Mercury & the UCI

[Benotti69]

That's the UCI's side of things. But for an organization with no obligation to be transparent, who's to say that the guarantee didn't go into McQuaid's villa on Lake Como?

i think these federations should be dragged out of Switzerland and into the EU, where there is a level of transparency that can be achieved through the courts if the federation refuses to play ball. The EU government should demand it otherwise they should be forbidden to operate in the EU.

 

[Granville57]

This just put up by cyclocosm
http://bit.ly/gxF2EU

“I have given order to our legal department to take the tone of your approach into account when it comes to following up on your request”

That, to me, is the most disturbing part of the document. What does the tone of anything have to do with legality of it? It's an open admission that he is deliberately interfering with the process...the legal process!

Also, do we have any info on how Chris Horner made out from any of this? I haven't heard anything about any resolution on his part.

Although Floyd mentioned most of this in his book, it really does seem to establish a contentious relationship long before Floyd could even be considered a Tour contender. I somehow doubt he endeared himself to anyone in power in the years following.

 

[mtb Dad]

Terrible. They're above the law and they know it. We need a publication like the WSJ to really delve into this, but even then it wouldn't change anything. Those inside cycling have known how the UCI operates for years and haven't done anything about it, that won't change now.

Stranger things have happened. The US federal government is about to indict one of it' s society's heros.

It really only takes a 20 people in each national federation to publicly (ie. send aletter and copy it to a cycling publication) ask their president to push the UCI take a stronger stand on doping, and to open up the electoral process to scrutiny. (see the National delegates thread)

 

[BotanyBay]

i think these federations should be dragged out of Switzerland and into the EU, where there is a level of transparency that can be achieved through the courts if the federation refuses to play ball. The EU government should demand it otherwise they should be forbidden to operate in the EU.

+1.

But it'd be easier to start all over again.

 

[Benotti69]

+1.

But it'd be easier to start all over again.

for sure, new people and all head offices based in Brussels.

 

[richardp]

It would seem easier to start again.

From the UCI articles:

DISSOLUTION
Article 86
1. The UCI shall be established for an indefinite period.
2. The issue of its dissolution shall be decided only by an extraordinary Congress.
3. The Management Committee shall convene the extraordinary Congress to deliberate on the possible dissolution of the UCI, either at the written request of at least one fifth of the federations or pursuant to a decision taken from among its members by a majority of two thirds of the
votes.
4. The Congress must represent at least two thirds of the voting delegates at the time of the voting. Dissolution shall be decided by a majority of two thirds of the votes cast.

 

[mtb Dad]

Hence, no matter what, he will not answer these kinds of questions. And his being in Switzerland, he knows that there is nothing that anyone can do about it. He leads a legal monopoly with virtually no chance of being investigated or prosecuted by anyone.

Agree. Maybe write to this Swiss politician who wants to reform their laws that shield corrupt federations?

Swiss Sports Minister Ueli Maurer, who also heads the defence ministry, has asked Federal Sports Office officials to re-examine the issue of corruption in sport over the next six months.

“Together with the justice ministry, the existing legal framework in Switzerland will be checked,” Martin Bühler, defence ministry spokesman, told swissinfo.ch.
.....

Jean-Loup Chappelet, an expert on the management of sports organisations at the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration in Lausanne, said he was “very surprised” that sports organisations were not subject to Swiss anti-corruption laws.

“The federal authorities don’t have the means to check what goes on inside federations; the legal base is very light,” he told swissinfo.ch.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Fifa_scandal_prompts_anti-graft_law_review.html?cid=28629854

Maurer contact through his department:
http://www.vbs.admin.ch/internet/vbs/de/home/departement/adresse.author.contactform.html

5-10 people writing would be a lot.

Reform at the UCI is not (and never will be) an option. Period.

I mean this in the most respectful way, but you're very wrong. The IOC created WADA in response to Festina, and the WADA code dragged the UCI kicking and screaming into the modern world of anti-doping. This was big. Verbruggen protested all the way, but it got rid of the 10 min penalty, the shape-shifting banned list, and eventually the broadcast notice of controls (aka WATCH OUT, THERE'S CONTROLS, BETTER QUIT THE RACE!!! (NUDGE NUDGE).)

That's not to say that the UCI can't be rendered irrelevant. It can be. Cyclists only need the UCI for access to the Olympic games, and this is where we have power. The Olympics are a corrupt farce too. A mere novelty. Sort of like the "NFL's Pro Bowl" or the NBA All-Star game.

See above. Corrupt or not, the IOC created WADA and it had the single greatest effect on doping in cycling. How about a few letters to the IOC ethics commission?

SECRETARY OF THE ETHICS COMMISSION

Pâquerette GIRARD ZAPPELLI

ADDRESS
Villa du Centenaire
Avenue de l'Elysée 28
1006 Lausanne
Switzerland
Fax : +41 21 621 63 81

It receives complaints sent by either members of the Olympic family (particularly members of the IOC, National Olympic Committees, International or National Federations, participants in the Olympic Games) or by any person concerned by a breach of the rules of Olympic ethics.

