Brian Cookson has been elected president of the UCI, defeating incumbent Pat McQuaid, 24-18.
While I don’t claim to know either of the candidates well enough to make a completely informed decision, I have naive hope that cycling can regain a positive image, and the fight against doping can be an example for other sports in the future with the leadership of Cookson.
Pat McQuaid has done some good things for the sport. As he is always quick to point out, the biological passport was implemented during his watch, which has been an important tool in the fight against doping. The sport has also moved to expand globally, whether all the stakeholders were happy about it or not, with new races in China and the Arab nations developed. But there are also plenty of dark clouds over his presidency, probably the most widely known is how he and the UCI handled the Armstrong case. His ties back to former president, Hein Verbruggen, show more possible indiscretions as news about possible corruption have emerged recently.
The election has helped those that have been following it learn more about the candidates. McQuaid has sought support from many sides just to remain a candidate. First the Irish federation pulled their support after members loudly voiced their negative opinions. Switzerland, where McQuaid lives, was the next to support him, and then reconsidered in the wake of court battles regarding the validity of the federation’s support. Other federations began to step up, but to support him, the wording of the UCI constitution concerning how a delegate is nominated had to be challenged. While the definition of “federation of the delegate” is not 100% clear, it appeared that the McQuaid camp was trying to change the rules mid-race. Besides having a two term history with many questionable activities, more coming to light during recent investigations, a secret dossier from Igor Makarov of the Russian Federation with information about possible corruption did not help his cause either. His fate was to be decided on September 27th with a vote on the amendments just before the election vote.
Cookson on the other hand, benefited from having clear and unwavering backing from “the federation of the candidate”, Great Britain. A proven track record of taking British cycling from an afterthought to one of the top federations in the world shows he has potential. He is quick to point out though, that he was not the one to cause the turn around. It was the group he led, showing he is willing to give credit where due, instead of taking the spotlight for himself. Throughout the campaign, he worked to push his manifesto of change, but did also take advantage at pointing out the many downfalls of the current and previous regimes. Open support of many federations, including many European federations, Australia, and USA Cycling, and team managers like Jonathan Vaughters, have helped to push him to a front runner status.
Even with the legitimacy of McQuaid’s candidacy in the balance, Cookson has shown that he wants to be elected. In the days leading to the election, he announce that regardless of the outcome of the votes on article 51.1, he still wanted the vote to continue to show he had received the majority vote to take office.
As the proceedings began today, delegates voted on the amendment, which came out a draw, 21-21. This effectively killed the amendment to change who can nominate a candidate, but the Irishman fought on. As McQuaid used lawyers to make the case on his candidacy, and supporters on both sides lined up to debate, Cookson showed even more that he might have what it takes to move cycling forward.
“Alright, we’ve had enough of this,” announced Cookson. “I’m going to propose that we pass straight to the election.”
With that decisive action, Cookson went on to gain the majority vote, and become the next president of the UCI.
Time will tell how we will look upon Verbruggen, McQuaid, and Cookson. Even though Verbruggen has already washed his hands of cycling, McQuaid announced earlier this week that if he loses the election, he will walk away from cycling. The USADA has taken up the investigation of the Makarov dossier, so that decision to walk away might not be theirs to make. It is a matter of time until we see if McQuaid’s legacy will be overshadowed by the negative events and actions of his terms. Cookson was gracious in his win, and wished McQuaid luck in whatever he decides to do next, but that could foreshadow a further investigation in to corruption and complacency charges.
Soon, it will be Cookson’s turn to step up to the line, and show us he is the leader we put our hope in for the change that is needed in cycling. For the sake of the sport we love, it is my hope that the right choice was made, and cycling is heading in the right direction.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
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No mention of the presidential election’s implications for women’s cycling???
The race has been so contentious over so many issues than women’s cycling, but if I had to theorize, I’d say that this is a good development for women’s cycling. Women have been a big part of the British Cycling success story that Cookson oversaw, so I’d like to think that he’ll do more for women on a world-wide basis as well.
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