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Pat McQuaid denies reports that UCI will get involved in Alberto Contador decision

Spanish federation must make decision on its own, insists UCI president

Pat McQuaid, president of world cycling’s governing body, the UCI, has refuted reports that the Spanish national federation, the RFEC, had enlisted the help of the UCI and the World-Andi Doping Agency to reach a decision in the Alberto Contador case, and insisted that the RFEC must reach a conclusion on its own.

Speaking in Antwerp, where he was attending the Belgian national cyclo-cross championships, McQuaid stated that contrary to a suggestio in Spanish newspaper El País which claimed that the RFEC had sent documentation to the UCI, reported here on road.cc yesterday, nothing had been received at the organsiation’s offices in Aigle.

Among the reasons given by an anonymous RFEC source for the UCI and WADA becoming involved in the process were that it would speed up matters and also mean that having been part of the decision-making process, there would no delay as might happen if the RFEC made the decision on its own and either of the other parties felt the need to appeal the decision.

However, McQuaid said that in most instances, the majority of national governing bodies were able to resolve doping cases satisfactorily, meaning that the UCI did not often need to seek recourse at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

That may e an oblique reference to the fact that it was only the UCI and WADA taking Alejandro Valverde’s case to the CAS that led to the Spanish cyclist being banned last May for two years, with the RFEC having never opened proceedings against him for his links to Operaion Puerto.
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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Elfstone | 13 years ago
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If Alberto Contador were a close personal friend, my friendly advice to him would be to retire from the professional cycling arena, permanently. The industry has let him down; and the federations in judgment have shown themselves to be immature lug-heads. This is not a group I'd encourage "my friend Alberto" to continue in relationship with.
That said; It occurs to me that the last many months have probably been for Contador severely emotionally draining - they certainly would have been for myself - and brimful of uncertainties; that I don't know that Alberto would be able to be in top-form, even if he'd qualified for this year's Tour.
Were I Contador, I'd welcome the respite: AND I WOULD NOT RETURN.

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KirinChris replied to Elfstone | 13 years ago
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Elfstone wrote:

If Alberto Contador were a close personal friend, my friendly advice to him would be to retire from the professional cycling arena, permanently.

I only wish he were. Still, you could write, send flowers, take him to dinner... not to a steak-house obviously.

If it makes him p*ss off then I'm right behind you.

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