Cookson is worse for cycling than McQuaid

[thehog]

Brailsford was running rings around Cookson at British Cycling and is doing he same now he is president of the UCI. Change is long overdue.

 

[mrhender]

Cookson basically vanished from the scene after the Kreuziger case went bad on him. Since then it has been my perception, that he retracted from close to all antidoping commentary/statements. When is the last time we saw him taking interviews in this regard?

 

[ontheroad]

https://cyclingtips.com/2017/07/interview-uci-presidential-candidate-lappartient-aims-ramp-fight-hidden-motors/

I don't know if Lappartient is the answer but I'm certain he is 100% better than Brailsford's dogsbody. If Cookson manages to get another 4 years then the believability of the sport really will be a lost cause. There has been no leadership from Cookson whatsoever, Dodged the media and failed to comment all winter on the BC/Sky debacle, yet the minute Lappartienty threw his hat in the ring he suddenly found his voice again. Lappartient has showed more in the way of communication skills and outlining his plans than Cookson ever did.

The Cookson/Brailsford/sky cartel is much too cosy, smacks of cronyism and badly needs breaking up. I suspect that Brailsford's future will be bleak if Cookson fails to get re-elected.

The motor issue is possibly the most prevalent threat to the integrity of the sport and I'm glad that Lappartient has shown a willingness to address it in a public statement. It's reassuring that he hasn't pretended that it doesn't exist.Meanwhile Cookson went against the advice of French police when testing for motors at last years tour and is happy to continue with the charade of waving ipads about for the cameras with no real intention of actually clamping down on the problem.

 

[mrhender]

I dont think Cookson/UCI is too unhappy with all the focus on motors. It is a convenient break/disturbance from focus on the various more traditional ways of cheating, some highligted in CIRC and completely ignored. It is much easier with motor theories as they are generally still in flat earth dismissal category.

 

[sniper]

Cookson who oversaw the appointment of bike engineer Dimitris Katsanis at BC in 2001.
The same Katsanis - founding member of the Secret Squirrels - who designed Millar's 2003 worlds TT bike and all GB track bikes ever since.
The same Katsanis appointed by Cookson as technical advisor of the UCI in 2013.
The same Katsanis who designed GB Track's "magic wheels".
Cookson's reign over UK cycling was simultaneous to Mark Barfield's reign over UK triathlon.
The same Barfield appointed by Cookson as technical director in 2014.
The same Barfield who tipped off Harry Gibbings - CEO of Typhoon e-bike manufacturer - when the French police were investigating.
The same Harry Gibbings who David Millar had been intimate friends with since the mid-90s.
The same David Millar whose 2003 worlds TT can't be explained without a motor.
The same David Millar who got caught in Biarritz in 2004, allegedly for a few vials of EPO, with Brailsford there knowing nothing (but how did the French police know?)
Biarritz, where Millar and Gibbings used to hang out together pre-2004.
Millar, whose sister is both Brailsfords (ex?)girlfriend and head of Winning Behaviours at Team Sky.

No, I don't think Cookson is happy with the focus on motors.

 

[mrhender]

I think if Cookson was feeling the heat on the motor issue they would simply send a message by taking out a meduim size team/rider in the gilloutine. A la Kreuziger. But then again didnt go so well there - and he may be to incompetent at all to do so. And it does imply risk to acknowledge moto doping in the highest level, but the alternative, having authorities/journos/hacks come first could be even more disastrous. I dont know.