 

[mtb Dad]

i think these federations should be dragged out of Switzerland and into the EU, where there is a level of transparency that can be achieved through the courts if the federation refuses to play ball. The EU government should demand it otherwise they should be forbidden to operate in the EU.

Personally, I'd like to see the UCI move into the L'Equipe building in Paris. It would save so much time.

Or just support the swiss efforts to shine a light on sport federations there.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Fifa_scandal_prompts_anti-graft_law_review.html?cid=28629854

 

[BotanyBay]

Why should I have to solve the political inadequacies of a foreign nation? They (Switzerland) are known (worldwide) as the place that financial criminals go to hide their money. The UCI went there for a reason, as did the IOC and so many other sports federations.

While Don Quixote fights the windmills, I'd rather focus on what's next in cycling.

The IOC created WADA in response to Festina, and the WADA code dragged the UCI kicking and screaming into the modern world of anti-doping. This was big. Verbruggen protested all the way, but it got rid of the 10 min penalty, the shape-shifting banned list, and eventually the broadcast notice of controls (aka WATCH OUT, THERE'S CONTROLS, BETTER QUIT THE RACE!!! (NUDGE NUDGE).)

The ToC, UCI and USADA just proved you wrong. They just announced that race's upcoming controls. Nudge, nudge.

The UCI is like dealing with a 3 year old child who is acting-up. Ignore the behavior. Don't give it audience. Make them irrelevant. LEAVE PAT BEHIND with Lance.

And forget the IOC. Ever since professionals were allowed to compete, the games became a farce for so many sports (cycling included). Let's go back to amateur cycling in the Olys. Or, better yet, forget them too. The IOC is as corrupt as the UCI. Hein's working for them right now!

 

[flyor64]

Just unbelievable. Nothing of substance to add other than I´m disgusted as well...

(and I want to subscribe )

 

[Lanark]

+1.

What it needs is a concerted effort by ASO, AIGCP and WADA to tell the UCI to go play with themselves and form a breakaway series. It might be light on races for a couple of years depending on the contractual and political position between organisers (other than ASO), national bodies and the UCI, but it needs to be done.

The sad thing is, it won't be.

Never gonna happen. The ASO have stopped being the morality police, the only thing their new management cares about is making as much money as possible, there is no money to be made organising cycling. After Pound left, WADA and UCI have been closer than ever. AICGP has no power at all.

The only possible change is from within. The IOC is probably more corrupt than the UCI, and Verbruggen and McQuaid are members, WADA seems to work pretty well with the UCI nowadays, nobody else has to power or interest to change the UCI. Maybe there are still some people like Sylvia Schenk within the UCI that can cause some (gradual) change, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

If any change is to come then it will from the sponsors.

The bottomline is money. The UCI covers up doping because it brings in money. They will screw races and teams to make more money. The press will be silent because it needs the money that hits, sales etc bring.

It is going to take a serious number of sponsors turning to the UCI and saying 'we will not continue to sponsor this sport unless you reform'. Only then will the issues be taken seriously.

 

[webvan]

Heinie appearing under his true light...and not afraid to put it in writing...It would be interesting to hear what his minion, Dirk McQuickly ahas to say about that!

H : Pssst Dirk, time to hit the road running, get LA on the phone, we need his private jet...shall we say Yemen ? Careful the guy over there is listening...

 

[BotanyBay]

Apparently some of you think that because I add a bit of humor to help illustrate my posts with images, that I do not take the topic of doping seriously enough.

Wow, that's the first time anyone ever said I was not serious enough. I'm often criticized outside of this place for taking it TOO seriously.

Please don't follow-up with a reply here, but if you think I need to stop, please kindly send me a PM.

 

[BroDeal]

Not a good week for CN.

The sad thing is that all the interesting reporting is coming from sources other than CN, VN, etc. How hard would it have been for someone at CN to read the Landis interview and contact a few people from Team Mercury? If Horner was selling stuff at a garage sale to pay his bills, other riders and staff must have been in a similar situation. Some of them must have tried to get their money from the bank guarantee. A lot of them, maybe most, are out of cycling so they have no reason not to talk. Instead we get the info from small fry blogs that only get read when a juicy link gets passed around.

 

[BotanyBay]

The sad thing is that all the interesting reporting is coming from sources other than CN, VN, etc. How hard would it have been for someone at CN to read the Landis interview and contact a few people from Team Mercury? If Horner was selling stuff at a garage sale to pay his bills, other riders and staff must have been in a similar situation. Some of them must have tried to get their money from the bank guarantee. A lot of them, maybe most, are out of cycling so they have no reason not to talk. Instead we get the info from small fry blogs that only get read when a juicy link gets passed around.

