Interesting Article on USA Cycling

[DirtyWorks]

Can anyone explain where this "Northern California Cycling Foundation" organization fits in? It's another of Weisel's - he's even on their jerseys.

Guys with too much money? The site looks untouched since 2008. But, according to this blog, they are still handing money out. http://teamspecializedracing.blogspot.com/

The NCCF has been fortunate enough to have extensive product support from Specialized Bicycle Company, Rudy Project, SRAM components, and Cytosport as well as cash donations from USA Cycling, the Fast Freddie Foundation, Mick Hellman, Thomas Weisel, Russell Hirsch as well as many other individual contributors.

You have to give Thom some credit. The cycling federation he controls sends money and he throws a few quid in the pot personally too. He's throwing a little money down a hole from every angle. Funding teams, hiring doping doctors, trying to stop anti-doping sanctions. Busy guy!

 

[TrackCynic]

It might be untouched since 2008 but it has just started sponsoring a Specialized junior team. I guess Thom wants a new hero on who he can hang his hat. Someone warn these kids!!!

 

[Fausto's Schnauzer]

Typical, Steve Johnson is pathetic and of course, as DZNutz stated, what else is he going to say at this point in his life/career?? Just deny deny deny....

 

[DirtyWorks]

It might be untouched since 2008 but it has just started sponsoring a Specialized junior team. I guess Thom wants a new hero on who he can hang his hat. Someone warn these kids!!!

Thom's wanted another Armstrong even when the Armstrong fraud was on full-steam. This was made clear all the way down to regional reps.

They got thiiiiis close (imagine two fingers really close together) with mini-Phinney. Mini Phinney was a fantastic story. Elite cycling parents, Dad with tragic disease. FightDisease123.com/.org non-profit awareness for mini Phinney. It was all there and Phinney wouldn't sign up.

Sadly, some in the clinic have no problem with the Hincapie development team. This one isn't much different.

 

[RobbieCanuck]

Sadly, some in the clinic have no problem with the Hincapie development team. This one isn't much different.

I have a problem with any development team run by a cheating, lying, serial doper. One would have thought that if such a doper was going to establish a development team, their website would publicly and prominently denounce doping. One would have thought!

At the minimum some statement that the team supports clean cycling.

Not so in the case of the Hincapie Development Team. A review of their website shows nothing to indicate a commitment to clean cycling.

I wonder how much money George is making off these guys?

 

[mewmewmew13]

I have a problem with any development team run by a cheating, lying, serial doper. One would have thought that if such a doper was going to establish a development team, their website would publicly and prominently denounce doping. One would have thought!

At the minimum some statement that the team supports clean cycling.

Not so in the case of the Hincapie Development Team. A review of their website shows nothing to indicate a commitment to clean cycling.

I wonder how much money George is making off these guys?

Like Axel merckx and the Trek development team?

 

[DirtyWorks]

I wonder how much money George is making off these guys?

Mostly Just the opposite. It's a hobby and expensed as advertising for the other hobby, the clothing line.

I'm very idealistic so it's easy for me to be critical.
Others less so and grateful for the funds because there is so little money and interest in the sport. That's a legitimate view.

 

[mewmewmew13]

i rmember LeMond saying not too long ago that if he had a young son atm he would not want him to go into cycling..

sad it's like that..

 

[eporesis]

I don't see how you could run the sport if you purged every ex-doper and enabler, but people like Hincapie, Johnson, A Merckx, Weisel (named in this thread) should be kept away from the development side, where, conversely, they tend to hide because of the low level of scrutiny and the positive PR. We need to see more actions like replacing Crawford with Mercier. I just don't know how we can change the culture of CoS and the Champions Club. With the UCI, it was the loss of credibility which finally toppled HvB and PMcQ, maybe the same will work with USAC which looks to be driven by the money they can pull in from the devo donors.

 

[Fortyninefourteen]

Like Axel merckx and the Trek development team?

Axel not so smart and got played into it when Lance needed as many props as possible. The Merckx name was the eye candy. The development team was the philanthropy.

Fast forward I bet Axel is a little nervous at the moment, because his involvement with Ferrari has been established but is not widespread knowledge yet.....

 

[DirtyWorks]

USAC which looks to be driven by the money they can pull in from the devo donors.

Thom's done brilliant work in this area.

USAC has a guaranteed revenue stream from its monopoly operations and the USOC. But, there are strings attached to most of the funds.

So Thom creates the USACDF. It has three seats on USAC's board. Basically a majority voting block. Remember, USAC members cannot vote their BOD in/out. So, basically Thom grants USAC BOD seats controlling USAC by proxy.

Now comes the really cool part. USACDF is an independent organization. It has no affiliation with USOC and total authority over USAC. Thom's free to run cycling with none of the messy regulations that came with USAC and whatever USOC requirements exist. On top of that, USACDF funds "athlete development." What is that process? Nobody knows.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I don't see how you could run the sport if you purged every ex-doper and enabler

There are plenty of people in cycling that rode clean, had unspectacular careers as elites because they wouldn't dope.

There is such thing as sports administrators interested in some kind of transparent sports federation too. http://www.stanford.edu/~learnest/cyclops/

It's that none of them are welcome at USAC or the UCI.

 

[Race Radio]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/what-did-usa-cycling-know-of-doping-before-armstrong-investigation

Steve Johnson and USAC ignored multiple direct witnesses of doping USPS

Cyclingnews contacted USADA and asked them if USA Cycling had been supportive during the investigation and whether they handed over any information upon request. It took over 24 hours but USADA finally responded with a flat "no comment at this time".

