2008, an interesting year.
After at least four years of conflict between UCI (Verdrug'em & Pat) and ASO (lead by Patrice Clerc), Patrice Clerc is shown the door (fired). Jean-Etienne Amaury (son of ASO's founder) takes over citing 'disagreements' with Clerc as the reason. How's this for a disagreement:
Also, Clerc was interested in reintroducing national teams to the TdF in order to take some power away from the sponsors and UCI.
Not to mention, he was a furious opponent of Lance's comeback in 2009.
Commercial fail!
So, goobye Patrice.
So Amaury Jr. takes over and his plans are clear: globalize the TdF in cooperation with UCI and give UCI full control over antidoping.
I assume still in 2008 (with Pat hanging medals around BC riders' necks in Bejing and the uncooperative Clerc out of the way) plans were forged to produce a British TdF winner. In the same year in several interviews Brailsford announces his vision of a British TdF winner in the next five years.
ASO's new "zero antidoping policy" got some unexpected support from someone who dedicated his life to antidoping.
In case in 2012 the ASO had not yet understood how much money they could make by having a British winner, Sky made sure to point it out to them:
Here's a good 2012 interview with Patrice Clerc looking back at 2008 and expressing a sobering view of the current state of cycling:
.........
One of many things i'm asking is:
- perhaps Clerc's dismissal and Amaury taking over in 2008 represents the "truce" JV has spoken about so often?
All eyes in one direction from that point onwards?
- if previous question is answered positively, then what kind of a fluke was Contador's 2010 positive?
- how does the AFLD fit in? corrupt?
After at least four years of conflict between UCI (Verdrug'em & Pat) and ASO (lead by Patrice Clerc), Patrice Clerc is shown the door (fired). Jean-Etienne Amaury (son of ASO's founder) takes over citing 'disagreements' with Clerc as the reason. How's this for a disagreement:
It seems Clerc was genuinely interested in cleaning up cycling, and he saw that to achieve that, it was necessary to take distance from UCI.Clerc has called for the resignation of the president of the ICU, Pat McQuaid, and has attacked the governing body over the sport's doping crisis. "Perhaps they didn't feel the cataclysm was coming, in which case they have failed in their duty. Or else they saw it coming and hid the fact, which is irresponsible. Or else they caused it to rebuild on the remains on what was left, and that is criminal. In any case, the system has failed."
Kimmage: "I remember how animated and upset Patrice Clerc was in Pau in 2007 when Vinokourov tested positive. That was in the day when the ASO called press conferences and told journalists, "this is what is happening, we?re not happy with the UCI." I remember that being quite impressive and really having a sense that they were deeply upset at how doping was destroying their race, but I?ve had no sense of that since then. So that?s very discouraging."
Also, Clerc was interested in reintroducing national teams to the TdF in order to take some power away from the sponsors and UCI.
Not to mention, he was a furious opponent of Lance's comeback in 2009.
Commercial fail!
So, goobye Patrice.
That autumn, however, Armstrong announced his return to cycling: within weeks, progressive ASO president Patrice Clerc had been removed from his post and a rapprochement between the UCI and the ASO began in earnest.
So Amaury Jr. takes over and his plans are clear: globalize the TdF in cooperation with UCI and give UCI full control over antidoping.
I guess Contador's positive in 2010 should be seen as a administrative error.
I assume still in 2008 (with Pat hanging medals around BC riders' necks in Bejing and the uncooperative Clerc out of the way) plans were forged to produce a British TdF winner. In the same year in several interviews Brailsford announces his vision of a British TdF winner in the next five years.
ASO's new "zero antidoping policy" got some unexpected support from someone who dedicated his life to antidoping.
Vaughters, pres. of AIGCP in 2010 on meeting with ASO:
"we discussed how teams and ASO can be more co-operative in a business sense and quite frankly how to move cycling into the real world. Right now it?s not at the same level of professionalism as American football or European soccer. Bringing it just a step closer to being a real business with strong stakeholders, and a more defined system of how everything works in the sport would be my objective."
CN: What was the proposal that you put forward?
Vaughters: I shouldn?t get into specifics. It?s still confidential and it hasn?t been accepted by anyone - by the UCI or ASO - but it?s a proposal and I?ve talked to everyone from Bob Stapleton, to Patrick Lefevere, to Dave Brailsford and even smaller teams like Skil-Shimano, and they all see it at as a positive system. I think it?s a fair way forward, makes good business sense, but still keeps alive the traditions of the sport, and the big and small teams. But the specifics have to remain confidential for now.
In case in 2012 the ASO had not yet understood how much money they could make by having a British winner, Sky made sure to point it out to them:
The rest is history.Sky, at one of their bi-annual meetings, briefed the Tour de France organisers ASO about his precise training regime in Tenerife with his personal coach, Tim Kerrison, making a PowerPoint presentation. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...-slurs-as-Thibaut-Pinot-wins-stage-eight.html
Tour de France Heir [Amaury] Sees Benefit as Wiggins Win Expands Markets
Amaury Sport Organisation president says Britain is now world's top cycling nation
Here's a good 2012 interview with Patrice Clerc looking back at 2008 and expressing a sobering view of the current state of cycling:
Clerc: "During the Tour de France 2008, when we conducted with Pierre Bordry [former president of the French Agency for fight against doping] policy controls that bore fruit, the Amaury group decided to make peace with the UCI. It was a commercial decision. The company chose to change their stance regarding doping in deciding not to intervene in this sport policy to only take on the role, more comfortable, of the organizer. At that time, I clearly explained that we could not come to terms with the UCI, because it was beyond the pale. This is one of the reasons I got out the door of ASO.
...
Q: In the absence of ASO reaction, is the sports ministry to intervene?
Clerc: I do not think so because it is not a Franco-French issue. We need a revolution so that cycling gets out of this situation of permanent compromise of arrangements between small groups of friends.
....
Q: Rabobank leaves, Nike drops Armstrong, will the "revolution" happen through sponsors?
Clerc: Maybe the reaction will come from business partners or distributors. But I'm not sure. Because the success of the Tour is undeniable: the hearings are good, the papers abound in newspapers in July, local authorities are struggling to accommodate steps. And since 1998, the Festina affair, the Tour has survived many earthquakes. The fall of Armstrong is the last episode of the great drama of the Tour de France will celebrate its 100th edition! I fear that this revolution will never happen.
http://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article...olution_1779870_3242.html#uAM32iY8Y6lydLPb.99
.........
One of many things i'm asking is:
- perhaps Clerc's dismissal and Amaury taking over in 2008 represents the "truce" JV has spoken about so often?
All eyes in one direction from that point onwards?
- if previous question is answered positively, then what kind of a fluke was Contador's 2010 positive?
- how does the AFLD fit in? corrupt?