 

[Fergoose]

Re:

Cookson who oversaw the appointment of bike engineer Dimitris Katsanis at BC in 2001.
The same Katsanis - founding member of the Secret Squirrels - who designed Millar's 2003 worlds TT bike and all GB track bikes ever since.
The same Katsanis appointed by Cookson as technical advisor of the UCI in 2013.
The same Katsanis who designed GB Track's "magic wheels".
Cookson's reign over UK cycling was simultaneous to Mark Barfield's reign over UK triathlon.
The same Barfield appointed by Cookson as technical director in 2014.
The same Barfield who tipped off Harry Gibbings - CEO of Typhoon e-bike manufacturer - when the French police were investigating.
The same Harry Gibbings who David Millar had been intimate friends with since the mid-90s.
The same David Millar whose 2003 worlds TT can't be explained without a motor.
The same David Millar who got caught in Biarritz in 2004, allegedly for a few vials of EPO, with Brailsford there knowing nothing (but how did the French police know?)
Biarritz, where Millar and Gibbings used to hang out together pre-2004.
Millar, whose sister is both Brailsfords (ex?)girlfriend and head of Winning Behaviours at Team Sky.

No, I don't think Cookson is happy with the focus on motors.

Cookson's finest achievement is in letting Uran, Porte, Cavendish and Rogers all take their moto-bikes with them when they left Sky to join new teams. He even gave Uran and Porte better models than their Sky versions. Moto-bikes spread throughout the peloton, all while averaging lower speeds in MTFs than ten years ago in 2007. Throwing people off the scent of truth by creating the charade of Sky completely outpaying rival teams to secure the services of confirmed GC leaders like Neive, Uran and Porte as mere Super domestiques. Genius!

In fairness, I think motors is an area we should take with some vigilance. I also think the sport in the U.K. is forever tarnished by having a proven doper in Davis Millar on the TV coverage. And Cooksons media presence is laughable, even in the U.K. But arguments that Sky are favoured and protected by Cookson while the likes of Valverde, Uran and Porte have their hands tied does not hold up to scrutiny.

 

[sniper]

Re: Re:

...
Cookson's finest achievement is in letting Uran, Porte, Cavendish and Rogers all take their moto-bikes with them when they left Sky to join new teams. He even gave Uran and Porte better models than their Sky versions. Moto-bikes spread throughout the peloton, all while averaging lower speeds in MTFs than ten years ago in 2007. Throwing people off the scent of truth by creating the charade of Sky completely outpaying rival teams to secure the services of confirmed GC leaders like Neive, Uran and Porte as mere Super domestiques. Genius!

The old "Tyler and Floyd became better after they left, hence USPS is clean" argument.
Gold!

 

[Fergoose]

Re: Re:

...
Cookson's finest achievement is in letting Uran, Porte, Cavendish and Rogers all take their moto-bikes with them when they left Sky to join new teams. He even gave Uran and Porte better models than their Sky versions. Moto-bikes spread throughout the peloton, all while averaging lower speeds in MTFs than ten years ago in 2007. Throwing people off the scent of truth by creating the charade of Sky completely outpaying rival teams to secure the services of confirmed GC leaders like Neive, Uran and Porte as mere Super domestiques. Genius!

The old "Tyler and Floyd became better after they left, hence USPS is clean" argument.
Gold!

Can't even muster an attempt at a factual rebuttal? Not even going to try and explain why Uran on a Sky bike is slower than when he is on a Cannondale one?

This sniper is firing blanks.

Conspiracy theorist completely incapable of dealing in logic? Gold!

Well, more like bronze really.

 

[thehog]

McQuaid sticks the boot into "fraud" Cookson:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mcquaid-calls-cookson-a-fraud-backs-lappartient-in-uci-elections/

McQuaid calls Cookson a ‘fraud’, backs Lappartient in UCI elections

 

[Benotti69]

McQuaid sticks the boot into "fraud" Cookson:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mcquaid-calls-cookson-a-fraud-backs-lappartient-in-uci-elections/

McQuaid calls Cookson a ‘fraud’, backs Lappartient in UCI elections

Let's hope Cookson sues as is the modus operandi of UCI Presidents :lol:

 

[Beech Mtn]

McQuaid sticks the boot into "fraud" Cookson:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mcquaid-calls-cookson-a-fraud-backs-lappartient-in-uci-elections/

McQuaid calls Cookson a ‘fraud’, backs Lappartient in UCI elections

Some of the comments on that article are pitiful. These fluffed-up, self-believing, "informed" cycling fans defending Cookson. Some people are so stupid they should be in protective care to keep them from accidentally harming themselves.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Some of the comments on that article are pitiful. These fluffed-up, self-believing, "informed" cycling fans defending Cookson. Some people are so stupid they should be in protective care to keep them from accidentally harming themselves.

