[Closed] Greg Lemonds letter to the UCI - good work fella

I thinks he's not particularly happy!

I think he is right though

Pat is just covering his arse after years of sticking his head in the sand

He changed tune when the report came out somewhat

FFS if i knew all this How was he so unaware?

Its as likely as LA admitting it though

I saw this on Facebook earlier - who's Paul? & who's Pat? & what have they done?

The Paul Kimmage defence fund has gone ballistic in recent days, particularly as the story hits the mainstream in Ireland, with very critical coverage of the UCI and McQuad.

It's rocketed up to almost $80k, including a couple of thousand dollars just in the last few hours.

http://cyclismas.chipin.com/paul-kimmage-defense-fund

Was Hein Verbruggen the guy who gave Graeme Obree all that crap years ago?

This is a really amazing and important moment and I really hope something really comes of it.

He's absolutely right, and his ire is both earned and righteous, but the style and delivery's going to put people off I reckon. Still, fair play to him.

I genuinely hope he shuts them down

Pretty much all sports bodies are there to enrich the leaders rather than promote the sport. Although, in this case, it's hard to see Pat lasting given the level of his incompetence / corruption.

the teenage kid next door comes and knocks on my door when his bike has a mechanical.most of the time i feel like telling him to **** off im busy but i never do i sort it for him- why??- because once i was that kid and pat mcquaid never told me to **** off !

Going to a David Millar presentation tomorrow night. I wonder what he's going to say on it all.

He obviously makes a better neighbour than a president then jacksonwwirl

Going to a David Millar presentation tomorrow night. I wonder what he's going to say on it all.

Hopefully he'll say something like:

"I am a drug cheating failure and am withdrawing from cycling for the sake of the sport."

Well done Greg! You might just be the only cycling hero we have left!

Hopefully he'll say something like:

"I am a drug cheating failure and am withdrawing from cycling for the sake of the sport."

Perhaps he'll then retrain as a brickie, I here there's a shortage. 🙂

"I am a drug cheating failure and am withdrawing from cycling for the sake of the sport."

I think its ....
"I am a drug cheat and I am standing for President for the sake of the sport."

resign Pat if you love cycling. Resign even if you hate the sport

Got to love his way with words. Very nicely done

"I am a drug cheating failure and am withdrawing from cycling for the sake of the sport."
I think its ....
"I am a drug cheat and I am standing for President for the sake of the sport."

Certainly hope not... Millar may think he's redeemed himself but he's a druggy, cheating liar like the rest of them.

He, like the rest of them, should receive lifetime bans.

Dutch Cycling Federation letter to UCI:

Dear Mr McQuaid, dear Pat,

From the KNWU we strongly feel the need to inform you about our view on the problems and challenges international cycling currently faces. The immediate cause is obviously the USADA report, the immediate strategic decision of Rabobank stopping the sponsorship of team Rabobank (because they lack confidence in the international institution of cycling) and the UCI’s response last Monday.

Let’s start by determining where we agree upon; the professional international cycling sport finds itself in the deepest crisis ever. The credibility of our wonderful sport is more than ever at stake. The USADA report has made it painfully clear that:

- within the international world of cycling systematic doping was (is?) common;
- despite stricter controls doping could not (can not) hardly be detected (since that is still the permanent response of Armstrong: ‘I have never been caught on using doping’);
- and that many people in the professional circuit knew, guessed or accepted this use of doping and ‘just thought this was normal behaviour.’

It is good and important that the UCI in its statement has completely agreed upon the report of the USADA and took over the corresponding sanctions against Lance Armstrong.

Moreover, to the opinion of the KNWU it is more than ever necessary that the UCI now, as lead agency of international cycling, has the obligation to present very strong measures and reforms to come out of this crisis and to restore the credibility and confidence of the cycling sport.

In recent years there have undoubtedly been taken steps forwards in the fight against doping. The blood passport was the most important measure. But even more can and must be done over the next 5 to 10 years to really purify the sport from doping and to step aside from a system or culture where ‘the lie reigns.’

