Shane Sutton

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Pro Tour Punditry

Pro Tour Punditry

Guru
There does
 
C

Crackle

..
The whole debacle doesn't throw the track cycling program in a good light and it sounds like Sutton and a few others need to go.
 
beastie

beastie

Guru
Location
penrith
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/25/nicole-cooke-cycling-sexism-jess-varnish-shane-sutton

It's poor show. As a father of two girls I have resigned myself to the fact they won't be rich from cycling. Tennis training on Saturday though.
 
Flying_Monkey

Flying_Monkey

Recyclist
Location
Odawa
The response to Nicole Cooke's article from British Cycling - now appended - is pathetic. Basically, it just makes things worse. Nicole Cooke may have been the most complete cyclist that Britain has ever produced (since Beryl Burton, of course) but the attitude of the sport's administrators at all levels, nationally and internationally, meant that she never got to compete as widely as she should have, let alone get real recognition for her acheivements. I've heard people in the British Cycling world comment on her sexual appetite, her supposed lack of femininity, her 'difficult' and 'uncooperative' character, all apparently designed to illustrate why her gradual exclusion from the inner circle was her own fault, whereas in fact all of these comments only demonstrate the structural and individual sexism and prejudice of the sport. But as she says in the article, "they don't even know it". That's the thing. The men (and women - because yes, many women absorb and reproduce the same sexist attitudes) who say these things don't even know that they are part of the problem. They really think they are 'explaining' rationally and all the time they are both illustrating and reinforcing the problem they don't even recognise. I really wish someone like Nicole Cooke was the President of the UCI...
 
dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
Nicole Cooke's charge sheet is bad enough, but it's the tip of the iceberg. BC has receives about thirty million a year from the taxpayer to develop cycling - both competitive and non-competitive.

Now - Diversity 101 says that you start with your internal set-up and the way you represent your aims. And there BC draws a big fat fail. The gender balance within BC is poor - only six out of 35 Go-Ride coaches and three out of 21 regional event officers are women. Looking at BC club rides (and I see a lot of them) the gender balance is dreadful. And.....let us not forget that the near complete absence of non-whites at elite level, in the clubs and even on the BC website.

It is, basically, the same crusty organisation that it was twenty years ago, but flush with other people's money.

This isn't about Shane Sutton. It's about the two hundred million quid that has poured through BC and the people like Cookson (about as useful as a fart in a spacesuit), Andy Cook, Ellingworth and the rest who have spent it.

(And, before somebody points out the obvious, the CTC's not much better - just a lot smaller).
 
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Dogtrousers

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Flying_Monkey said:
The response to Nicole Cooke's article from British Cycling - now appended - is pathetic [...]
Click to expand...
It is indeed. It's a bit of blather followed by two utterly irrelevant points.

They agree that no men finished in the 08 olympic race, exactly as NC said. But she's being a bit cruel to them because it was a hot day..
They point out that the organisation of the "The organisation of the test event for London 2012 was a matter for the UCI and LOCOG", which if you read the text is exactly what NC said.

It's a bit weird. The only points that they have challenged ... they haven't challenged at all. If that's the best they can do in their defence they have damned themselves somewhat. Or they have a complete idiot doing their PR.
 
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