McQuaid / Beijing / The Letter / Velocast

iainf72

Surprised no one has posted this one yet

http://velocastcc.squarespace.com/comme ... e-uci.html

suspectdevice

Damning for the UCI if proven true, like the posters on the velocast site said "Publish the letter or be Damned"

Wonder how this will affect the Landis UCI spat that is going on, if tue it will vindicate Landis (Shock Horror).

How will cycling ever move on when the this is going on at the highest level of the sports governing body, it really does make you ask the question "What else can be going on that we don't know about"??????

Sad sad day for cycling and damn McQuade if these allegations are true.

Rant over, off out on the bike now.... :x :x :x

RichN95.

I tend to be suspicious of reports which say that they have seen a letter which proves something, but doesn't show us that letter or even quote directly from it, but instead summarizes it and tells us what our opinion should be.

iainf72

Scott just posted an update about why there is no letter. But it sounds like we might see something, and seeing as lawyers are involved, they're treading carefully.

ddraver

Sad to say, nothing surprises me about the UCI now...

I would have said before I read that, that they were already as close to corruption as it was possible to be without actually exchanging money so this is only a tiny step further.

OffTheBackAdam

A governing body, leans on teams to further the governing body's interests?
Sounds like football.

Tusher

And just when you think it can't get any worse, it does.
I don't particularly follow mountain biking, but I do tend to listen to that section on the Velo Club DonLogan. What they had to say last time about RockyRoad taking over title sponsorship for peanuts was alarming, esp as no-one had ever heard of them .

Doobz

Worth a look - some lulz (gotta open image in a new window or tab.. Stupid BR widths)

ddraver

Tusher wrote:

And just when you think it can't get any worse, it does.
I don't particularly follow mountain biking, but I do tend to listen to that section on the Velo Club DonLogan. What they had to say last time about RockyRoad taking over title sponsorship for peanuts was alarming, esp as no-one had ever heard of them .

I was talking to someone closely involved in elite level XC. The UCI couldnt give a monkeys about mountain biking. On the other hand it does mean they leave it largely alone - which is probably a good thing!

afx237vi

RichN95 wrote:

I tend to be suspicious of reports which say that they have seen a letter which proves something, but doesn't show us that letter or even quote directly from it, but instead summarizes it and tells us what our opinion should be.

Kinda like the phantom receipt for the Sysmex machine...

Salsiccia

Doobz wrote:

Worth a look - some lulz (gotta open image in a new window or tab.. Stupid BR widths)

That is brilliant.

Kléber

The cartoons are funny but the real story here is not. The idea of the UCI going direct to sponsors with warnings is shocking stuff, it's like the Olympics saying they'll get the United Nations to sanction a country that doesn't send a full team to the winter games.

dougzz

Come on people this is reality. As a country we pick and choose which totalitarian regimes we deal with, Saudi yes, China yes, Libya no. What the UCI did was flex it's muscle to get what it wanted. Seriously shocking? You need to get out more. I'm not saying it's right, but it's hardly surprising. I bet there's a whole lot more to come, it's just a question of whether we ever really find out the truth. Compared to FIFA the UCI are rank amateurs.

dave_1

dougzz wrote:

Come on people this is reality. As a country we pick and choose which totalitarian regimes we deal with, Saudi yes, China yes, Libya no. What the UCI did was flex it's muscle to get what it wanted. Seriously shocking? You need to get out more. I'm not saying it's right, but it's hardly surprising. I bet there's a whole lot more to come, it's just a question of whether we ever really find out the truth. Compared to FIFA the UCI are rank amateurs.

Agree with you on that Dougzz..don't wish to kick off a separate Beijing thread if people are not so interested ..the forum is hardly packed with Tour of Beijing comment from what I see..some cracking scenery in this race, very exotic and much more photogenic than some bland events we get treated to. Glad millions of Chinese will see the race and might get on a bike and that the Chinese millionaires, billionaires who catch sight of it might want their name on TV so sponsor in years to come..the European peloton is also a bit too white too, needs more people from other continents involved in the racing.

smithy21

I don't think the Chinese need much persuasion to get on a bike do they. Millions of bikes out there.

Kléber

Great to see the race spreading around the world. But we won't get new sponsors in the sport if the UCI thinks it's normal to scare them with undue threats.

verylonglegs

smithy21 wrote:

I don't think the Chinese need much persuasion to get on a bike do they. Millions of bikes out there.

Was thinking the same, it's the only method of transport they can afford.

BikingBernie

verylonglegs wrote:

smithy21 wrote:

I don't think the Chinese need much persuasion to get on a bike do they. Millions of bikes out there.

Was thinking the same, it's the only method of transport they can afford.

