Changes Cookson has implemented at UCI

[heart_attack_man]

Or, "What Cookson did".

For starters, Verbiest out. It's a good start.

UCI Lawyer Verbiest Out
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/10/news/longtime-legal-counsel-out-at-uci_304928

Added (Courtesy Race Radio):
Vice President Changes
Replacing a group of yes men, Hee Wook Cho, Renato Di Rocco, and Artur Lopes with three new vice presidents; David Lappartient from France, president of the European Cycling Union; Mohamed Azzam, from Egypt, president of the African confederation; and Tracey Gaudry, president of the Oceania confederation.

Added:
Cookson drops UCI charges against Kimmage.
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...n-is-ending-UCI-legal-action-against-him.aspx

Added (Courtesy JRanton):
Director General Changes

Another departure from the UCI. Christophe Hubschmid, the Director General, No.2 in the organigram, has left.

Added (Courtesy Race Radio):
Discussions with WADA regarding UCI Conduct

discussions have begun with the World Anti Doping Agency about an independent investigation into how the governing body acted in the past.

Commitment to time frame of handing over anti-doping controls to independent body (Dated 11/10/2013)

the review plus Cookson’s commitment to handing over anti-doping protocols to a fully independent anti-doping body should be in place within six months.

Link: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...ent-investigation-into-UCI.aspx#ixzz2hPxN3Sio

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Or, "What Cookson did".

For starters, Verbiest out. It's a good start.

Wow - I only wrote this last week.

Hein was corrupt. Not the UCI.

Some key personnel like Verbiest, Strebel, etc should be shown the door.

That is excellent news.

 

[Benotti69]

Wow - I only wrote this last week.


That is excellent news.

Hardly a surprise. Verbiest was always going to get the boot being a puppet of Hein and Pat.

 

[Netserk]

Hardly a surprise. Verbiest was always going to get the boot being a puppet of Hein and Pat.

Doesn't make it less good news.

 

[Benotti69]

Doesn't make it less good news.

I didn't say it was not good news. But one hardly expected a guy like Verbiest was going to be an ally to Cookson. There will be others going for the same reason.

Cookson is doing what most football managers do when they got to a new team, they install their own back room team that they can trust.

 

[GreasyMonkey]

Wow - I only wrote this last week.


That is excellent news.

I hope Cookson has contacted Dr. Sylvia Schenk, and asked that she apply for the vacancy.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I hope Cookson has contacted Dr. Sylvia Schenk, and asked that she apply for the vacancy.

That would be amazing

 

[GreasyMonkey]

That would be amazing

As they say, revenge is best served cold......

She still has a strong interest in cycling, missed out on being elected as President of the BDR back in April this year.

 

[sniper]

some of the posts here seem to come straight from gerard's blog
http://gerard.cc/2013/09/27/wow/

Most of all, it requires listening to all those people who haven’t been heard in a long time. It means speaking with the great people who used to work at the UCI but left because they couldn’t stand the atmosphere. Because that’s the truly poisonous part of incompetent leadership, the organization below filters out the good people and retains the garbage.

This is not to say that there haven’t been brave people who have hung on for dear life at the UCI – there have been – but let’s hope that the hopelessly incompetent bunch around McQuaid, including Verbruggen, Verbiest, Strebel and many others, will finally leave this sport alone.

Time for the return of Sylvie Shenk , she will take the knife to some of the dead wood !
How soon can Mike Ashenden & Anne Gripper get back to work , even if only as Sub contract online ?

I think this is spot on:

Cookson is doing what most football managers do when they got to a new team, they install their own back room team that they can trust.

let's cheer when we see actual change in the anti-doping department.

 

[the sceptic]

Any word re independent testing yet?

 

[GreasyMonkey]

some of the posts here seem to come straight from gerard's blog
http://gerard.cc/2013/09/27/wow/

Had not read Gerard's blog at all, but have followed Dr. Schenk's career with interest - she is one who is honest and ethical, and a light in the murky darkness of professional sports administration.

She would have a very good knowledge of where the skeletons of Hein, et. al. are buried, I suspect would have few qualms about revealing them to the appropriate authorities in the quest of clearing out the past.

 

[sniper]

Had not read Gerard's blog at all, but have followed Dr. Schenk's career with interest - she is one who is honest and ethical, and a light in the murky darkness of professional sports administration.

