Verbruggen concedes defeat to Tour organisers

vermooten

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=re ... &type=lgns

whod've thunk it?

sing_for_absolution

“I lost, but it’s less my defeat than the defeat of cycling.”

Ah and this is from the man who did absolutely nothing about doping prior to the 1998 Festina scandal. :roll:

LangerDan

I'd believe nothing from Hein. While Leclerc will be congratulting himself on his victory, he won't have noticed that Verbguggeb and Pound have just bought ASO.

Kléber

sing_for_absolution wrote:

Ah and this is from the man who did absolutely nothing about doping prior to the 1998 Festina scandal. :roll:

Worse, he did nothing after either :roll:

ddraver

god he can whinge can't he.....

andy_wrx

I like the link !

sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-verbruggenc&prov=reuters&type=lgns

skavanagh.bikeradar

Verbruggen might be right about ASO, but the real issue is how the UCI mismanaged everything over so many years that ASO were able to get the upper hand at all. The man is an idiot. Although an idiot with a nice income, office, blazer and sycophants.

OffTheBackAdam

An obvious conclusion to this little episode, once the race organisors, especially when ASO organises so many of the top events, even leaving the TdF to one side, get together and tell the UCI where to stuff their dictatorial attitude, there was only going to be one winner.
As for McQuaid's pronunciations re WADA!
" .....argues that the UCI has to protect its name and reputation"
"It needs to go on record that the UCI never neglected its duty in terms of the fight against doping."
The name is "Mud" and has as for its reputation!

Kléber

The UCI can work properly, it is not all bad. The likes of Anne Gripper and others are doing a good job.

The looming court case with Pound, the spat with Boyer, the war with ASO. These, and other matters, demonstrate the paranoia within the UCI's senior management. Rather than sort out its own affairs, too often the UCI is lashing out at others, blaming them for problems in the sport.

But the reality is that the UCI has been part of the problem and the soon some realise that it hasn't done a good job when it comes to the ProTour and anti-doping, the better. The Pro Tour has been such a failure in its own right, think of the money spent developing it (UCI hired management consultants, lawyers and more) that you'd expect McQuaid to fall on his sword for this failure alone. Instead, he's blaming everyone else for the problems.

OFOAB

I would suggest this seriously damages UCI's capacity to influence the sport it is supposed to govern. Having picked this confrontation and lost it has demonstrated significant impotence in the face of challenge to its authority. In a sport with an already damaged credibility strong positive leadership is essential to reestablish a positive reputation. I believe the consensus view is that Verbruggen/McQuaid have neither the skills nor the perception to make this happen - but how do you engineer a radical shake up of an organisation that appears to pay no account to reality, the public perception and the true needs of the sport.