The UCI World Championships last week brought plenty of action on the bike but what happened away from the racing was equally as important.
The twists and turns of cycling – on the road and in the governing bodies
A new government in Australia, a prime minister that rides a bike and a new president of the UCI. It’s all happening.
I’m not really interested in commenting on the change of government in Australia but the recent change in cycling was due.
I do wonder if the outcome would have been different had Pat stepped down when the Armstrong affair came to light.
Tracey Gaudry appointed one of three new UCI vice presidents
The change is exciting and with Tracey Gaudry, one of Brian Cookson’s deputies, I have a strong feeling of confidence.
Tracey is a strong advocate for cycling which means no longer will positions of prominence be a gravy train or exclusive club for the old boys of the sport.
Change will take some time especially after the turbulent recent times and cycling needs the vigour and fresh face of a new government.
Tracey’s presence is a huge coup for women’s cycling. Without the reticence of the outgoing president to deal with I am hopeful that much will change in this forum.
Will this appointment have an impact on event organisers, particularly the Tour de France, who continue to baulk at the notion of a women’s tour at the same time as the men’s?
I wonder if the day will come that a pro-tour team has a female member that is selected for the Tour de France. The future of cycling looks to be very interesting indeed.
World Championships – some eye-opening rides
We also have a number of new World Champions. Like many, I stayed up late watching the finale of the men’s elite, and the final lap was a real cracker.
I’m not sure what Alejandro Valverde was up to – perhaps he expected that Costa, who is on his trade team, would not be a threat and he did not follow him. Good grief, this the worlds and he should not have let him go.
I competed in the World Championships on many occasions and I recall how difficult it was to be suddenly thrust into a team with a collection of riders completely unfamiliar to you.
Additionally, the trade team-mates you race with for 99% of the season are the opposition and you now find yourself having to work against them.
If Valverde went after Costa, the Portuguese rider would have sat up, leaving Joaquim Rodriguez to ride alone, or wait for Vincenzo Nibali to have one last crack.
Pretty complicated but at the end of the day it was a damn fine race in the appalling conditions that I generally loved.
It was disappointing that the weather conditions placed such a heavy toll on the field. The British team controlled the front of the peloton for much of the first half of the race with sights on a Froome victory.
However by race end, none of the Brits made the distance. As the big names fell by the wayside or fell off only the toughest were left to bat it out.
For the commentators there is not much to disseminate politically, that’s the real disappointment.
Another season is all but over and there are many riders without a team for next year including Chris Horner.
Cycling still remains very fragile as the money men keep pulling the plug on the teams.
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