Changes Cookson has implemented at UCI

[Tinman]

Even the journos that were coming clean have gone back to Omerta again.

 

[zigmeister]

^^oh...the irony!!!

 

[86TDFWinner]

Cookson losing the honeymoon momentum rapidly. Whatever appearance of cleaner, and hope for clean that there was shortly after his election, after the Giro is now well and truly gone again.

So much for Cookson "making change" once he took over for Phat Pat eh?

 

[Benotti69]

So much for Cookson "making change" once he took over for Phat Pat eh?

Was never going to happen. Cookson is a much better manager than McQuiad and I have a suspicion what the Commission into past doping is so Cookson has teams by the balls and has better control over the sport.

 

[thehog]

Was never going to happen. Cookson is a much better manager than McQuiad and I have a suspicion what the Commission into past doping is so Cookson has teams by the balls and has better control over the sport.

His original mandate if elected:

--

Revolutionise our approach to anti-doping:
• Completely independent anti-doping
• Seek immediate peace with WADA
• Pursue and punish the ‘doping enablers’

Embrace openness and transparency conflicts:
• Publish President’s remuneration and potential conflicts
• Independent investigation of allegations of UCI corruption
• End the UCI President acting as a de facto Chief Executive
• Clear separation between UCI governance and management
• Ensure riders are represented on UCI Board

Grow cycling worldwide:
• Establish an International Development Department
• Increase investment in World Cycling Centre programmes
• Potential to roll-out World Cycling Satellite Centres
• Grow cycling’s profile at the Olympic Games
• Share best practice to grow participation

Develop women’s cycling
• Create a Women’s Cycling Commission
• New events and broadcast initiatives for women riders
• Appoint at least one woman on every UCI Commission
• Introduce modern employment standards for women pro riders

 

[DirtyWorks]

So much for Cookson "making change" once he took over for Phat Pat eh?

I'm not sure what you are talking about.

-Cameras on bikes
-IOC/games administration.
-Making real headway on Women's cycling with ASO granting them an appearance on the last day of Le Tour. One day! It's a whole new sport for Women.
-a report "next year?" http://sport.ng.msn.com/world-sport/uci-dope-report-due-in-2015-1
-Sweet talking Alonso.
-Gutting the calendar and implementing more "reforms."
-Talking about fundamental access issues: http://road.cc/content/news/120449-...med-improving-conditions-cyclists-meets-first


There is plenty going on. Remember, the UCI reports to no one.

I will give Cookson some credit for at least talking about general access.

The international organization is merely an association of national cycling federations. Their goal is to make money and attract viewers during and outside the IOC's big show, the Olympics. That's it.

Off topic, I'm not sure how Cookson news is reported in MSN Nigeria, and not many other places.

 

[IndianCyclist]

So much for Cookson "making change" once he took over for Phat Pat eh?

Cookson's election was to stop the absurdity of McQuaid and his blunders especially w.r.t doping. As far as him making revolutionary changes, i donot think he will do so & anybody expecting so will most likely be disappointed. But to be fair to him much of the changes that he may be making are probably not public therefore unknown. For eg. the independent commission on past doping- what is happening there?
As far as cycling is concerned, it has gone from worse back to normal but to expect it to change to good would be like sun rising from the west.

 

[Berzin]

I would like to see-

The return of the World Cup. Give Classics riders back their contest.

No weight limits on bike frames/wheels/components as long as all teams/nations have access to the same equipment.

Put the World Championships back where it was on the calendar when it used to be competed by the top riders. No sprinter's courses.

Ban all race radios. Let the race be decided by the riders and a guy on a motorbike holding a blackboard with the time written in chalk.

 

[thehog]

Weight loss limit on riders and cameras on bikes.

 

[offbyone]

I would like to see-
No weight limits on bike frames/wheels/components as long as all teams/nations have access to the same equipment.

Ban all race radios. Let the race be decided by the riders and a guy on a motorbike holding a blackboard with the time written in chalk.

So you want them to embrace every technical advance possible for equipment, but ban the most obvious one. Kind of contradictory.

 

[Fagniniwins]

Bio passport sample data should also include rider weight measurements at the time of testing. Like strip-to-your-knickers-and-step-up measurements. Heck, make everyone who uses a power meter in a race share that data with the UCI, if not the general public.

So you want them to embrace every technical advance possible for equipment, but ban the most obvious one. Kind of contradictory.

You're right, but I like both of those suggestions. Anything that gives us slightly-less regimented leadout trains and more Betancur-Vaikkonen style victory celebrations after the stage has already been won has to be a good thing.

 

[King Boonen]

No weight limits on bike frames/wheels/components as long as all teams/nations have access to the same equipment.

