Bye Bye UCI

[Flying_Monkey]

All the teams at the TdF have just announced that they will leave the Pro-Tour as of next year...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/jul08/jul15news4

Unless there is some change, this means the end of the UCI as the main body of professional top level cycling, and Pat McQuaid's intransigent attitude will be largely responsible.

 

[marinyork]

I don't know much about cycle racing but is this going to mean either a superceded body ala premier league (or repeated elsewhere and in other sports) or split body ala boxing, motorsport etc?

 

[andy_wrx]

McQuaid's idea of charging a fortune of the teams, to force them to race in races they didn't want to go to, in increasingly obscure parts of the world irrelevant to the team sponsors, whilst wrapping-up the television revenues, seems to have come unstuck.

McQuaid has survived because he's been held-up by the votes of the delegates from these obscure parts of the world, but if they now realise he's not going to deliver on his promises to get them big-time races, perhaps his time will have come !

 

[Flying_Monkey]

The Pro-Tour already was a 'Premier League' idea, but without a separate management system. What's happened here is that the teams have decided they want the separate management system. ASO has shown it can run the TdF without the UCI, there's no reason why an alliance of important race-organisers and teams can't run the whole calendar at this level.

 

[piedwagtail91]

serves them right for what they did to graeme obree. good riddence.

 

[marinyork]

Ah, I see, well good for them. They weren't trying to get races in India, China, Turkey, Russia etc by any chance ?

 

[rich p]

There may be a conflict which would affect British riders in that the track racing is run under UCI. I can see a spiteful McQauid and Verbruggen trying to ban from the track anyone who rides in non UCI events.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

There may be a conflict which would affect British riders in that the track racing is run under UCI. I can see a spiteful McQauid and Verbruggen trying to ban from the track anyone who rides in non UCI events.

Well, if they do that they will lose everything and not just the pro-Tour. I don't think they were anticipating this announcement, and they are really going to have to stop and think, and hopefully come back to the negotiating table and accept some changes - oh, and McQuaid should resign.

 

[rich p]

Well, if they do that they will lose everything and not just the pro-Tour. I don't think they were anticipating this announcement, and they are really going to have to stop and think, and hopefully come back to the negotiating table and accept some changes - oh, and McQuaid should resign.

He's just a glove puppet though, isn't he?

 

[yello]

Darn you FM, I was about to post 'the death of UCI'! (with apologies to Keith)

What matters today for my sponsors is a participation in the three big Tours

and there we have it. Love it or loathe it.

 

[User169]

BBC: "UCI President Pat McQuaid said the dissidents were now facing exclusion."

Nice one Pat

 

[yello]

... like some pathetic individual saying 'you are not invited to MY party'... when nobody wanted to come anyway, they were just being forced to!

 

[Keith Oates]

It looks as if McQuaid will need to go even if the UCI continues and cycling will shrink back into being a European only sport. If that's what the teams and riders want, so be it. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Oyimpics and cycling in the future!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Renard]

Except that, in road cycling, nobody really cares about the olympics. I wonder how we would fare as a nation if all the money that has been ploughed into track cycling had been dedicated to road cycling instead?

 

[peanut]

just goes to show how dangerous it is to have non elected people in charge of governing bodies .Its been ruining UK cycling for decades Good riddance ,hope he is treated like the leper he is