RadioShack manager won’t take the news sitting down
Following their non-selection for this year’s Vuelta a España, Team RadioShack’s manager Johan Bruyneel has said he could not understand the decision by race organizer Javier Guillén. The American team needed to gain a wildcard invitation to the Spanish Grand Tour since it was not part of the sixteen teams that qualified for automatic inclusion in the event under a 2008 agreement between race organizers and the International Cycling Union (UCI).
“I am not only surprised, I am speechless,” Bruyneel said of the decision. “At first I thought it was a mistake so I called organizer Javier Guillén for some explanation. He told me that the other teams offered him better options on a sporting level. I had to ask him to repeat it as I could not believe this but I heard right: we didn’t offer a good enough team. I cannot accept or understand this decision.”
The Belgian said the roster sent to gain entry into the year’s final Grand Tour was one that kept overall victory in mind. “With Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Klöden, Chris Horner and Jani Brajkovic we had four potential Vuelta winners on the roster we sent to Unipublic,” he said. “Our 2010 Team goals were the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain. That’s why – together with the need to perform well in the Tour of California – we skipped the Tour of Italy this year.”
In 2007 the Unibet team was excluded from races by several organizers despite having their ProTour license. The sponsorship ended at the conclusion of the season, with the team nor the UCI having the influence to take up the fight for entry.
“Up until now it has never been accepted that a Team Manager stands on a soap box to defend the rights of the teams and the riders. We always have to accept; we don’t have many rights. After what I heard today, I take it as a personal mission: from now on I will fight for the interests of the cycling teams. It will be more than just a goal. I will work for it as hard as I’ve worked for my own team. It is really urgent that action be taken now as this is the time that the organizers will listen to the opinions of the teams. I will do everything that I can to bring all big teams to one level. What happened today is only a detail.”
Last year Bruyneel’s then Astana team rode the Giro d’Italia and brought seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to the race. The American was involved in the protest that neutralized what was meant to be a stage to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the race. Race director Angelo Zomegnan didn’t name the riders he was upset with, but blamed an “older rider” for starting the demonstration, which was believed to be directed at Armstrong. The RadioShack team opted not to do the Giro d’Italia this season, but there are question marks as to whether they would have been invited had they wanted to participate, or would be welcome in the future.
“In cycling there are three parties: UCI, organizers and teams/riders. Unlike in other professional sports, the teams and riders are the main actors who are never heard. I will fight for our rights and for other things that rightfully belong to us but we never get. There is an abuse of power. Some organizers take away the hunger of potential sponsors to invest in our sport. It is unjust that a new sponsor, coming into cycling with a lot of enthusiasm, is not rewarded for their financial input. For me it is hard to explain to my sponsor that 21 other teams are apparently better than us. Especially when it isn’t true. These actions are unfair to our sponsors as well as a blow to our fans.“
The UCI is due to announce some major changes to the system soon, and if those don’t include automatic selection based on performance, the RadioShack team will have the biggest test of their influence in the sport with this new initiative.
“It is high time for ‘professional’ cycling to become professional,” Bruyneel continued. “The structure of our sport needs to change towards a model of other successful professional sports like soccer, tennis, Formula 1, etc. Today, this is happening to our team and sponsors, tomorrow it could be any other team. Even if some parties don’t like to see or hear this, I will do anything which is in my power to contribute to making this happen.”