Tag: UCI

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UCI versus USADA

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has fired its fiercest salvo yet at the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) over its continued feet-dragging in charges levelled at Lance Armstrong. In a strongly worded press release the UCI President, Pat McQuaid, said: ‘It is over a month since USADA sanctioned Lance Armstrong. We thought that USADA were better prepared before initiating these proceedings.’ Following Armstrong’s decision not to further challenge allegations of doping made by the USADA, he was dealt a lifetime ban and stripped of his record seven Tour de France wins – but this has yet to be ratified by the UCI who are clearly growing agitated by the lack of progress in the preparation of case files.

 

The UCI statement continues: ‘The UCI had no reason to assume that a full case file did not exist but USADA’s continued failure to produce the decision is now a cause for concern… It seems that it would have been more useful for USADA to have used the time of the Tour de France, the Olympic Games and the Road World Championships to prepare their case in full rather than to make announcements.’ It also contains the slightly withering comment: ‘The UCI assumes that the reasons for any difficulty in putting the evidence together will be explained in USADA’s decision…’

 

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UCI Moves Towards Equality?

Big things – or at the very least small steps towards big things – could emerge from today’s Annual Congress of the International Cycling Union (UCI). Earlier this week their Management Committee unanimously approved plans to introduce measures that would heighten the profile of women’s cycling at a professional level, promising to ‘…increase (its) appeal and visibility.’

 

GB’s Lizzie Armitstead and Emma Pooley have both long been vocal about inequalities and even Bradley Wiggins has entered the fray, saying: ‘They’re the forgotten ones in this sport. They have just as much success as we do.’ Now the UCI has given a commitment to have ‘at least one’ woman on each of its commissions and sub-committees (a labyrinthine 18) and to begin to draw women’s track cycling in line with men’s. As a first stab at this women’s Team Pursuit will, from next year, feature four – instead of the current three – riders, tackling 4km events instead of 3km. Further modifications along these lines are expected to result from the UCI Annual Congress; Cyclo will keep you posted…

 

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If Your Names Not on the List…

As if the seemingly ever-present rider scandals over doping allegation isn’t bad enough the pro sport now finds itself further mired after the French sports newspaper L’Equipe published a confidential list – known as the “doping suspicion index” – which had been compiled by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The list, which refers to the 2010 Tour de France, ranked each of the 198 competitors with a score from 0 to 10 with a ranking of 0 referring to the least suspicious level of drug involvement and 10 the highest. The UCI has announced an internal review to trace the source of the embarrassing leak, whilst the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has also pitched in with its own independent investigation.

 

UCI president Pat McQuaid published an open letter to both teams and riders on Tuesday (May 17) in which he states: “I am fully aware of the anger and strong reactions that the publication has generated and I can tell you that I was angry as well…It is essential to understand that this is not a list that indicates degrees of suspicion of doping, but a working document that establishes an order of priority for carrying out doping tests.” Several riders including Yaroslav Popovych (Team RadioShack) and Carlos Barredo (Rabobank), both of whom were listed as a maximum 10 by the UCI, have reacted quickly and angrily to their public humiliation, vehemently denying any drug involvement.

 

With a perhaps more positive note, it should be pointed out that of the 198 riders graded in the report, 156 were deemed to demonstrate “Little or no risk” of doping. So that’s okay then…

 

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Japan Retains Indoor Cycling World Championships

Despite the recent devastating events in Japan – and the ongoing dangers posed by the situation at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant – the UCI has made it clear that they intend to continue with plans to hold the 2011 Indoor Cycling World Championships in the country between November 4 and 6. In a press release they say: “This decision was taken after a thorough evaluation of the situation, in close cooperation with the Japanese authorities. Mr Hiroyuki Mori, Mayor of Kagoshima and President of the Organising Committee, gave assurances that the current events have had no negative impact on the region which, as a result, is ready to host the World Championships in November…”

 

In his letter to the participating nations Hiroyuki Mori says: “I would like to express my gratitude to those who have showed their support and compassion towards the massive earthquake that hit Japan.” Adding, “Kagoshima City, where (the) 2011 World Championships Indoor Cycling is being held is located about1,200 km in south and has not (been) influenced by the nuclear accident at Fukushima nuclear plant caused by the earthquake and tsunami…I hope that the World Championships will bring courage and strength to the people in Japan and to reconstruct the nation.”

 

However the UCI has stated that it intends to continue monitoring the situation and will take whatever action is called for in light of further developments.