10 years ago, after the ‘Tour the dopage,’ the statement was made, also from the UCI, that this could not happen again. That we were on the right track again. That the controls were improving and the culture was changing. Unfortunately in 2012 we have to conclude that the USADA Report has concluded that it is even worse. The key question for us, the KNWU, is to what extent we really can legitimately say that, in the year 2012, there no longer exists or can be spoken of a culture that tolerates, seduces or even encourages systematic doping. We are not reassured. On the contrary, we are very worried, and we are not alone in this. Rabobank resigning its sponsorship, and in particular the reason why it stopped, is painful and significant. We can not sufficiently answer the question whether or not the doping culture has become widely accepted in professional cycling in the recent years. The credibility of the sport and the institutions around it are therefore more than ever at stake.

This deep crisis requires a strong and unconventional approach. We believe it is very necessary that an international independent investigation, a kind of truth committee, will be put in place soon (perhaps by the IOC or the UCI, or by the national federations). With appropriate and effective legal measures this committee will conduct thorough research into all the aspects and facets of professional international cycling. All those involved in the system of professional cycling ((old)-riders, teams, soigneurs, team doctors, team leaders, team bosses, sponsors, doping authorities/inspectors, regulations, national federations, UCI, organisers, etc) should be within the scope of such a truth committee. With a dual assignment:

1. Let this committee bring out all the facts and findings (‘truth’) from 2007 till the present, exposing the system, its culture and how the system operates, show what progress has already been made, and also where the system fails.

2. Give this committee the task to make recommendations or take measures which can faster contribute to the professional cycling sport becoming cleaner and where the principle of fair play prevails.

If we do not use this crisis, with all those involved, as an explicit opportunity to really clean up, we fear that the culture of doping and lying in cycling sport that is unfortunately so deeply rooted, may never go away. Now is not the time to come with more fundamental proposals or reforms. Let the committee think about these aspects and present these proposals. Alternatively the circumstances ask to enable fast, precise, powerful and for resolute measures beyond what the UCI is already doing. It could be considered to implement measures in a ‘code’ to which the teams need to commit before they can even obtain a (ProTour) license. Of course there are always legal restrictions, but it is also important to make a statement right now. Besides the legal boundaries and frameworks above all moral borders and frames will be needed. Principles that are broadly agreed and lived upon and should be sought from all stakeholders, such as:

- Suspension of four years instead of two years and greater financial penalties or deduction of points;
- As well as penalties for the teams (and their responsible managers) whose riders are caught using doping (points deduction, financial penalties, withdraw licences), to make doping a collective rather than an individual issue;
- No ProTour teams are allowed to hire people (soigneurs, doctors, team leaders, team bosses) with any prior involvement in doping practices (simply no ProTour lience is provided for participation in the ProTour circuit);
- ProTour teams are only allowed to work with UCI accredited doctors;
- The explicit separation of the different roles and responsibilities (governance) of the UCI (and perhaps of national federations. Indeed, because of the commercial and financial interests of the ProTour a conflict or apparent conflict of interest arises which at all times must be prevented);
- Measures that contribute to a greater degree of self-cleaning and adjusting capabilities;
- Etc.

More than ever, the UCI must dare to act forcefully. Critical to everyone involved in the sport, including the UCI itself. An authoritative, independent international truth and inquiry committee with adequate legal measures can thereby serve as an important starting point. Only if we as an international cycling community are willing to take a very critical look to the ‘own system’, we will be able to build a clean, sportive and credible future. On behalf of the Dutch anti-doping authority and the NOC*NSF, we do an urgent appeal to the UCI to take the necessary and convincing first steps or make the necessary decisions in the Management Committee next Friday.

If the UCI fails to do so, we as KNWU/Netherlands at national level are considering the possibility to create such a truth or inquiry committee (with the greatest international assignment or scope as possible), because we believe this is necessary.

This is obviously in our opinion internationally but also nationally of great value. But it is evident that an international approach clearly has our preference. We hope you will choose the vigorous and forceful approach.

With kind regards,

Royal Dutch Cycling Federation,

M. (Marcel) J.G. Wintels
President

In other news, here's (really) the 2013 UCI Worlds mascot

[img] [/img]

Looks like the pressure for real change is building. Which is heartening to see.
Wonder when BC will make a statement?

😯 😆

EDIT: at the logo

I wonder if they will have time to think about Mountain Biking at any stage........

