[thom]

David Millar interviewed in the Guardian today. He does talk about a few things but I didn't want to start a whole new thread and there's a fair bit about how the UCI seem to be in a place where events are taking their own course and they are no longer in control of how this may play out.

 

[PpPete]

David Millar interviewed in the Guardian today. He does talk about a few things ....

Just a few .... Wow, that is some piece.

 

[Orbytal]

It is nice to see the Luxembourg Federation insisting that UCI work within the rules and cite many at them BUT happy for WADA and USADA to just ignore the rules and charge on regardless.

Cherry Pick the rules you like and leave the ones out that you dont like, if only life was that simple!