Times are a changing in China, if you hadn't noticed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/b ... raffic-jam

According to the IMF, Taiwan (Republic of China, but don't tell the Tiawanese), has a gross capita income higher than that of the UK, at $35,604 per year as opposed to $35,059 for the UK.

Anyhow, the following pretty much confirms that the threats were sent out;

Cyclingnews has obtained letters that show that the UCI attempted to pressurise team sponsors.

Cyclingnews contacted the UCI for comment.

In an email a UCI press officer said he had talked to the President Pat McQuaid, who said, "This subject is closed as far as UCI is concerned the UCI does not wish to comment."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-den ... of-beijing

dougzz

Bernie you know that using Taiwan for a discussion on China is BS. That's the sort of twisted statistics thing governments do.

emadden

BikingBernie wrote:

Taiwan (Republic of China, but don't tell the Tiawanese)..

Bernie, Taiwan is known as the Republic of China ("ROC"). Dont confuse that with the distinct sovereign nation of Peoples Republic of China ("PRC" or "China").

verylonglegs

I found it to be a rather bizarre response, the article also says only 1 in 16 Chinese owns a car, quite how this was meant to disprove what I said I really don't know.

BikingBernie

emadden wrote:

BikingBernie wrote:

Taiwan (Republic of China, but don't tell the Tiawanese)..

Bernie, Taiwan is known as the Republic of China ("ROC"). Dont confuse that with the distinct sovereign nation of Peoples Republic of China ("PRC" or "China").

I am well aware of the distinction you make, especially given that a large proportion of the students I teach come from China and Taiwan. Admittedly, I could have worded things better. All my Chinese students believe that Taiwan is a part of the PRC, and the Taiwanese believe otherwise. As you know, most nations, including the UK and USA, regard Taiwan to be a part of the PRC and do not maintain separate diplomatic relations with Taiwan / the Republic of China. Not even the UN accepts a Permanent Representative from the ROC, holding that Taiwan is represented by the Representatives from the PRC.

BikingBernie

verylonglegs wrote:

I found it to be a rather bizarre response, the article also says only 1 in 16 Chinese owns a car, quite how this was meant to disprove what I said I really don't know.

You said that the bike was 'the only method of transport they can afford'. I pointed out that things are changing in China. As the article notes, last year alone 13.8 million new passenger cars were registered in China and the levels of car ownership in China are rocketing towards a totally unsustainable level.

It all brings to mind this page.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php ... ew&id=3034

sherer

I do wonder if the UCI really understands the sport they govern or the sponsors involved in it.

Trying to make cycling a global sport is all well and good but unfortunately the teams in the world tour are all back by small, local, or regional companies.

Lotto are the Belgium lottery
Radioshack are only really in America
Europcar are just European
Euskaltel or just regional Basque companies etc.

Forces these teams to go all over the world means nothing to the sponsors and as far as I know the only income the teams would get out of this would be in winnings from stages, overall

RichN95.

sherer wrote:

I do wonder if the UCI really understands the sport they govern or the sponsors involved in it.

Trying to make cycling a global sport is all well and good but unfortunately the teams in the world tour are all back by small, local, or regional companies.

Lotto are the Belgium lottery
Radioshack are only really in America
Europcar are just European
Euskaltel or just regional Basque companies etc.

Forces these teams to go all over the world means nothing to the sponsors and as far as I know the only income the teams would get out of this would be in winnings from stages, overall

I might suggest that they understand the sport fairly well and more importantly the global sports market. They realise that the sport can't grow and compete in the sports market if they remain solely in the the traditional countries and rely on Dutch caravan holidays , Italian sheet metal and Belgian flooring, then the sport will fade away.

They want to attract big multi-national companies and those sort of companies want exposure outside the Eurozone, which is being financial held together by the one country that has turned its back on cycling. Look at where the investors in the Premier League are coming from - UAE, America, Russia, India, China. The same for F1. There not coming from bloody Belgium.


(PS Europcar are a massive company with branches in nearly 150 countries)

itisaboutthebike

Pat Mctwat.........................prize plonker. Doing more damage to the sport than ..........................

The team managers ought to call hios bluff and create a breakaway Pro Tour. Or go on strike to get rid of him.

The f*****n bafoon.

emadden

BikingBernie wrote:

emadden wrote:

BikingBernie wrote:

Taiwan (Republic of China, but don't tell the Tiawanese)..

Bernie, Taiwan is known as the Republic of China ("ROC"). Dont confuse that with the distinct sovereign nation of Peoples Republic of China ("PRC" or "China").