Brilliant idea, you've just removed the largest pool of potential/actual sponsors available and killed professional cycling. Kudos.

 

[Catwhoorg]

I'm not sure what you are talking about.

-Making real headway on Women's cycling with ASO granting them an appearance on the last day of Le Tour. One day! It's a whole new sport for Women.

Women's Tour of Britain with equal prize pot to the mens Tour ?

He cannot change the landscape overnight, but he is pushing it in the right direction.

I would hope to see by the end of his tenure, the requirement that any WT team must also put out a top tier womens team.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Bio passport sample data should also include rider weight measurements at the time of testing. Like strip-to-your-knickers-and-step-up measurements. Heck, make everyone who uses a power meter in a race share that data with the UCI, if not the general public.



You're right, but I like both of those suggestions. Anything that gives us slightly-less regimented leadout trains and more Betancur-Vaikkonen style victory celebrations after the stage has already been won has to be a good thing.

The weight thing is a good idea.
Would be trivial to include a weigh-in any time an anti-doping sample is taken be it blood or urine.

There would have to be an acknowledgement that individual scales do vary, so I'm not sure how to use such data, but the power that be shoudl at least discuss this.

 

[Fagniniwins]

The weight thing is a good idea.
Would be trivial to include a weigh-in any time an anti-doping sample is taken be it blood or urine.

There would have to be an acknowledgement that individual scales do vary, so I'm not sure how to use such data, but the power that be shoudl at least discuss this.

We spend all this time guessing rider weights and power outputs to cobble together something resembling analysis. As these factors are integral to competing at a high level, historically manipulable, and easily measured, the governing body is in a position to demand this information for the good of the sport as a condition of competing in UCI events.

Yes, the riders etc. will cry murder, there are legal considerations, and the UCI are about as secure as Wiggo on a good day but accurate data points could be so, so valuable. Not just to highlight/discourage doping, either; all of the major sports, with the notable exception of baseball (which has its own PED issues to confront), are only just emerging from the dark ages of innumeracy. We have spent far too long in this PPG-assists-tackles purgatory. Cycling's collective and repetive nature lends itself to all kinds of analysis, and there are *so* many interesting numbers to parse if we had them.

It would be great if this kind of information were independently collected and collated for open criticism to any observer of a mind to do so. Public or even exclusively expert analysis of these numbers after the fact would render ridiculous JV-style declarations and stupid "clean cycling" bracelets moot. Don't ask us to believe you; show us your numbers and we'll talk. Sky's concerns that Froome's power data would be "misinterpreted by uninformed parties" or whatever is total peniswine. Even if a packfodder ProTour rider like Ted King posted his power files from every training ride, every race, every day along with his weight, HR, and so forth of his own accord, how much (more) would you respect him independent of his (non) results?

It is unlikely Cookson has the vision to see this or other honest attempts at openness as an opportunity or possesses the force of personality to persuade everyone else. This would require a sort of reverse-Verbruggen in charge (I dub him "Verbruggen Prime") , and based on what we have seen to date of Cookson, Verbruggen Prime he ain't.

So I won't be holding my breath for an official Cookson communique entitled "All your data are belong to us"

 

[DirtyWorks]

Women's Tour of Britain with equal prize pot to the mens Tour ?

He cannot change the landscape overnight, but he is pushing it in the right direction.

I would hope to see by the end of his tenure, the requirement that any WT team must also put out a top tier womens team.

The current arrangement is the WT squad qualifies them for high-ranking races, but most women (not all) self-finance, book, coordinate everything else. Sure, maybe there's some men's-sized team kit and the big-budget squads have a mechanic, but that's it.

The equal prize list as a requirement is probably the best start. The other thing that should be done is to make it easy to run an elite Women's and Men's event on the same day. The UCI race regulations actually discourage undercard events.

I would argue the ASO event is not as good for the Women's side of the sport as it seems.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Weight loss limit on riders

This might be tricky to implement, but an excellent idea.

Ban race radios at the highest ranking events. Enough of this running the breakaway down *exactly* in the last 5K or less.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Power files and accurate weight as part of a broader passport ?

*like*

Again interpretation would be difficult, but getting the data would be a huge step forward.

 

[offbyone]

You're right, but I like both of those suggestions. Anything that gives us slightly-less regimented leadout trains and more Betancur-Vaikkonen style victory celebrations after the stage has already been won has to be a good thing.

I agree that it would be nice but it seems unrealistic. The problem is that you have a situation where the riders are literally riding by fans who may all have more information than the riders by simply owning a smart phone. That doesn't seem right to me. There are too many ways to cheat this.

