The affect of drugs in the sport

[Keith Oates]

pales to insignificance compared to this:

Reuters - Saturday, March 29 05:12 pmPARIS (Reuters) - Hein Verbruggen, vice-president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), has conceded defeat to Tour de France organisers in a long and bitter battle for control of the sport.

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The former UCI president, still widely seen as its strong man, told French daily Liberation on Saturday: "I lost, but it's less my defeat than the defeat of cycling."

The Dutch member of the International Olympic Committee was replaced at the UCI helm in 2005 by Irishman Pat McQuaid but was also the leading force behind the ProTour series imposed by the body at the time.

Tour de France owners Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) have always been critical of the 20-team formula and the dispute over television and marketing rights has deteriorated steadily.

McQuaid has threatened to sanction riders and teams taking part in the ASO-run Paris-Nice stage race earlier this month.

"We're completely isolated and ASO demonstrated the extent of their power in the world of cycling. They had the backing of the French sports minister and the French presidency. It was a lost cause," Verbruggen said.

He accused ASO of organising "a privatisation of cycling which ignores international regulations in order to create new ones for their own interest".

"ASO is now a private professional league," said Verbruggen, a claim ASO has always rejected.

ASO has been backed in its struggle against the governing body by the organisers of the other major tours, the Giro d'Italia and the Spanish Vuelta.

The organisation also runs the Paris-Nice, the Criterium international and one-day classics like Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Fleche Wallonne or Paris-Tours.

No one at ASO was available for comment on Verbruggen's remarks.

Unquote

Seems ASO is a good name (All Scum Only)

 

[rich p]

I'm pretty sure we're never going to agree on this one Keith but the UCI brought this on itself. They vacillated for so long and then cried foul when someone decided to act to clean up the sport themselves. Nobody is saying that ASO are perfect but at least they're making the effort that the UCI should have been doing years ago.
As for Scum, that's a bit harsh, surely.

 

[Keith Oates]

rich p, I fully agree with you that the UCI were slow out of the blocks on this one but they can't be accused of this now. We will rue the day when ASO take full control of cycling, races and teams will be 'adjusted' to ensure their friends are the winning teams. We saw the disgusting behavior of ASO last year that has resulted in a good team and sponsor leaving the sport. However as they were not in the cosy North Euopean cycling clique it doesn't matter I suppose. No derogatory discription of Rudehomme and his gang can be harsh IMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

The UCI are a bunch of idiots who are even talking about suing WADA for its criticism of their manifest failures on doping. And the Pro-Tour has been an absolute farce.

Cycling needs a world body, but not this one.

 

[girofan]

I'm pretty sure we're never going to agree on this one Keith but the UCI brought this on itself. They vacillated for so long and then cried foul when someone decided to act to clean up the sport themselves. Nobody is saying that ASO are perfect but at least they're making the effort that the UCI should have been doing years ago.
As for Scum, that's a bit harsh, surely.

Verbruggen has had his hand up McQuaid's backside for so long that McQuaid feels like Basil Brush, Boom, Boom.
The UCI has had it's collective head in the sand for years and has an ostritch-like mentality. As you post rich p, at least the ASO are making a statement, rather than hoping things will rectify themselves automatically!!

 

[rich p]

Verbruggen has had his hand up McQuaid's backside for so long that McQuaid feels like Basil Brush, Boom, Boom.
The UCI has had it's collective head in the sand for years and has an ostritch-like mentality. As you post rich p, at least the ASO are making a statement, rather than hoping things will rectify themselves automatically!!

In light of the hand up backside ref is that the verb from rectum?

 

[yenrod]

Verbruggen has had his hand up McQuaid's backside for so long that McQuaid feels like Basil Brush, Boom, Boom.
The UCI has had it's collective head in the sand for years and has an ostritch-like mentality. As you post rich p, at least the ASO are making a statement, rather than hoping things will rectify themselves automatically!!

That was the norm in cycling now it very much isnt !

 

[Keith Oates]

The UCI are a bunch of idiots who are even talking about suing WADA for its criticism of their manifest failures on doping. And the Pro-Tour has been an absolute farce.

Cycling needs a world body, but not this one.

I agree with that statement, FM, but it also should not be ASO. I agree it's time for changes at the UCI and that is the route I consider should be followed. I didn't realise how much sway Verbruggen still had at the UCI but that would explain some of the 'strange' decisions that have been made by McQuaid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mondobongo]

Reuters - Saturday, March 29 05:12 pmPARIS (Reuters) - Hein Verbruggen, vice-president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), has conceded defeat to Tour de France organisers in a long and bitter battle for control of the sport.