She would have a very good knowledge of where the skeletons of Hein, et. al. are buried, I suspect would have few qualms about revealing them to the appropriate authorities in the quest of clearing out the past.

yeah, you made a good point, didn't mean to suggest you took it from there.
and i also thought of ashenden and gripper, but then again, anti-doping will hopefully cease to be a uci matter sooner than later.

 

[GreasyMonkey]

yeah, you made a good point, didn't mean to suggest you took it from there.
and i also thought of ashenden and gripper, but then again, anti-doping will hopefully cease to be a uci matter sooner than later.

Apologies, my comment read as defensive, not meant in that manner.

On your second point, agree - hopefully they can find useful employment as consultants to the independent body who takes over those actions.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

yeah, you made a good point, didn't mean to suggest you took it from there.
and i also thought of ashenden and gripper, but then again, anti-doping will hopefully cease to be a uci matter sooner than later.

That is exactly what you did.

To make it clear, I had not read GVs blog lately and did not read that post until now.
In fact I gave a lengthy account on Strebel here.

 

[sniper]

That is exactly what you did.

To make it clear, I had not read GVs blog lately and did not read that post until now.

honestly not what i meant to do.

just saying this isn't in anyway proof of cookson's good intentions, as some might like to see it.
Not saying he doesn't have good intentions, but i don't see how the sacking of former mcquaid buddies is evidence to that extent.
As benotti said, cookson, like many people in charge of sports organizations, might be looking forward to install some of his own buddies in key positions.
let's hope he can resist the temptation of nepotism.

In fact I gave a lengthy account on Strebel here.

yeah, that's obviously great stuff what you did there, and it was good to see kimmage picking it up as well.

 

[Race Radio]

Replacing a group of yes men, Hee Wook Cho, Renato Di Rocco, and Artur Lopes with three new vice presidents; David Lappartient from France, president of the European Cycling Union; Mohamed Azzam, from Egypt, president of the African confederation; and Tracey Gaudry, president of the Oceania confederation.

 

[Fortyninefourteen]

Replacing a group of yes men, Hee Wook Cho, Renato Di Rocco, and Artur Lopes with three new vice presidents; David Lappartient from France, president of the European Cycling Union; Mohamed Azzam, from Egypt, president of the African confederation; and Tracey Gaudry, president of the Oceania confederation.

They would be well served to remove some of their technical people as well , who still operate as if they were in the 90's..... and still on some manufacturers payroll.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Apologies, my comment read as defensive, not meant in that manner.

On your second point, agree - hopefully they can find useful employment as consultants to the independent body who takes over those actions.

Yip -my preference would be they remain outside of the UCI and are brought in to critique.
And Schenk is a senior adviser for Transparency International and it would be great if the UCI had them do a public audit or report on UCI governance and activities every year.

 

[skippy]

Bullet points from Parrabuddy.blogspot/ifiwerecookson :

My wish list:

Independent UCI Anti Doping Unit .

Reactivate the UCIIC .

Instituting a NEW Internal Audit Team .

Replacement of the entire UCI Legal Department , through their conivance at BENDING the UCI Constitution to fit the wishes of the President , who drew a Salary to PRESERVE that Constitution .

Reinstitution of the New Zealand Womens Tour in 2014 , cancelled in 2013 by " Meddling & Incompetent UCI decisons .

Invoice phat for the UCI Expenditure created by his decision to treat the UCI finances as his Personal piggybank for his nefarious activities .

Create an Advisory Board composed of Team Owners , Retired Racers & Current Racers , to SPEED the implementation of Reforms in the Cycling Programs for both Womens & Mens Road Racing & other disciplines .

Recognition of those creating the environment to allow Change to occur .

Removal by the IOC of the Membership that was awarded to the former President , thus avoiding further threats of Blackmail to the Sport of Cycling .

Seems that the time that @gaudryt when with @cooksonforuci during the early part of this week ,has been well spent ?

Cookson has published his Final blog and speaks of changing his " Twitter handle "? Perhaps "@cookson of UCI " now more appropriate ?

link to blog : http://t.co/s95jOLvmiF

SAD News :

Pat Malach ‏@OrCyclingAction 2h
Terrible news. @TelenetFideaCT is reporting Amy Dombrowski died today in a collision with a truck while training.
Retweeted by Race Radio

UCI should ask ALL Nat Feds to contact ALL TRUCKING & BUS Cos to educate their drivers in respecting Cyclists !

