Lance Armstrong is making news. The American believe that the UCI President, Brian Cookson, has not delivered on his campaign promises taking over the International Cycling Union (UCI). Indeed, before his election, he promised to do it after the L.A. doping case.
"If McQuaid had made the same decisions Cookson has made in his first year, he would have been lynched," said the Texan according to BBC. "Do we like what we have got so far?" He explained also that some decisions are not very good to restore its reputation. He cited the decisions to rush through Team Sky’s request for Chris Froome to get emergency steroid treatment for asthma after the Tour de Romandie’s prologue and of course the Astana case. Armstrong said that "everybody thinks" Astana should have been thrown out, but he accepted that Cookson's hands might have been tied by the UCI's rules.
"The Boss" has talked to the Circ, the Cycling Independent Reform Commission twice. But any decision on reducing his suspension. He is very disappointed that his peers have not been compelled to talk to Circ. "If I'm Brian Cookson, I would make it a deal point that you have to come in and talk. So if Riis doesn't talk to you, or Vinokourov doesn't, there should be consequences. I don't know those to be examples, but I can imagine. If you don't come in to talk, you don't just get passed."
Armstrong is also surprised by Britain’s takeover. He added that the UCI is far more conciliatory to the British riders. "I'm sorry, and I completely agree that because of the timing of things, it is down to me," he said.
"[Usada's reasoned decision] comes out after the Tour in 2012, so it's logical that in 2013 there's going to be a lot of questions. Especially in a year when Chris Froome performs exceptionally. Look, Froome won the Tour in 2013, that's 14 years after 1999. If in 1999 I was asked questions about the 1985 winner of the Tour de France, I'd be like 'What are you talking about? Why are you asking me about the mid-80s?'
"But the story was so relevant to people. When this went down, people were left with the impression, in 2012, that I was hanging blood bags six months earlier. That's not the case.
"So I feel bad for those guys, they shouldn't have been put in that position. I'm not sure why they were put in a position to answer 15-year-old questions, but it's unfortunate for all of us, especially for them."
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Jeroen KREGEL 39 years | today |
Fabian HOLZMEIER 37 years | today |
Shinpei FUKUDA 37 years | today |
Jon-Anders BEKKEN 26 years | today |
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