As the sports governing body why did they feel the need to battle for control? They have caused a huge rift in road cycling and now as it looks like they can't have their own way or their cake and eat it they just walk away and leave it to be run by race organisers thats not the way forward either.

 

[rich p]

Did anyone else read the enlightening article in Cycling Weekly a couple of weeks ago which told the tale of McQuaid in his cycling days racing in South Africa during apartheid in defiance of the UCI. He even raced under an assumed name to escape detection and now has the bare-faced hypocrisy to threaten a ban on riders who participate in ASO events!

 

[doyler78]

Did anyone else read the enlightening article in Cycling Weekly a couple of weeks ago which told the tale of McQuaid in his cycling days racing in South Africa during apartheid in defiance of the UCI. He even raced under an assumed name to escape detection and now has the bare-faced hypocrisy to threaten a ban on riders who participate in ASO events!

I see nothing bare faced about it. I see it as an embarrassment for him however nothing more than that. It was his decision to make and it was for others to enforce just as it was for each rider to decide to ride Paris-Nice or not. Personally I don't think bans would be in anyone's interest, least of all the UCI.

Just look at the eulogising of David Millar now and his pontification on doping. The once critical press is now largely positive towards him, including said publication.

 

[mondobongo]

Yes I saw that and thought bloody hypocrite and in the days of apartheid as well.

The UCI needs a radical shake up faces need to go and replaced by people who are not in it for themselves. I do see Keiths point if we end up with ASO and other organisers running the sport we could end up in an even worse mess just look at what football has become with the premiership.

We need a governing body who will govern, set down rules and liaise with ASO and Co not go to war with them.

 

[rich p]

I see nothing bare faced about it. I see it as an embarrassment for him however nothing more than that. It was his decision to make and it was for others to enforce just as it was for each rider to decide to ride Paris-Nice or not. Personally I don't think bans would be in anyone's interest, least of all the UCI.

Just look at the eulogising of David Millar now and his pontification on doping. The once critical press is now largely positive towards him, including said publication.

You call it an embarrasment, I call it hypocrisy. What's Millar got to do with it? He's saying he made a big mistake and regrets it if you take it at face value whilst McQuaid is threatening innocent riders with a ban for trying to make a living. There is absolutely no comparison.

 

[doyler78]

You call it an embarrasment, I call it hypocrisy. What's Millar got to do with it? He's saying he made a big mistake and regrets it if you take it at face value whilst McQuaid is threatening innocent riders with a ban for trying to make a living. There is absolutely no comparison.

Innocent they are not. They are in breach of the rules of the UCI, their governing body, therefore when they act contrary to those rules they can expect the consequences of their actions.

As I said it would be in no one interests to persue the riders for this as I agree totally they are only trying to get on with the job of riding and want to ride the in the best races. They are the unfortunate pawns in all this however much I sympathise with that the UCI still has the right to take what ever action is permitted for breaches.

We may all wish for change and that change can be brought about by all interested parties bringing pressure upon the UCI for wholesale reform.

You have used the word hypocrit. What I am merely pointing out is that if you choose to lambast Pat McQuaid for past actions then so you must expect others that are not so white to be lambasted too or dare I suggest it that would make you a hypocrit and that was merely the point I was trying to get across.

I personally like David Millar, though I do hate this rather holier than thou attitude that comes across sometimes and just wish he would shut up sometimes. I believe if the rules permit a rider to reenter the sport then they should be able to get on with their job without hinderance.

The issue of apartheid and the use of sport as a political machine was controversial and indeed there were breaches of the ban by other sports and sports persons. I don't know his reasons for breaking the ban however it was, as I said, his decision to make and it was for others to enforce the rules against him and just because he finds himself in the role of the enforcer doesn't mean he can't or shouldn't exercise the powers conferred on him or should shy away from his responsibilities.

If we dig deep enough into every persons life I am sure we can find something which could be used against them however are we the sum total of one event or are sum of all our experiences. I hope it is the latter.

 

[rich p]

I've never said either that Millar is great role model or that ASO are the best people to run cycling. We are where we are though.

If McQuaid never intended to ban riders but was just using the threat as a way of pretending he had powers then it really does show that he and the UCI are just a bunch of spent, immature, posturing posers - which is why we are now in this position in the first place.