Category: News Page 5 of 6

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

Last year, the UCI was threatening ASO for not inviting all 20 ProTour teams to Paris-Nice. You may remember that French law didn’t allow the sponsorship of professional sports teams by wagering organizations (shh . . . don’t mention the Lotto team).

In actuality, most people believed that the real reason for ASO’s decision had more to do with their ongoing with the UCI than some arcane French law about where you place your bets. Whatever the reason, as a result of that controversy, the ASO decided to put Paris-Nice on the French national racing calendar.

Well guess who’s upset again this year?

Ten points if you mentioned a certain former Irish professional cyclist who now runs the world governing body for cycling.

So now, in addition to the UCI’s Pat McQuaid being upset with ASO for their unilateral decision to uninvite Team Astana from participating in the 2008 Tour de France, now McQuaid is rattling his saber over the ‘nationalization’ of Paris-Nice.

Here’s the press release sent out today by the UCI:

Read More

As if yesterday’s story about the driver who laughed about killing a cyclist wasn’t enough, here’s today’s bit of unbelievable news: A Spanish driver is suing the family of a cyclist whom he hit and killed. To add insult to injury (literally), the driver said, “I’m also a victim in all of this, you can’t fix the lad’s problems, but you can fix mine.”

Lots of listeners sent me the same story today. It concerns Melissa Arrington, a woman convicted of negligent homicide in the death of cyclist Paul L’Ecuyer. In a jail house phone call, she can be heard laughing and joking about the death of the cyclist. As a result, she received a sentence of 10-1/2 years in jail. Good for the judge!

A video report of the story can be found here.

From listener Daniel, here is the response received to his complaints about the recent Matthew Parris article:

Dear Daniel

As you may know, the PCC received a large number of complaints about the Matthew Parris article about which you recently raised concerns.

The Commission has now assessed whether the article in question, headlined “What’s smug and deserves to be decapitated”, breached the terms of the Code of Practice (which can be seen on our website at www.pcc.org.uk). While it acknowledged the deep concerns that many readers had about the piece, the Commission’s decision was that there was no breach of the Code and a full explanation is enclosed. Please let me know if you would like further clarification of the reasons for the Commission’s decision.

Although the Commission has come to this view, we will be writing to the editor of the Times to let him know the scale of complaints we received about Mr Parris’ column.

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which your complaint has been handled – as opposed to the Commission’s decision itself – you should write within one month to the independent Charter Commissioner, whose details can be found on our website.

Thank you for taking this matter up with us.

Yours sincerely

Patrick Evenden
patrick.evenden@pcc.org.uk
Administration Manager

The full explanation mentioned above can be found here (Adobe Acrobat document).

So . . . what do you think?

Earlier today the Amgen Tour of California announced the teams that will be participating in this year’s event. The 650-mile, eight-day stage race, modeled after the Tour de France and considered to be the most important and popular race held on U.S. soil, will take the world’s top professional cycling teams from Palo Alto-Stanford University to Pasadena from February 17-24.

This year’s Tour of California teams are:

• Astana (LUX)
• Bissell Pro Cycling Team (USA)
• BMC Racing Team (USA)
• Bouygues Telecom (FRA)
• Crédit Agricole (FRA)
• Gerolsteiner (GER)
• Health Net Presented by Maxxis (USA)
• High Road Sports (GER)
• Jelly Belly Cycling Team (USA)
• Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast (USA)
• Quick Step (BEL)
• Rabobank Cycling Team (Netherlands)
• Rock Racing (USA)
• Saunier Duval-Scott (ESP)
• Team CSC (DEN)
• Team Slipstream Powered by Chipotle (USA)

According to Carlton Reid of QuickRelease.tv, Matthew Parris’s hateful pile of vitriol is now on track to have more complaints lodged with the Press Complaints Commission than the most complained about story of 2007. And 2008 is only days old.

In addition, reports Carlton, the Commission is still considering whether to file charges against Parris.

Karma rocks, doesn’t it?