Tho it pained me to do so, having seen the above comment I looked at the BTL offerings on CN's story. I was expecting replies in the treble digits and I was expecting them to be overwhelmingly supportive of Cookson. There was fifteen. I'll say that again: there was fifteen. Of those fifteen, I'd identify only five of them as supporting Cookson - one in three - and of those five only two of them show any level of thought. This is from one of them:

If the race organizations didn't have all the power, control the revenue, manage the broadcast rights and dictate who can and can't race then maybe Cookson might have had a chance. Unfortunately he's not a strong leader and can't break the stranglehold. Problem is - the culture that McQuaid and Verbruggen before him created consolidated all the power into the hands of a few and they are NOT letting go. Cookson isn't the right person for the position, but I don't see anyone waiting in the wings with the leadership experience to wrest control back.

 

[Robert5091]

The Old Guard are not amused ... and still fuming about losing. Gibbs was at UCI between 2007-2009 so I assume something happened then.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Some of the comments on that article are pitiful. These fluffed-up, self-believing, "informed" cycling fans defending Cookson. Some people are so stupid they should be in protective care to keep them from accidentally harming themselves.

Tho it pained me to do so, having seen the above comment I looked at the BTL offerings on CN's story. I was expecting replies in the treble digits and I was expecting them to be overwhelmingly supportive of Cookson. There was fifteen. I'll say that again: there was fifteen. Of those fifteen, I'd identify only five of them as supporting Cookson - one in three - and of those five only two of them show any level of thought. This is from one of them:

If the race organizations didn't have all the power, control the revenue, manage the broadcast rights and dictate who can and can't race then maybe Cookson might have had a chance. Unfortunately he's not a strong leader and can't break the stranglehold. Problem is - the culture that McQuaid and Verbruggen before him created consolidated all the power into the hands of a few and they are NOT letting go. Cookson isn't the right person for the position, but I don't see anyone waiting in the wings with the leadership experience to wrest control back.

So you can't read. Next time I'll bold the first word and put it in big letters.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Some of the comments on that article are pitiful. These fluffed-up, self-believing, "informed" cycling fans defending Cookson. Some people are so stupid they should be in protective care to keep them from accidentally harming themselves.

Tho it pained me to do so, having seen the above comment I looked at the BTL offerings on CN's story. I was expecting replies in the treble digits and I was expecting them to be overwhelmingly supportive of Cookson. There was fifteen. I'll say that again: there was fifteen. Of those fifteen, I'd identify only five of them as supporting Cookson - one in three - and of those five only two of them show any level of thought. This is from one of them:

If the race organizations didn't have all the power, control the revenue, manage the broadcast rights and dictate who can and can't race then maybe Cookson might have had a chance. Unfortunately he's not a strong leader and can't break the stranglehold. Problem is - the culture that McQuaid and Verbruggen before him created consolidated all the power into the hands of a few and they are NOT letting go. Cookson isn't the right person for the position, but I don't see anyone waiting in the wings with the leadership experience to wrest control back.

So you can't read. Next time I'll bold the first word and put it in big letters.

Some of the comments turned out to be one. Politely, that's beyond hyperbolics.

 

[sniper]

when Beech_mtn says "some", fmk is "expecting replies in the treble digits". Makes sense.

 

[thehog]

Re:

The Old Guard are not amused ... and still fuming about losing. Gibbs was at UCI between 2007-2009 so I assume something happened then.

Gibs was a basic empoyeee on 2007, he then went and joined a British Cycling for the Cookson reign. Cookson brought him back to basically run the show whilst he travelled the world taking selfies.