The interesting thing is that this was all completely out in the open back when it happened. There literally is nothing new here. Not at all. But since the UCI is so literally beyond any reproach, we can still look back at it and shake our heads in utter amazement. It still blows me away, and I'd seen all of those documents long ago.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

The sad thing is that all the interesting reporting is coming from sources other than CN, VN, etc. How hard would it have been for someone at CN to read the Landis interview and contact a few people from Team Mercury? If Horner was selling stuff at a garage sale to pay his bills, other riders and staff must have been in a similar situation. Some of them must have tried to get their money from the bank guarantee. A lot of them, maybe most, are out of cycling so they have no reason not to talk. Instead we get the info from small fry blogs that only get read when a juicy link gets passed around.

Those very same bloggers who McQuaid attacked and CN gleefully covered.

All of the big investigative work has been done by bloggers and forumites. Not by the cycling media journalists. The 'big' stories have come from SI, ESPN, WSJ - not normal cycling sites. About the only 'traditional' newspaper to come out of the EPO era with any credibility is the Times/Sunday Times thanks to Walsh and Kimmage.

It was NYVC who IMO really got the ball rolling with the Ashenden interview a while back and who have continued to go where the mainsteam media has refused to go.

Where as a journalist would never dare point out Wiggins' double standards and hypocrisy, the forums are all over it like a rash - which upsets Bradley - and hence the name calling.

Mind you Landis has been bad news for CN and VN, afterall, we learnt thanks to Landis that a VN editor is a cokehead and CN is a joke.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

I'm not at all surprised that the 'alternative press' is the one coming up with anything insightful or informative.

About twenty years ago, at a big international games, I was approached by a couple of journalists from two nation-wide papers. They started out the interview by saying, "You must be really happy to be competing in cycling, since it's such a clean sport". They based this on the fact that cycling actually tests its athletes.

I sort of looked at them ironically, laughed, and said 'yeah, right'. This resulted in a lengthy interview that went over years of information regarding the UCI and national federations, tests kept quiet, ineffective testing, and how rife doping was known to be within the sport.

The end result? Neither paper published the interview...

 

[BotanyBay]

I'm not at all surprised that the 'alternative press' is the one coming up with anything insightful or informative.

About twenty years ago, at a big international games, I was approached by a couple of journalists from two nation-wide papers. They started out the interview by saying, "You must be really happy to be competing in cycling, since it's such a clean sport". They based this on the fact that cycling actually tests its athletes.

I sort of looked at them ironically, laughed, and said 'yeah, right'. This resulted in a lengthy interview that went over years of information regarding the UCI and national federations, tests kept quiet, ineffective testing, and how rife doping was known to be within the sport.

The end result? Neither paper published the interview...

Reminds me of a conversation I had with my co's prez back in the 90's. He found out that I'd raced and was very eager to talk about who I'd raced with, as he was just starting out. And then he asked me if I'd ever ridden with "certain individuals"... And then he asked me about doping and if I also thought it was overblown. And so I told him the way it was, how they did it, etc. He didn't want to talk about bike racing with me ever again. I pooped on the party.

 

[Anonymous]

Those very same bloggers who McQuaid attacked and CN gleefully covered.

All of the big investigative work has been done by bloggers and forumites. Not by the cycling media journalists.

Youve got to wonder if all the bloggers and alternative sites and forums closed down for a week if there would be any news at all.

 

[goober]

Conclusive proof that FLandis does indeed have credibilty.
Exactly what he claimed in the Kimmage transcript.

Hein, too busy lining his own wallet to be bothered with a few thou
owed to flat broke riders.
His attitude is both appalling and predictable.

So if Landis says "My Name Is Floyd Landis" there is now conclusive proof he has credibility? I don't think anyone has ever questioned Floyd's credibility when it comes to this story about getting paid by bank quarantee via UCI...

 

[Dr. Maserati]

So if Landis says "My Name Is Floyd Landis" there is now conclusive proof he has credibility? I don't think anyone has ever questioned Floyd's credibility when it comes to this story about getting paid by bank quarantee via UCI...

No the credibility comes from the fact it shows he had to wait 3 years to be paid and you have to suck up to Hein to get him to do his job.

It shows Hein as being pathetic and petty and that he actually does not care about the riders he is supposed to be protecting.

 

[goober]

No the credibility comes from the fact it shows he had to wait 3 years to be paid and you have to suck up to Hein to get him to do his job.

It shows Hein as being pathetic and petty and that he actually does not care about the riders he is supposed to be protecting.

I still don't see how that relates to credibility. Oh well.

 

[MacRoadie]

I don't think anyone has ever questioned Floyd's credibility when it comes to this story about getting paid by bank quarantee via UCI...

Except maybe this guy:

McQuaid: There has never been corruption in the UCI

"All we can do and I've said it before is that the UCI can only work within the regulations. We don't have the liberty that journalists and bloggers have. We have to work within legal frameworks and the rules."

The Verbruggen letters would suggest quite the opposite.

 

[sniper]

I still don't see how that relates to credibility. Oh well.

trust me. you forgot to take off your blinders.