Reforming the UCI

[rich p]

What's ORM saying? They're all corrupt so let's keep them? Let's change them and they'll all be corrupt soon enough? Blimey, I thought I was cynical.

 

[Noodley]

I have nothing to add to the thread as I have no idea how it all works, but it seems as if oldroadman may have ridden at a decent enough level (I have such a short attention span that I am not sure if he has ever mentioned if he was pro level or not) so he may know how it all works. But there is a huge difference between knowing how to race and knowing how to govern it all. And knowing how fans view things.

If oldroadman were to tell us what his experience was it might help us understand the compexities and his position - and if (as I think I have picked up from his posts) he is ex-high level I would be very interested on his views on doping, what he did to be "professional" and the rigours of cycling at that level - which I don't think any of have experienced. (apart from when I won a track sprint a few weeks ago and I pumped the air with my fist and shouted at the bloke walking his dog next to the track)

 

[PpPete]

http://www.cyclismas.com/2012/09/a-vexing-verbruggen-in-valkenburg/
Is this for real ?
The whole thing is getting so odd I'm having trouble separating satire from reality.

 

[johnr]

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:
.

So. There's clearly no ginger group within the UCI. I think the only conclusion we can draw is that there will be no credible conclusion until UCI goes and cycling is run by people of integrity. Sad day.

 

[johnr]

And another thing... just had a quick glance at their financial report. Two things struck me: the amount of cash the organisation sucks out of road racing, and, how little they've set aside for legal costs.

It would seem that if road racing went it's own way there would be plenty of cash to support it (or alternatively, the threat to secede by decent teams ought to be taken seriously by the expense-account-niks); and, it's confirmed, UCI's legal team is PMcQ's sister's nephew who has just taken his A levels and hopes to go to law school if he gets the grades.

 

[thom]

An interview with McQuaid:
http://ewoud.home.xs4all.nl/tmp/20120921_nos_smeets_mcquaid.html
He's kissed the Blarney stone I tell ya.
Shifty eyes too...

 

[rich p]

http://www.cyclismas.com/2012/09/a-vexing-verbruggen-in-valkenburg/
Is this for real ?
The whole thing is getting so odd I'm having trouble separating satire from reality.

Having read the cyclingnews interview it's not far off the real thing.

 

[Noodley]

Serious question: is there anything that us cycling fans and weekend riders can do to note our opposition to the way things are run?

Not renewing BC membership and telling them why?
Contacting Vaughters and telling him to take forward his "breakaway" idea?
Anything?
I am completed fecked off with these nobbers!!

 

[BJH]

What we can all do is keep the subject of Pat and the gang of thieves alive even if only on forums

I couldn't manage to read that extract from the UCI I just read blah blah blah we have been doing a great job blah blah not our fault yawn yawn

Pro cycling needs a breakaway group that separates control of the sports operation from responsibility for overseeing honesty and governance.

It could do this by having an organistaion like ASO take responsibility for running racing and put control and drug testing under someone with undoubted credibility, Ashenden would be ideal.

 

[thom]

A good article in inrng about why it's hard to remove Pat McQuaid.

 

[oldroadman]

Serious question: is there anything that us cycling fans and weekend riders can do to note our opposition to the way things are run?

Not renewing BC membership and telling them why?
Contacting Vaughters and telling him to take forward his "breakaway" idea?
Anything?
I am completed fecked off with these nobbers!!

How does not renewing BC membership help? It does not, but does reduce the BC lobbying power if the membership drops. They are, so far as I can see, pushing hard to profile the sport and get legislation shifted to help road racing.

The idea of a breakaway league is a financial one, and where money is involved underhand schemes follow. Cycling needss a single entity to control it. Don't forget the UCI introduced the bio-passport programme, something which other sports have failed to do, so far. At last within cycling we acknowledge there is a problem, unlike one senior member of another high profile endurance sport I spoke to a while ago, quote "you don't do much anti-doping testing then?", reply, "no because we know we don't have a problem". So that's all right then.

In any case, a breakaway "league" would only look after the top 20 or so teams in the world, would have trouble persuading organisers to shift to "their" league, and would utterly ignore everyone outside their immediate sphere of financial interest. So what happens to everyone outside the league, "not my problem". Road racing could not reasonably go it's own way, cycle sport is multi-discipline integated and long should be so.

What could be changed is outsourcing the bio-passport and anti-doping and having all results published, good and bad. That may focus the attention of some people, oddly enough quite a few of the JV breakaway leagie brigade! Mind, this would have to be for ALL sport, not just cycling, and I suspect the resistance to this would be insurrmountable, and if this ever happened, performances in some of the "popular" (in UK) sports might just start to level a bit.

In answer to the question about my own history, I was OK but never got much notice, as you don't when there are big stars around, and stay well connected with the sport.

 

[Buddfox]

Mind, this would have to be for ALL sport, not just cycling, and I suspect the resistance to this would be insurrmountable, and if this ever happened, performances in some of the "popular" (in UK) sports might just start to level a bit.

I like the outsourcing idea, but why would it need to happen in all sports? Couldn't cycling blaze a trail?

 

[oldroadman]

I like the outsourcing idea, but why would it need to happen in all sports? Couldn't cycling blaze a trail?

Because effectively cycling does that for testing. All tests carried out by anti-doping agancies and independent labs. All that is left is public announcement of all results. When EVERY sport signs up than it would work. But there are issues. In cleaning up, cycling has washed it's dirty linen very publicly, suffered for it, but this pain is necessary to get to where we want to be.
There are other sports where very big money is involved who have no intention of spoiling their image by having some of their big stars fall foul of the testers, and even if they do, want to be able to control what goes public to protect said image (aka a cover up). At the same time pointing fingers at others who are more open (that would be today's cycling then).
Being attached to my hard earned house and small savings, I have no intention of naming names or sports.

 

[beastie]

this blog doesn't seem to have any concerns about naming names..the name of his blog kind of gives you on idea of which direction it headed....

http://tennishasasteroidproblem.blogspot.com.es/p/the-case-against-tennis.html

I'm not saying they are wrong, but those guys are a tiny bit fanatic It's too much.

 

[thom]

I couldn't bear to actually post on the LA thread again !