Like many I saw Contador struggling in the final straight whilst his team mate Vinokourov powered a small group to the finish line. “What’s Russian for traitor” I wondered. But I was wrong. It turns out Contador punctured towards the end of the race but he won’t lose any time. Indeed Vinokourov driving to the … Read more
There’s some confusion over the UCI rules regarding bike changes. There’s nothing really new today for the cobbled stage. In short, wheel changes are allowed from support staff but for the whole bike, it has to come from the team car. Here’s the rule in full detail from the UCI rule book: 2.3.029 Technical supportRiders … Read more
It might seem odd to talk about cyclo-cross in the middle of the European summer but there’s a good rule change: disc brakes will be allowed. Legalize my Cannondale Disc brakes replaced cantilevers on mountain bikes many, many years ago. But it’s only now that the UCI has got round to allowing discs for cyclo-cross … Read more
There mere mention of the UCI can cause anxiety amongst some reads but this time, trust me, relax and read on… Here’s some good news that both interesting and encouraging: the UCI has a development cycling team The organisation’s HQ in Switzerland is not just an office building but labelled the “Centre Mondial du Cyclisme“, … Read more
Here’s a screenshot of the UCI’s rulebook, online at UCI.ch. Note rule 1.3.010 was introduced in 2005. Propulsion from any source other than your legs is banned. Does motorised doping exist? Yes, it is possible the technology is out there. But is it being used in the pro peloton? Well there are only rumours and … Read more
Does the bio passport work? This is actually a question suitable for a doctorate thesis. So instead I’ll keep it concise, have a look at this statement from the UCI: “Once a rider is included in the biological passport program, it will become impossible for him to escape detection if he uses blood or steroid … Read more
“You have to consider the year, 2002, there were no accusations against Armstrong” So said UCI President Pat McQuaid the other day, when discussing why the apparent donation from Armstrong was not viewed as controversial or created a conflict of interest. The story keeps changing Only in 2000 the French judicial system was already chasing … Read more
There’s plenty of debate on the internet regarding the donation of money apparently made by Lance Armstrong to the UCI. Every time I read or hear an account of this it seems the sum involved changes and the timing is unknown too. All this would be avoidable if the UCI published its accounts. It already … Read more
Cyclismag has picked up on the apparent scoop by Spanish website velofutur.es, where details of the revised UCI Pro Tour appear to have been leaked. Who leaked them and what’s their agenda? That’s for another day. Since my French is better than my Spanish, what follows is derived from cyclismag.com. The TeamsNo more four year … Read more
It’s hard to know where to begin with the Landis emails. So I’ll take a look at the UCI, since most people are concentrating on Landis, the emails and the others named in them.For me, the UCI is part of the problem here. Whereas a governing body should aim to be beyond reproach, many get … Read more