The race organisers, teams and riders do have quite some power. Remember the spat between ASO and UCI back in 2008 over who set the rules for the TdeF? UCI threatened excommunication of the organisers and any riders that rode in their races but eventually had to back down after their bluff was called.
Reforming the UCI
- Thread starter Flying_Monkey
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The race organisers, teams and riders do have quite some power. Remember the spat between ASO and UCI back in 2008 over who set the rules for the TdeF? UCI threatened excommunication of the organisers and any riders that rode in their races but eventually had to back down after their bluff was called.
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Sad news regarding Emma Pooley : Likely not to be racing next year.
Why relevent to this thread ? Well just in so far as it follows hot on the heals of her comdemnation of the UCI's running of women's cycling in the telegraph last weekend.
Why relevent to this thread ? Well just in so far as it follows hot on the heals of her comdemnation of the UCI's running of women's cycling in the telegraph last weekend.
OP
OP
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
I was about to post the same thing. The UCI is an old boy's club in more ways than one.
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Kimmage was sub-poened yesterday by the UCI to appear in a swiss court in Dec.
Funny they're so keen to go after a journalist at the moment.
Funny they're so keen to go after a journalist at the moment.
Unbelievable going after Kimmage. If they went after everyone who had accused them if being corrupt they'd have no time left to run pro cycling - oh, hang on a minute....
Hont
Guru
- Location
- Bromsgrove
I can't see the problem being solved until the organisation promoting cycling is different from the one in charge of policing anti-doping. It's a fundamental conflict of interest and means they are policed by no-one.
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Yeah I think you're right.
It's pure speculation as to why the LA files did not make it to the UCI yet but some are saying it's because USADA don't want to reveal to the UCI what evidence they have showing UCI malfeasance yet. The US UCI org may end up looking very culpable too.
I don't know how the UCI would credibly reform itself unless UCI people are clearly implicated by USADA. If they are, hopefully as well as refreshing the people, there will be an independent investigation to give recommendations on changing the governance structure in place and to investigate misconduct stories.
Perhaps they're worried Big Pat is going to send the boys round to intimidate their witnesses.
thom
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- Location
- The Borough
DogTired
Über Member
- Location
- Floating on a sea of vimto.
Great thread.
In terms of professional road cycling, nothing needs the change at the UCI. Quite frankly they have the organisation they deserve. Reading about how the professional peloton used to treat non-dopers like Christophe Basson makes you realise that the problem isnt just confined to the UCI - its endemic (at the very least) throughout professional road cycling. How the UCI is viewed is an accurate portrayal of the riders.
The riders and teams have been guiltlessly out of control for a long time - they definitely have the organisation they deserve.
In terms of professional road cycling, nothing needs the change at the UCI. Quite frankly they have the organisation they deserve. Reading about how the professional peloton used to treat non-dopers like Christophe Basson makes you realise that the problem isnt just confined to the UCI - its endemic (at the very least) throughout professional road cycling. How the UCI is viewed is an accurate portrayal of the riders.
The riders and teams have been guiltlessly out of control for a long time - they definitely have the organisation they deserve.
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
This motion was passed today by the UCI at their annual congress, by 38 votes out of 42. It paints their own efforts in a rather favorable light:
MOTION
Adopted by the Congress of the UCI, in its meeting of 21 September 2012 in Maastricht, the Netherlands,
Considering that :
The case of former rider Lance Armstrong, whatever its outcome may be, invites to reflect on the effectiveness of the fight against doping, as is confirmed by the creation by WADA of a working group to that effect;
The UCI has always, as was already confirmed in 2002 in the Festina case by the Court of appeals of Douai (France), used all available means and made all reasonable efforts to fight doping in sport ;
The UCI has invested in the research for a method to detect EPO since the nineties, was the first sports federation to introduce a no-start ruled based upon the haematocrit level (1997), to introduce the urinary EPO test (2001) and to introduce the homologous blood transfusion
test (2004);
The UCI was the first sports federation to introduce the athlete blood passport (2008), the most effective tool to prevent and detect blood doping ;
This testing programme of the UCI which was conducted independently, objectively and without consideration of any individuals has found many riders positive, including high profile riders ;
The comprehensive anti-doping programme of the UCI expresses both UCI’s awareness of the doping problem and its firm determination to do away with it ;
Yet various doping scandals have shown that athletes with the help of medical and other experts have managed to escape detection by the most effective doping programme ever implemented;
Notwithstanding all efforts it has not been possible to avoid doping practices for which science and WADA could not provide detection methods and that can only be detected by police methods that are outside the reach of an international federation ;
Awareness of what has happened or even sanctions for violations that have been detected many years afterwards do not enable to undo and clean up what has to be accepted as a dark period in cyclings history ;
There is no point in continuing to reexamine the past of then undetectable doping and stigmatize the sport of the young generations now that the situation has considerably improved through UCI’s continued efforts.
the Congress of the UCI
confirms its confidence in the management of the UCI in its fight against doping over the years ;
asks the Management Committee of the UCI :
to deal with the ongoing cases according to the applicable rules ;
to ignore attempts to exploit commercially or otherwise the painful aspects of cycling’s past ;
to concentrate on the anti-doping effort for the future of cycling in order to provide a clean environment for the next generations of riders.