Sometimes silence screams

 

[sniper]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/what-did-usa-cycling-know-of-doping-before-armstrong-investigation

Steve Johnson and USAC ignored multiple direct witnesses of doping USPS

Sometimes silence screams

not sure if it has been discussed already, but any ideas on why johnson supported cooksons candidacy, not mcquaids?
merely to save face?
Do cookson and johnson go through one door?

 

[DirtyWorks]

not sure if it has been discussed already, but any ideas on why johnson supported cooksons candidacy, not mcquaids?

To be clear, what little evidence there is suggests Johnson takes orders from Thom Wiesel.

That decision to back Cookson was made very early. You might not recall it was Mike Plant, Wiesel's cohort, shopping the mysterious dossier of McQuaid offenses to voters during the election.

Why exactly did Wiesel support Cookson? I don't know. A good guess includes when Verbruggen ('never never never ever') finally gave up defending Wonderboy.

FWIW, Mike Plant got a promotion out of Cookson's election.

I totally missed the fact Frankie was on the BOD at USAC when he confessed. This is how bad the doping is at the BOD level of USAC.

It's nice to see CN finally putting a story together that includes the federation's complicity.

 

[sniper]

To be clear, what little evidence there is suggests Johnson takes orders from Thom Wiesel.

That decision to back Cookson was made very early. You might not recall it was Mike Plant, Wiesel's cohort, shopping the mysterious dossier of McQuaid offenses to voters during the election.

Why exactly did Wiesel support Cookson? I don't know. A good guess includes when Verbruggen ('never never never ever') finally gave up defending Wonderboy.

FWIW, Mike Plant got a promotion out of Cookson's election.

tanx dw.
Intriguing.
cookson seems rather compromised.

 

[sniper]

It's nice to see CN finally putting a story together that includes the federation's complicity.

Agreed. Who,d have guessed, with walsh sold out, and kimmage sort of disconnected, cn slowly move to the forefront of antidoping reporting. Lets hope they keep it up.

 

[DirtyWorks]

tanx dw.
Intriguing.
cookson seems rather compromised.

Well, but this is the structure of the UCI though. It's a federation of federations that protects itself and reports to no one. Elections are very much a quid pro quo affair.

Don't expect too much from Cookson.

 

[Benotti69]

Well, but this is the structure of the UCI though. It's a federation of federations that protects itself and reports to no one. Elections are very much a quid pro quo affair.

Don't expect too much from Cookson.

After Cookson allowing Sky to conduct their own investigation into their own rider over a WADA test anomaly one does not expect anything from Cookson re anti-doping.

 

[Race Radio]

Ugh.....not another Sky highjacking

by the time the reasoned decision came out there was a big rift between McQuaid and Armstrong. When Pat said "There is no place for Lance Armstrong in cycling" it was game on. Lance would have supported anyone over Pat. Much of the McQuaid Dossier info came from Lance and Johan.

Lance is a bitter loser and Pat was the easiest target

 

[Granville57]

by the time the reasoned decision came out there was a big rift between McQuaid and Armstrong. When Pat said "There is no place for Lance Armstrong in cycling" it was game on. Lance would have supported anyone over Pat. Much of the McQuaid Dossier info came from Lance and Johan.

And Johan was quoted as saying, very specifically, about McQauid and the above quote, "He shouldn't have said that."

You could practically hear the cylinder spin...

 

[Beech Mtn]

To be clear, what little evidence there is suggests Johnson takes orders from Thom Wiesel.

That decision to back Cookson was made very early. You might not recall it was Mike Plant, Wiesel's cohort, shopping the mysterious dossier of McQuaid offenses to voters during the election.

Why exactly did Wiesel support Cookson? I don't know. A good guess includes when Verbruggen ('never never never ever') finally gave up defending Wonderboy.

FWIW, Mike Plant got a promotion out of Cookson's election.

I totally missed the fact Frankie was on the BOD at USAC when he confessed. This is how bad the doping is at the BOD level of USAC.

It's nice to see CN finally putting a story together that includes the federation's complicity.

Some new broadcasting business for the sport, in place of the earlier breakaway league. Financed partly by Weisel. Which is going to be a problem if ASO cuts them off at the pass by buying all the important races.

That's my crackpot hypothesis and I'm sticking to it.

 

[RobbieCanuck]

Well, but this is the structure of the UCI though. It's a federation of federations that protects itself and reports to no one. Elections are very much a quid pro quo affair.

Don't expect too much from Cookson.

Doesn't USOC have any influence over a National Governing Body in the US such as USAC or is this only in respect of what cyclists are named to the Olympic team every four years? Otherwise does USOC stay away from the business of NGBs?

 

[Ruby60]

A couple of years ago a user named "Dimspace" posted a graphic flow chart showing all the ties to the "players" involved with USA Cycling. It is very detailed and seems complete. Take a look and see how all the names mentioned in this thread are connected.
You'll find it here: http://www.cyclismas.com/biscuits/lance-armstrongs-business-links-a-flowchart-by-dimspace/

 

[DirtyWorks]

Doesn't USOC have any influence over a National Governing Body in the US such as USAC or is this only in respect of what cyclists are named to the Olympic team every four years? Otherwise does USOC stay away from the business of NGBs?

Good question and I don't have an answer. You'd think they would want to protect the Olympic brand, but beneath the veneer, there are quite a few people the equivalent of Thom and Lance across sports federations.

Worst recent case I read about was a weight lifting federation (not U.S.) resigning en-mass due to doping controversy.

Let's say we get lucky and there are mass resignations. USAC members cannot elect board members. Members cannot vote legislation to VOTE for board members. Thom Wiesel controls three seats through USACDF and he and his pals appoint the other seats. Thom wins! It's impressive.