Also, while I like the excitement of it all, but there are also major downsides. Like mechanicals will always be taken advantage of simply because riders won't know the situation of their rivals. I also think in stage races that you might too commonly end up with a result where the strongest rider doesn't win because of lack of information. There is only so much that can be communicated via chalkboard.

If they could figure out some happy medium that would be ideal, but I can't think of it. I do enjoy the occasional race without radios.

 

[Fagniniwins]

I agree that it would be nice but it seems unrealistic. The problem is that you have a situation where the riders are literally riding by fans who may all have more information than the riders by simply owning a smart phone. That doesn't seem right to me. There are too many ways to cheat this.

Also, while I like the excitement of it all, but there are also major downsides. Like mechanicals will always be taken advantage of simply because riders won't know the situation of their rivals. I also think in stage races that you might too commonly end up with a result where the strongest rider doesn't win because of lack of information. There is only so much that can be communicated via chalkboard.

If they could figure out some happy medium that would be ideal, but I can't think of it. I do enjoy the occasional race without radios.

You could have every rider and team car connected by radio to the race officials, who communicate official directives and accommodate requests for mechanicals, medical treatment, and bidons.

Given RCS Sport's inability to coordinate its own media strategy on a given day, putting them or anyone else in charge of herding 200 riders and 40 team cars does seem unwise. Also, no radios seems to make for harder racing throughout the day because everyone is worried the break will go too far out. And the Quintanas could just claim that the earpiece wasn't working on the descent.

However, I am unnaturally drawn to the idea of Christian Prudhomme piping ASO propaganda into the ears of the peloton nonstop for 3 weeks and 3,500kms.

 

[Freddythefrog]

What happened to the info on the seized computers

Hell guys, what was it, Cookson stamped his foot as soon as the votes were counted and demanded that Pat hand over his laptop in at least 5 days time.

And then the A team pounced and seized all the still churning tape reels in the underground bunker beneath the passive facade of the UCI offices, just as the ICBM countdown was started.

Cookson promised that the hard drives would be analysed and all nefarious activities exposed.

So all these months later and nothing ! Not even an email from pat arranging a trip to meet some girls of ill repute at some dodgy night-club. And there was me salivating that all would be exposed (well I never thought so for a second - but it sounds better!).

What do we reckon ?

a) The depth and tentacles of the evil empire are so great that even now they are still working their way towards Angela Merkel and the Pope ?
b) The trail led to the dawg, Sir Festa and Sir Attitude and so somebody shouted - "look outside, there's a fire engine" and when they looking away the computer fell on the floor and broke.
c) In the long drawn out months before the election, all machines were wiped and re-wiped many months before the word document was written raising the order for the A team to be booked ?
d) Pat left a very rude message in the hard drive for Brain C and it upset him a lot.

What do you think ? Please add your suggestions. It is looking a little cold now.

 

[King Boonen]

I think investigations into years of goings on within an organisation take time. A lot of time. Lets at least wait for the Truth and Reconciliation report.

 

[Tinman]

I think investigations into years of goings on within an organisation take time. A lot of time. Lets at least wait for the Truth and Reconciliation report.

Agreed, but it's important to not lose momentum. Which is what is happening now.

The Pro cycling tour is a circus yet again with no-one in their right mind believing things are cleaner anymore. Which at least was the case 6-9 months ago. In fact it's a free for all. If you're not on it you won't win, and even the journo's have gone Omerta again.

What;s the timing on the T&R?

 

[King Boonen]

Agreed, but it's important to not lose momentum. Which is what is happening now.

The Pro cycling tour is a circus yet again with no-one in their right mind believing things are cleaner anymore. Which at least was the case 6-9 months ago. In fact it's a free for all. If you're not on it you won't win, and even the journo's have gone Omerta again.

What;s the timing on the T&R?

Definitely, but it can't be rushed. I'm willing to give them huge leeway on it considering how long Pat and Hein were in charge and the suspected corruption, but we do need to know that things are progressing.

For what it's worth I'm sure there was a report recently about people either being called to give evidence or volunteering to.

Afraid I don't know the timeline, did they even set a hard and fast one?

 

[King Boonen]

Agreed, but it's important to not lose momentum. Which is what is happening now.

The Pro cycling tour is a circus yet again with no-one in their right mind believing things are cleaner anymore. Which at least was the case 6-9 months ago. In fact it's a free for all. If you're not on it you won't win, and even the journo's have gone Omerta again.

What;s the timing on the T&R?

Definitely, but it can't be rushed. I'm willing to give them huge leeway on it considering how long Pat and Hein were in charge and the suspected corruption, but we do need to know that things are progressing.

For what it's worth I'm sure there was a report recently about people either being called to give evidence or volunteering to.

Afraid I don't know the timeline, did they even set a hard and fast one?