Certainly hope not... Millar may think he's redeemed himself but he's a druggy, cheating liar like the rest of them.

He, like the rest of them, should receive lifetime bans.

Millar's one of the best guys in cycling - of the older generation for sure. Hope he stays in the sport, the riders respect him.

I've sent a note to BC (I'm a member) to ask them to call for change at the UCI.
We should all do the same

@ben houldsworth - yes perhaps he did make abetter neighbour than president. before i go any further i believed armstrong was a cheat for a long time and especially when greg lemond cast doubts upon him. the first time i won a race my trophy was presented to me by paul kimmage shortly after the publication of a rough ride and i shook his hand as i would today.i stand for everything that lemond and kimmage do .however ,like many compatriots,when i first got into the sport pat mcquaid was unbelievably encouraging and helpful,i bought my first road bike from him, the first two bike jerseys i owned were given to me by him,i bought my first pair of cycling shoes from him and when i rounded the bolt in a cleat he sorted it or me,he introduced me to sean kelly and his door was always open for any queries about the sport.he also was instrumental in bringing professional road racing to ireland in the 80s and bringing the tour de france to my patch in the 90s.many others can tell you similar stories and i dont think anyone will dispute me saying that he has done more for the sport in ireland than anyone else.it is probably for similar reasons that nico roche did not condemn him when questioned on newstalk tonight.despite all this he is in a very awkward position due to events which happened outside of his presidency and in spite of measures he has taken ,such as blood passports,to clean up the sport.i think that as long as there is money involved there will be cheating as in all professional sports.

jacksonwwirl - i fear I'm going to sound patronising or condescending here, and I don;t intend to. If I do, I apologise...

McQuaid may have been an enormous influence on individuals and on Irish cycling - that is fantastic. However, he's also now found himself looking like an increasingly out of touch dictator of a famine and poverty ravaged country: it is not enough simply to shoot the protestors demanding change. If he believes in cycling above any personal interest (financial or reputational), he needs to recognize that a wholesale change in attitude and culture can only really be effective if the UCI either moves away from its now tainted past, or prepares to be replaced by the national cycling unions as, one by one, they too recognise the writing is on the wall.

McQuaid (and let's not forget Hein Verbruggen) is representative of a governing body that has let one of the biggest sporting frauds ever take place on their watch. Clinging onto "power" (for that's what all politics is about,and this is nothing but politics) will only worsen the situation and will not allow that step change to a cleaner sport that increasing numbers are calling for.

Cycling is one of the oldest professional sports. Professionalism just means money. Money allows drugs and cheating. If there is to be a genuine aspiration to more corinthian values, the influence of cheating must be challenged from bottom to top. And that means either the UCI is relieved of its completely damaged senior management, or the UCI disappears altogether.

As a side point, brooess has quietly said something really important: anyone who is a BC member needs our governing body to stand up and be counted in all of this. It's no good the professional arm, Team Sky, doing this within their ranks if there isn't a wider call on behalf of all the people who pay their membership fees, racing licences fees, and club and event levies to tell the UCI that change must happen.

I've recently let my membership lapse. I think I'll make rejoining conditional on them doing something publicly about this.

not british cycling per se but chris boardman has some good ideas too...

[i]Chris Boardman has called for WorldTour teams to be banned from the sport for a year if any of their riders test positive for performance enhancing drugs. He also described the UCI as a mess and was equally scathing about its president, Pat McQuaid.

Speaking exclusively to road.cc in London today, Boardman said the evidence gathered by the USADA of organised and sustained doping surrounding Lance Armstrong was "a massive blow for cycling, just when things have been so positive following on from the lovely summer of sport at the Olympics and Brad winning the Tour."

He also called on cycling's law makers to seize the opportunity presented by the Armstrong scandal to push through tough measures - statements of intent aren't enough to restore credibility," he said.

"Personally I've always been in favour of life bans, but they are very hard to enforce. I really believe in the concept of making the risk greater than than the reward. For cycling to become credible whatever comes next has to have proper teeth."

Boardman's solution is an immediate one year ban for any WorldTour team if one of its riders tests positive.

"You have a single positive and you're out for a year.

