ASO "Participation Contract"

iainf72

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id= ... feb28news2

Second article.

Is this like the thing the riders signed last year? Who wants to start the first rumour of dopage?

Kléber

As Prudhomme says, races like Paris-Nice need protection. If a new scandal undermines it, the sponsors involved won't be back. Too many events are disappearing off the calendar already. Remember the Midi Libre stage race? The Henninger Turm?

The ASO contract implies that if a rider is involved in a doping story, they leave the race. Presumably they'll be paid in full by their employer and will be able to train in full, so it is a move to protect the image of the event with little damage to the rights of the rider.

Salsiccia

Kléber wrote:

The ASO contract implies that if a rider is involved in a doping story, they leave the race. Presumably they'll be paid in full by their employer and will be able to train in full, so it is a move to protect the image of the event with little damage to the rights of the rider.

But you can see some teams using that as a pretext for getting rid of a rider.

Without meaning to sound melodramatic, this ASO v. UCI thing could end the sport of road cycling as a serious entity. What sponsor is going to want to go anywhere near it at the moment?

dulldave

What sponsor is going to want to go anywhere near it without some serious changes. McQuaid is totally out of line. He's just throwing toys around now because he tried to pull rank.

I laughed when I saw this in McQuaid's letter

"ASO would also be able to decide which people the teams could invite to the race (article 4.1)."

Only days after he was defending the Tour of California's right to do exactly this.

vermooten

dulldave wrote:

What sponsor is going to want to go anywhere near it without some serious changes. McQuaid is totally out of line. He's just throwing toys around now because he tried to pull rank.

This seems to put the finger on McQuaid's problem as a leader. He's trying to get his way using his position as head of the UCI, rather trying to get them on-side through persuasion - which is what effective leaders so.

"There will be grave consequences for the French Federation, for teams and for riders if Paris-Nice takes place with a full field outside of the UCI regulations and structure..."

Hopefully those are grave consequences for his position in the UCI. Does he want to be known as the man who created a great schism in cycling?