In Addition UCI should instruct ALL Pro Racers , to salute ANY Driver that passes with Indicators going at a safe passing distance ! When any driver sees a cyclist acknowledging the efforts of Safe drivers , wouldn't they want to receive the same ?

My blog in Skippi-Cyclist.blogspot today tells ONE Business owner , currently in Canada , what to expect when their employee causes me grief !

Any Canadian readers that can help me reinforce that message PLEASE Advise via @skippydetour

 

[D-Queued]

As they say, revenge is best served cold......

She still has a strong interest in cycling, missed out on being elected as President of the BDR back in April this year.

Ahem.

Like Maserati's esp on Verbiest, didn't someone make a well-researched observation about the desirability and pedigree of Schenk last week:

He should get Sylvia Schenck back, and make her the Chairperson of the ethics committee.

1. Former German cycling president blasts UCI’s handling of Armstrong case

2. Strong-minded Sylvia Schenk continues quest for Law & Order

..."It just cannot be that a Federation finances one of the candidates to the presidency, when there are in fact three candidates," Schenk told us. "That never happens anywhere. The other two candidates were not even given the addresses of the electoral delegates (for lobbying) whereas Verbruggen mailed all of them saying they should vote for McQuaid," she alleges. ...

3. Anti-corruption expert Schenk urges UCI to properly fund probe of its links to Armstrong case

There is nobody better qualified or more credible.

Dave.

Dave.

 

[GreasyMonkey]

Ahem.

Like Maserati's esp on Verbiest, didn't someone make a well-researched observation about the desirability and pedigree of Schenk last week:



Dave.

Had not seen your piece at all, I commented on her desirability as a replacement for Verbiest in response to Python's suggestion to clean out Legal.

Good to see that we have a common view on who would be excellent "back-office" staff for Cookson & UCI.

 

[sniper]

Had not seen your piece at all, I commented on her desirability as a replacement for Verbiest in response to Python's suggestion to clean out Legal.

Good to see that we have a common view on who would be excellent "back-office" staff for Cookson & UCI.

i agree with dr mas, schenk doesn't need to be appointed.
cookson could insist on a yearly external review of uci's book keeping by transparency international. that would set quite the example for other sports bodies.

 

[skippy]

MORE sense coming from UCI Aigle :

http://t.co/mMBy7AAXk8

Median Rule change for Womens Cycling , treats them as EQUALS of Men !

 

[thehog]

MORE sense coming from UCI Aigle :

http://t.co/mMBy7AAXk8

Median Rule change for Womens Cycling , treats them as EQUALS of Men !

For me the insanity continues.

Perhaps cleaning up the passport is better time and money spent?

The UCI has appealed for Sylvain Georges’ six-month suspension for his positive test for heptaminol to be extended to two years. Georges was fired by his Ag2r-La Mondiale team and handed a six-month ban by the French Cycling Federation when he returned a positive test for the stimulant at this year’s Giro d’Italia.

Georges blamed his positive test on his use of the non-prescription medicine Ginkor Fort, which is used to treat varicose veins. The FFC ruled on his case in July, but the UCI has since appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, asking for Georges to be handed the maximum possible suspension.

“A six-month suspension was already hard, even though I’m conscious that the FFC took into the consideration the particular nature of the case made by my lawyer,” Georges said in a statement on Tuesday. “But the UCI appealing, that I do not understand. It’s over-zealous. Even though it’s their right to appeal, their motivation is beyond me.

“What is the UCI looking for? I’ve already paid very dearly for my negligence, which was already recognised as such. Now the UCI is asking for a two-year ban. That’s the maximum sentence, the same as a cheat who uses EPO, amphetamines or nandrolone. I’m outraged to be placed in the same bracket as a rider who tested positive for worse substances.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-wants-georges-ban-extended-to-two-years

 

[Benotti69]

It would appear Cookson has not called off the Swiss Lawyers from pursuing Kimmage.

Paul Kimmage ‏@PaulKimmage 2h

For the record: I am still receiving letters from Reymond & Associes, the solicitors acting for the UCI, Verbruggen and McQuaid. I presume..

...@BrianCooksonUCI that you're aware that tab is still running. And that you'll be handing that bill to Verbruggen and McQuaid?

Wonder how long it will take Cooskson to call of the Swiss dobermans?