"The implications of that are huge. The sponsor is going to have a clause in the contract and the team will have contract with the rider saying 'if you're caught for doping you're going to be penniless.' So the rider's got no incentive to do it, the team's got no incentive to do it. The sponsor is going to police the team, and everybody self polices.

"The penalties are so harsh for everybody in the chain. and that's the kind of thing when you've got the ProTour and it belongs to you, it's the kind of harsh measure you can push through."

Boardman believes that this moment of weakness for the sport caused by the Armstrong revelations is exactly the time when the UCI could get teams to sign up to the sort of strong measures they would usually shy away from.

However whether the current leadership commands the authority within the sport to push through such changes remains in doubt. Amongst the evidence compiled by USADA in its case against Armstrong were details of payments from the rider of $125,000 to cycling's governing body, mot of which the UCI later spent on a blood analysis machine.

Amongst the rider testimony given to USADA were claims that the UCI leadership covered up a suspect test for EPO.

Boardman was equally trenchant on the subject of the UCI, describing cycling's world governing body as "a mess" and while he fell just short of saying that the UCI president, Pat McQuaid should resign, the implication was clear - the Irishman's time is up as the head of world cycling - or it should be.

"There has to be a world governing body, and it's the UCI. It’s a mess right now and how we fix it I don't know, but in most companies when things go badly wrong, people are so emotional about it. They need to see some change and generally the person who leads it resigns,” Boardman told road.cc.

Pressed on whether he was saying that McQuaid should go, Boardman responded:

"Pat McQuaid staying in his position after this… it doesn't give you a great deal of credibility."
[/i]

despite all this he is in a very awkward position due to events which happened outside of his presidency

He only has two defences that i can see - he was either really shit at his job and did not know what was going on or he ignored it. Neither make him him worthy to sort out this mess

Its all a bit of a sh@t storm....i have to say i'm looking forward if/when Armstrong breaks his silence and opens the lid on the UCI's alleged corruption.......but who do you believe, they all seem to be self concerned liars to me! 😥

junkyard and ourmaninthenorth i am not going to dispute anything you have said above because i simply cannot.i do gree with nico roches comments yesterday where he said mcquaid resigning would not change anything at the uci, there would have to be a large number of resignations to make any real change.i also like greg lemonds idea that if no one buys a licence next season there will be massive change. one way or another i hope this opportunity for real change is not wasted.

He's ready for the job....

[img] [/img]

mcquaid resigning would not change anything at the uci, there would have to be a large number of resignations to make any real change

Completely agree. It's all about a cultural change, and that means BIG organisational change. But it does need to start at the top. Without that, there's no incentive for any other change to happen.

Jacksonwwirl, you're quite right that it isn't just Pat at issue and far more people are involved in the failures.

The problem he has is that as figure head and essentially spokesperson for the organisation it is his responsibility to respond quickly and decisively in situations like this and he has failed to do so.

Even if his story rings true that people failed to tell him what they knew at best he will come away like Murdoch being deemed unfit to run such a large organisation; if its been news on the net for years where has he been hiding? At that level accountability is everything and on the day USADA released the report the UCI should have been there with a solid statement and plan and they weren't.

Sadly for him, the opportunity to tell his side is rapidly slipping away and I think it's an obvious sign of how the organisation needs to change in that they haven't kicked him out themselves

mcquaid resigning would not change anything at the uci, there would have to be a large number of resignations to make any real change.i also like greg lemonds idea that if no one buys a licence next season there will be massive change. one way or another i hope this opportunity for real change is not wasted.

I think it is more the other way round

It is impossible to see how someone complicit in it all can turn it around. it is not like he would have any moral authority for the change even if he has the desire [ and i am not even sure of that.
A wholesale change is needed but it has to start from the top. I cannot see positive change whilst he remains and this is the main problem. The simple act of his resignation is not enough but without it I have little faith in an agenda for change and it does not send out a good signal. He reigned over the period and he failed to do anything; why would we trust him to have the skills to do something now? This ignores his arguing with usada, what he said pre evidence release and his general head in the sand stance pre this report- Pat how did you miss it all? Has usada ceded to uci do you think we would be where we are now with LA? THIS IS THE PROBLEM and he is part of it

I would also like to see a populist uprising as it might force their hand but it is as likely as a resignation