I am well aware of the distinction you make, especially given that a large proportion of the students I teach come from China and Taiwan. Admittedly, I could have worded things better. All my Chinese students believe that Taiwan is a part of the PRC, and the Taiwanese believe otherwise. As you know, most nations, including the UK and USA, regard Taiwan to be a part of the PRC and do not maintain separate diplomatic relations with Taiwan / the Republic of China. Not even the UN accepts a Permanent Representative from the ROC, holding that Taiwan is represented by the Representatives from the PRC.

Probably an inappropriate place to have a political discussion but I guess Bernie you've not been to the ROC or understand what the "ROC" claim is? Yes it is true that most countries do not formally recognise the ROC as a standalone independant nation but there are a number of silly political reasons for that which do not detract from the the de facto separate status of the country.
Firstly, the ROC claim of territoriality extends not only over the island of formosa (i.e. Taiwan) but all of mainland China too. Silly I know. But that claim to territory over the mainland means that ROC will not be accepted by the UN

Secondly, the US, UK and other countries will not officially recognise ROC oit of fear of China. Reasons are obvious

On the other hand, the US, UK most EU countries (from the West) fully identify with Taiwan as a separate country and treat it as such without going the extra step to formally recognising it. Even US and UK recognise the ROC passport and have distinct internal government policis for their "diplomatic relations" with those countries. The US funds half of the Taiwanese military!
So bottom line, Taiwan is not China and China is not Taiwan. And of course PRC students will call Taiwan as part of their country... you do know what the media and propaganda is like in China? On the other hand, Taiwanese students (who come from a democratic country) know both sides of the issue.

Rant over :-) (I am a champion of Taiwan given the superbe cycling that can be done there, the fantastic people and the amazing food )

dave_1

sherer wrote:

I do wonder if the UCI really understands the sport they govern or the sponsors involved in it.

Trying to make cycling a global sport is all well and good but unfortunately the teams in the world tour are all back by small, local, or regional companies.

Lotto are the Belgium lottery
Radioshack are only really in America
Europcar are just European
Euskaltel or just regional Basque companies etc.

Forces these teams to go all over the world means nothing to the sponsors and as far as I know the only income the teams would get out of this would be in winnings from stages, overall

you sound certain this event will not attract Chinese sponsors into pro cycling teams in future. A bit myopic no?

ddraver

The point is not about getting sponsors from China or anywhere else, the point is that the governing body thinks that threatening sponsors (from anywhere).

Is this a good way to attract new sponsors ? Typical UCI, taking a half decent idea and totally f**king it up by doing loads of stupid things!

emadden

Dave_1 wrote:

sherer wrote:

I do wonder if the UCI really understands the sport they govern or the sponsors involved in it.

Trying to make cycling a global sport is all well and good but unfortunately the teams in the world tour are all back by small, local, or regional companies.

Lotto are the Belgium lottery
Radioshack are only really in America
Europcar are just European
Euskaltel or just regional Basque companies etc.

Forces these teams to go all over the world means nothing to the sponsors and as far as I know the only income the teams would get out of this would be in winnings from stages, overall

you sound certain this event will not attract Chinese sponsors into pro cycling teams in future. A bit myopic no?

Believe it or not Sherer - a large number of leading Euriopean sponsors ARE in China. Europcar is just one example - its not just a European brand.


I also agree with you Dave - you just have to take a look at the likes of Lenovo to realise that Chinese sponsors are getting in the game. As more and more Chinese brands become global, they will also look at ways to advertise in Erurope and elsewhere and cycling is one avenue

dave_1

emadden wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

sherer wrote:

I do wonder if the UCI really understands the sport they govern or the sponsors involved in it.

Trying to make cycling a global sport is all well and good but unfortunately the teams in the world tour are all back by small, local, or regional companies.

Lotto are the Belgium lottery
Radioshack are only really in America
Europcar are just European
Euskaltel or just regional Basque companies etc.

Forces these teams to go all over the world means nothing to the sponsors and as far as I know the only income the teams would get out of this would be in winnings from stages, overall

you sound certain this event will not attract Chinese sponsors into pro cycling teams in future. A bit myopic no?

Believe it or not Sherer - a large number of leading Euriopean sponsors ARE in China. Europcar is just one example - its not just a European brand.


I also agree with you Dave - you just have to take a look at the likes of Lenovo to realise that Chinese sponsors are getting in the game. As more and more Chinese brands become global, they will also look at ways to advertise in Erurope and elsewhere and cycling is one avenue

Yes, I admit I'm partial..lived years in Hong Kong and in Beijing 2 years back and so I like the people, the place, the culture, and I think it is great the sport gets taken there and the number of Chinese millionaires, carefree and maybe the types who would back a team in Europe.