Gibs was not elected but runs the UCI for Sky and Brian.

 

[sniper]

Re: Re:

The Old Guard are not amused ... and still fuming about losing. Gibbs was at UCI between 2007-2009 so I assume something happened then.

Gibs was a basic empoyeee on 2007, he then went and joined a British Cycling for the Cookson reign. Cookson brought him back to basically run the show whilst he travelled the world taking selfies.

Gibs was not elected but runs the UCI for Sky and Brian.

Honest question: what is it why everyone believes Gibbs is pulling the strings? I've heard this repeated by different sources often enough, but I can't figure out where/when/how this consensus has its origins.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Re:

when Beech_mtn says "some", fmk is "expecting replies in the treble digits". Makes sense.

Given your native tongue is hyperbolics sniper I don't expect you to be able to understand some things.

 

[Robert5091]

Re: Re:

The Old Guard are not amused ... and still fuming about losing. Gibbs was at UCI between 2007-2009 so I assume something happened then.

Gibs was a basic empoyeee on 2007, he then went and joined a British Cycling for the Cookson reign. Cookson brought him back to basically run the show whilst he travelled the world taking selfies.

Gibs was not elected but runs the UCI for Sky and Brian.

Honest question: what is it why everyone believes Gibbs is pulling the strings? I've heard this repeated by different sources often enough, but I can't figure out where/when/how this consensus has its origins.

From June 2015 -
https://www.supersport.com/cycling/tour-de-france/news/150619/TdF_could_withdraw_from_UCI_calendar

The management committee has also been pushing for UCI president Brian Cookson to get rid of director general Martin Gibbs, who has been heavily criticised within the organisation, sources told Reuters.

More than 30 UCI collaborators have been sacked or have left since Cookson took over from Pat McQuaid in 2013.

Seems like Gibbs has been rubbing people the wrong way for a while.

 

[sniper]

cheers Rob, good find.

 

[Robert5091]

The purge of the Ethics Committee seems not to have gone down well - from July 2014

https://www.supersport.com/cycling/international/news/140715/UCI_boss_Cookson_under_fire_again

Shortly after Cookson was elected UCI president in Florence during a spectacular congress - - the Ethics Commission, the guardian of the ethical principles of the UCI's Code of Ethics, was subject to a major overhaul.

Dutchman Peter Zevenbergen, who brought up claims against Russian Igor Makarov, one of the biggest supporters of Cookson in his election campaign, was asked to leave his job, he claims.

"It is quite simple: the new management committee did not accept my criticism," Zevenbergen told Reuters on Tuesday.

Article 14 of the Code of Ethics of the UCI state that the members of the Ethics Commission "shall be irremovable", unless they die or resign.

"I think those who were in the congress meeting last year would have been disappointed with the performance of the Ethics Committee as it was represented, Cookson told reporters on Tuesday.

"I think that it was quite clear that we had to change. We have got a new ethics commission now, all the members of the commission have been renewed. People we have are of the highest quality."

Zevenbergen said that he received a visit from Martin Gibbs, the UCI director general, in late December, 2013, as the Ethics Commission was investigating claims that Russian federation president Makarov had promised one million euros ($1.36 million)to the Union Europenne de Cyclisme (UEC) in exchange for a Cookson vote.

"Martin Gibbs came to Amsterdam to discuss this with me on the 27th of December. I would not say he asked me to resign, there was some pressure, he said he did not want to continue with me.

"He said if I stayed, it (the Ethics Commission president job) would be an empty function.

"As a consequence Peter Barth from Germany resigned from the commission."

Sources told Reuters that Barth, who left his job in April, felt the independence of the Ethics Commission could not be guaranteed anymore.

 

[carton]

Is McQuaid actually trying to drum up support for Cookson? Why else is he saying these things to the press? I don't get it.

 

[sniper]

Interesting Rob. I do remember that one.
Major red flag for Cookson and Gibbs.
Par for the course for these guys.