No more contenders come forward before cut-off date
With the three month time limit prior to the UCI congress being reached in recent days, the UCI has officially confirmed that the incumbent Pat McQuaid and management committee member Brian Cookson are the sole candidates for the position of UCI president.
McQuaid’s second four year term is drawing to a close and he and Cookson will go head to head in the elections, which will take place at the UCI Congress in Florence, Italy, on September 27th.
Uncertainty existed as to the precise cut off date but the UCI has confirmed that it was June 29th.
Both candidates were in attendance at the start of the Tour de France, lobbying people there for their support.
Cookson has already presented his manifesto and has said that he believes that widespread change is necessary for the UCI to restore a credibility dented by the US Postal Service/Lance Armstrong scandal plus numerous spats with the various stakeholders in the sport.
“The UCI and cycling face some huge challenges as we look to the future but our great sport also has some incredible opportunities – if we can grasp them,” he said. “I believe that I have a strong and proven track record in delivering positive change in cycling and in a way that is collegiate – not confrontational – as my time as President of British Cycling shows.
“I want to see the UCI defined by genuine collaboration, renewed trust and with a vision to fully tackle the issues we face. If we deliver then cycling can reach new heights in the years ahead.”
As for McQuaid, he insists that he has done a good job and that he deserves more time at the helm of the governing body.
“Cycling has changed since I became UCI President in 2005. Cycling is now a global sport. It is now possible to race and win clean,” he said. “During the past eight years I have introduced the most sophisticated and effective anti-doping infrastructure in world sport to cycling and opened up everything that is beautiful about our sport to new countries around the world.
“Cycling is a changed sport and it has a bright future. My mission now is ensure that we never turn back and that we preserve the culture of change within the peloton, that we revolutionize the way that we present our sport and that we continue to develop cycling worldwide in collaboration with all of our stakeholders.”
He has criticised Cookson about his manifesto, but has not yet presented his own plan for the future.