Lotto Belisol says MPCC membership is signal that it wants to be part of ‘new way of thinking’

“The time for words should be over, they should be transformed into actions”

Commenting on the team’s recent decision to join the Movement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible (Movement for a Credible Cycling), Lotto Belisol sport manager Mark Sergeant has said that embracing the tougher rules of the MPCC is an important gesture at this time.

“It is indeed a signal we want to give, a sort of statement. Lotto Belisol wants to cooperate properly, think along and participate in the new flow,” he said. “In the past there was only a minority that openly wanted to go along in the new way of thinking; I think we should strive for a majority. The day before the Tour presentation the MPCC has invited all teams to a meeting.

“The ASO is tired of the fact that the Tour appears every time in the media with doping related stories, and that’s probably why Christian Prudhomme has given his support to the MPCC.”

The MPCC was set up prior to the 2007 Tour de France and had the aim of uniting like-minded teams who would voluntarily embrace tougher anti-doping regulations than were in place. Led by former Crédit Agricole chief Roger Legeay, it has tighter restrictions on the use of cortisone, requests that its members don’t sign riders who are coming back from bans of more than six months and has other stringent rules.

The teams who are currently part of the setup are WorldTour teams AG2R La Mondiale, Garmin-Sharp and Francaise des Jeux, plus Argos Shimano, Bretagne Schuller, Cofidis, Europcar, Iam, Netapp and Sojasun.

Lotto Belisol emphasises the value in joining up. “With its history in cycling, the opportunities the team offers to young riders, the attention for guidance and education and the will to be part of the WorldTour as an ethically correct team, Lotto Belisol thinks it’s a must to be rather a pioneer than a follower in an era in which cycling is in need of positive signals.”

For Sergeant, the recent furore over the Lance Armstrong/US Postal Service situation shows how important it is for teams to behave properly and to embrace a new direction. “I think the time for words should be over, and that they should be transformed into actions,” he said. “When you see the reactions of a few riders in the current peloton, I am convinced that the present generation is doing it well. The introduction of the biological passport, among other things, has probably been important for it.”

Meanwhile Legeay has written to WADA president John Fahey, requesting that the agency takes on board several proposals. The MPCC wants an increase in sanctions to four years for serious violations such as the use of EPO and blood transfusions, as well as a fine of six months salary. It also wants a return to stricter regulations on corticoids and also for national federations to not select riders who have been suspended for more than six months.

Current MPCC member teams:

* WorldTour teams