After the decision made by Cycling Ireland members not to support UCI president Pat McQuaid’s nomination for another term in office, it appears that more and more former supporters of the Irishman are abandoning him. Yesterday, UCI Management Committee member Mike Plant publicly announced the end of his support.

On Friday the 14th of June, Plant presented a secret dossier at the UCI Management Committee’s meeting in Bergen, Norway. On this meeting, there may have been a vote of no confidence against McQuaid. The contents of the dossier are not known, and Plant has reiterated that he will not disclose it or the outcome of the management committee meeting: “I have been asked by a number of media outlets to provide information about our recent UCI Management Committee meeting and my actions during an executive session at the conclusion of the meeting yesterday, June 14th,” he said in a statement to CyclingNews. “Since that portion of the meeting was in a closed session of the members, I will not answer questions about what has transpired, however, I believe it is time to make my views public.”

The statement also said: “I can no longer support the current President of the UCI. In private discussions with the UCI President and fellow members of the UCI Management Committee, I have made my reasons, findings and concerns clear to him and my colleagues. This is a critical turning point in the history of our sport, and strong, credible leadership has never been more important. This isn't a time for self-interest; this is a time for doing what is in the best interest of the sport.”

Mike Plant has been a member of the UCI Management Committee from 1997 to 2004, and again since 2009. He has a long history in cycling and other sports: Plant participated in speed skating events at the 1980 Olympics, and later became involved in sports administration and promotion, being the organizer of US race Tour DuPont in the 1990s and having an instrumental role in getting the Tour of California off the ground.

Plant was the president of USA Cycling from 1995 to 2002, as well as a member of the board of directors of the US Olympic Committee (2004-2010), among other roles. He also has business links to Lance Armstrong and Jim Ochowicz, the current general manager of BMC Racing Team, with all of them investing in a Ugandan gold mine owned by cycling commentator Paul Sherwen in the early 2000s.