Month: March 2008

The 66th Paris-Nice stage race began today under a dark cloud of accusations, counter-accusations and threats. Despite that, great racing is expected.

Today’s Prologue was taken by Thor Hushovd.

For those of you wondering, here is a list of teams that started today’s race, despite the threats by the UCI:

Crédit Agricole
Team CSC
Slipstream Chipotle
Liquigas
Team Milram
Bouygues Telecom
Quick Step
Caisse d’Epargne
Française des Jeux
Euskaltel-Euskadi
Gerolsteiner
Ag2r
Silence-Lotto
Cofidis
Rabobank
High Road
Agritubel
Skil-Shimano
Lampre
Saunier Duval-Scott

(Lausanne, 7 March 2008 – Court of Arbitration for Sport) The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected the request for provisional and conservatory measures filed by the International Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT), by seven professional cycling teams (Quickstep, Rabobank, Liquigas, Milram, Silence-Lotto, CSC and Suanier-Duval) as well as the Cyclistes Professionnels AssociÈsî (CPA).

A request for arbitration had been filed with the CAS on 5 March 2008 requesting that the CAS declare illegal or abusive the injunction preventing the teams from participating in the Paris-Nice race, under the threat of their own suspension, or that of their professional cyclists. The request was directed against the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). Moreover, the claimants sought a provisional authorisation from the CAS to participate in the 2008 Paris-Nice race without prejudice of the full examination of the legal or abusive character of the decision taken by the UCI to prevent the teams from competing in the race.

The UCI and the ASO both submitted that the CAS was not competent to decide this dispute.

The CAS decision taken today concerns only the request for provisional measures. The claimants have the possibility of continuing this arbitration procedure and requesting that the issue of jurisdiction be examined again by a panel of CAS arbitrators. However, such a procedure would take several days in order to respect the deadlines set out in the Code of Sports-related Arbitration.

The CAS Secretary General, Matthieu Reeb, has affirmed that the CAS remains at the disposal of all the parties concerned, should they require it, to find a solution to this dispute, by means of arbitration or mediation, either immediately or at another time convenient to the parties.

(March 7, 2008, Lausanne – From the UCI) The International Cycling Union (UCI) decided today to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the French Cycling Federation (FFC) and its President, Mr Jean Pitallier, on the grounds that they colluded in effecting the withdrawal of Paris-Nice from the regulatory framework of the UCI, when there was no reason why the race should not have been held under the aegis of the UCI as an event on the international calendar. By so doing, the FFC and Mr J. Pitallier betrayed their obligations of loyalty towards the UCI and the entire cycling community.

Further to the comments recently made about the UCI ProTour by Mr Eric Boyer, President of the International Association of Professional Cycling Groups (AIGCP), the UCI wrote today to Mr Boyer asking for his resignation from the UCI ProTour Council.

The UCI has also decided to open disciplinary proceedings against Mr Boyer. The grounds for the complaint are that he encouraged members of the AIGCP to contravene the UCI rules by asking them to take part in Paris-Nice when the event is not on the UCI calendar, which means that member teams of the AIGCP are not entitled to take part in the race.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has received a request for arbitration from the International Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) filed against the UCI and ASO

(Lausanne, 6 March 2008 – From the Court of Arbitration for Sport) The International Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) and several teams from the UCI Pro Tour filed a request for arbitration during the afternoon of 5 March 2008 with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) requesting that the CAS declare illegal or abusive the injunction preventing the teams from participating in the Paris-Nice race, under the threat of their own suspension, or that of their professional cyclists. The request is directed against the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). Moreover, the claimants are seeking a provisional authorisation from the CAS to participate in the 2008 Paris-Nice race without prejudice of the full examination of the legal or abusive character of the decision taken by the UCI to prevent the teams from competing in the race.

The CAS informed all the parties concerned that an arbitration hearing could take place on 7 March 2008 on the condition that all the parties agreed to accept the jurisdiction of the CAS to decide the case in question. However, neither the UCI nor the ASO have accepted the jurisdiction of the CAS to decide this dispute.

In these circumstances, the CAS must rule during the day of 7 March 2008 on its competence to decide this dispute and, if necessary, on the request for provisional measures filed by the claimants.

Here is USA Cycling’s take on the Paris-Nice situation. Note that I added emphasis to a portion at the end. I did this, because this is precisely the sentiment I have felt when thinking about this all week.

Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 4, 2008 – from USA Cycling)–After several days of highly-publicized reports in the media regarding the upcoming Paris-Nice cycling race, USA Cycling Chief Executive Officer Steve Johnson issued the following statement Tuesday afternoon:

“We are very concerned by the recent movement of certain professional cycling events away from the established international organization of the sport. While we agree that the ProTour in its current structure should be revisited, we join the European Cycling Union in asking the French Cycling Federation to respect the established regulations of the sport, and implore all parties to return to the bargaining table to seek an acceptable solution in the best interest of professional cycling.

The decision to place Paris-Nice on the FFC national calendar is effectively forcing riders to break the recognized rules that govern professional cycling; placing them at risk for penalties and suspensions that could ultimately affect their participation in the 2008 Olympic Games and World Championships.

Of additional concern to USA Cycling is the fact that the removal of professional cycling events from the UCI calendar, and engaging the AFLD for doping control, is a move away from the WADA based international anti-doping process and the UCI’s state-of-the-art biological passport program. This is clearly a step backwards with regard to anti-doping efforts in professional cycling.

Finally, we are convinced that if cycling continues down this path it will only serve to create additional instability and uncertainty in our sport at a time when it most desperately needs some level of sensibility. Professional cycling cannot survive without teams, and teams cannot survive without sponsors; many teams are in renewal talks with their current sponsors, and many others are actively seeking new sponsorships. Anything less than a united front with regard to the international organization of professional cycling presents an additional obstacle in all of our efforts to attract the sponsors our sport needs to grow and flourish.”

Update to last night’s podcast . . . here are the web sites where you can sign the petitions to tell ASO to let Levi, Alberto and Team Astana defend the 2008 Tour de France:

Let Levi Ride!

¡Contador Al Tour!

Sign the petition and let them know how you feel. If you are inclined to send a personal note to the ASO leadership in addition to signing the petitions, please use the email links below:

ASO Competition Director Christian Prudhomme

ASO Press