MOTION
Adopted by the Congress of the UCI, in its meeting of 21 September 2012 in Maastricht, the Netherlands,
Considering that :
The case of former rider Lance Armstrong, whatever its outcome may be, invites to reflect on the effectiveness of the fight against doping, as is confirmed by the creation by WADA of a working group to that effect;
The UCI has always, as was already confirmed in 2002 in the Festina case by the Court of appeals of Douai (France), used all available means and made all reasonable efforts to fight doping in sport ;
The UCI has invested in the research for a method to detect EPO since the nineties, was the first sports federation to introduce a no-start ruled based upon the haematocrit level (1997), to introduce the urinary EPO test (2001) and to introduce the homologous blood transfusion
test (2004);
The UCI was the first sports federation to introduce the athlete blood passport (2008), the most effective tool to prevent and detect blood doping ;
This testing programme of the UCI which was conducted independently, objectively and without consideration of any individuals has found many riders positive, including high profile riders ;
The comprehensive anti-doping programme of the UCI expresses both UCI’s awareness of the doping problem and its firm determination to do away with it ;
Yet various doping scandals have shown that athletes with the help of medical and other experts have managed to escape detection by the most effective doping programme ever implemented;
Notwithstanding all efforts it has not been possible to avoid doping practices for which science and WADA could not provide detection methods and that can only be detected by police methods that are outside the reach of an international federation ;
Awareness of what has happened or even sanctions for violations that have been detected many years afterwards do not enable to undo and clean up what has to be accepted as a dark period in cyclings history ;
There is no point in continuing to reexamine the past of then undetectable doping and stigmatize the sport of the young generations now that the situation has considerably improved through UCI’s continued efforts.
the Congress of the UCI
confirms its confidence in the management of the UCI in its fight against doping over the years ;
asks the Management Committee of the UCI :
to deal with the ongoing cases according to the applicable rules ;
to ignore attempts to exploit commercially or otherwise the painful aspects of cycling’s past ;
to concentrate on the anti-doping effort for the future of cycling in order to provide a clean environment for the next generations of riders.
oldroadman
Veteran
- Location
- Ubique
Right, all very interesting. Let's take away the old structure and replace it with another. Which has every chance of morphing into a UCI.
The old FIAC/FICP existed simply to keep the amateur myth alive. There never were any amateurs at the highest level, just professionals being paid by some other route ("red army officer") to keep them racing.
Nobody I raced against in early days was an "amateur", although their licences said so. Much more honest now.
To quote "If the was not a x (UCI in this case) someone would have to invent one.
And please don't even mention the IOC. In terms of corruption allegations and all kinds of other alleged chicanery, they make the UCI look like Noddy in Toyland. 100+ people freeloading round the world, all getting paid, on the profits from a four yearly games plus winter games? Gravy train, and no-one wants to get off, unless they get caught being silly (an error in itself).
A bit like FIFA, where there is tons of cash sloshing about..
Next moves? Well, at the end of his term PMcQ will probably move on to IOC (that gravy train again) and the next UCI president will come from eastern europe. There's an awful lot of oil and gas billionaires there and quite a few are very interested in the sport.
Watch this space!
The old FIAC/FICP existed simply to keep the amateur myth alive. There never were any amateurs at the highest level, just professionals being paid by some other route ("red army officer") to keep them racing.
Nobody I raced against in early days was an "amateur", although their licences said so. Much more honest now.
To quote "If the was not a x (UCI in this case) someone would have to invent one.
And please don't even mention the IOC. In terms of corruption allegations and all kinds of other alleged chicanery, they make the UCI look like Noddy in Toyland. 100+ people freeloading round the world, all getting paid, on the profits from a four yearly games plus winter games? Gravy train, and no-one wants to get off, unless they get caught being silly (an error in itself).
A bit like FIFA, where there is tons of cash sloshing about..
Next moves? Well, at the end of his term PMcQ will probably move on to IOC (that gravy train again) and the next UCI president will come from eastern europe. There's an awful lot of oil and gas billionaires there and quite a few are very interested in the sport.
Watch this space!
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
But do you think it's a good idea if the UCI both promote cycling events (hence have a financial interest in them) and at the same time have some responsibility for drug testing ?
If they farmed that part out permanently, they would avoid an obvious conflict of interest.
For me it's no good comparing the UCI favourably to the IOC when the allegation is that the UCI were complicit in aspects of the largest sporting fraud in history.
OP
OP
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
Oldroadman, I don't think anyone us suggesting that the IOC or FIFA offer a better a model - they are basically run the same kind of way as the UCI. In any case there are two questions here - one, how are things going to work (basically, much the same way - we all know that), and how should things work? It would be interesting, given your experience, what you think of the latter question. How would you have cycle racing organised?
