UCI v The Grand Tour Organisers

[-Adam-]

Just wondered where people stand on this one...

While i understand that both parties have perfectly legitimate cases, cant they just grow up!? or surely they should go to CAS, now, before paris-nice and the tirreno adriatico are ballsed up, thus putting a lot of riders in a very difficult situation.

Imagine if the surrey league was at logger heads with BC, and we werent allowed to race. it would suck!

Jean-René Bernaudeau of Bouygues Telecom:

And there are legal conditions which need to be taken into account. "If we can't race, we are forbidden to carry out our profession," he said. "Will the riders thus be technically on the dole? That would create a nice legal mess, and it wouldn't be wise of the UCI. Moreover, the UCI would not be very thankful of the fact that we have been paying a license for three years, without getting in return what it was supposed to bring. We have always encouraged the UCI to dialogue and to be constructive, but in this instance, it shows that it is rather totalitarian."

is this the end of pro cycling, before doping can really get the knife in!?

Im not sure where i stand on this one, but thought it would be interesting to gauge agreeable opinion on the matter...

cheers,

adam

[Andrew G]

My twopenneth:

Think I've got to back the UCI on this one. Don't agree with the way they run the sport in a lot of ways, but if you ignore the governing body what are you left with?

- GT organisers ignore the UCI then who can ride the events? ProTour contract says those teams/riders can't.

- If these teams/riders aren't in the race then interest (most importantly media interest) will wane and then the GT organisers would lose out on the money they're fighting for anyway.

- If not run under UCI control then what measures are in place for dope control?

- Legal battles become rife as teams/riders sue for not being allowed to race in events they've paid for with a ProTour licence? If sponsors start sueing then the UCI could be in big trouble as some of these are big companies who don't stand for people extracting the urine.

- Sponsors pull out as they start to get nothing for the money they've put up?

A pessimistic view and I don't think it will get this far, logic has to kick in sometime and I think the teams/sponsors will insist on a resolution. I don't know why they haven't come up with a set of proposals yet as they're the ones who'll lose out most.

[quote]ASO is in it for the $$$ and shouldn't be allowed to challenge as it has done.

[higg]

No doubt they will come to some comprimise an hour before the start

Although, I have started wondering what the Tdf would be like with no ProTour teams and only lower division French or even amateur riders maybe in National teams ? Would be interesting for one year ?

[kieran]

in one way it might not be interesting for us but for the french it proably would be and might get even a bigger turnout as will be able to see more french riders doing it so the tour probably can survive.