Down with McQuaid. Doping scandals begin at the top.

//Down with McQuaid. Doping scandals begin at the top.

Down with McQuaid. Doping scandals begin at the top.

The real doping problem: Patrick McQuaid.

There’s a name that hasn’t been mentioned in all the recent doping firestorms. It’s not the tour’s Alberto Contador, the Vuelta’s Ezequiel Mosquera or even the formerly somebody Oscar Sevilla.

In fact, this name isn’t a doped rider rider or cynical director sportif or rogue pharmacist moonlighting with a syringe and centrifuge.

No, we’re way higher up the fraud chain — which speaks to the inherent ramifications, the frustrating realities and the desperate need for immediate action — or in this case, resignation.

If we plan to fight doping in an aggressive, intelligent and global way, we best start with perhaps the real stumbling block and guilty party.

Patrick McQuaid must go.

The president of the colossally ineffective UCI must resign immediately. If the Irishman had any Japanese blood he would have voluntarily fallen on his sword years ago, a question of honor, shame and responsibility.

Paint your sign, autograph the petitions, call your local ProTour team in furious indignation. McQuaid out, gone, history, job filled by anybody with a shred of integrity or expertise. This is a man who turns in an adverse analytic finding for competence.

Sorry, I woke up on the wrong side of the peloton, harsh and indignant. Aren’t we all weary of McQuaid’s relentless failures, his blustery but empty pronouncements, his total inability to work with WADA, ALFD (the French anti-doping agency), CONI (the Italian Olympic committee), cycling federations from Spain to Italy and even the people within his own organization.

Repeat after me: Patrick McQuaid, adios.

THE REST OF THIS POST CONTINUES IN MY COLUMN AT VERSUS. CHECK IT OUT — McQUAID’S WAITING FOR YA.

By |2019-02-03T16:23:52-08:00October 13th, 2010|Doping|10 Comments

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10 Comments

  1. Jorge October 13, 2010 at 5:55 am - Reply

    Patrick McQuaid is clearly part of the problem since he seems to be quite ineffective. The 2 years suspension for doping is also part of problem as well. People that are caught doping must help to cleanup the mess, otherwise they should get a lifetime ban from the sport.

    There are several ways to accomplish this. One would be increase the 2-year suspension to 5 or 7 years. Cyclists that cooperate in the fight against doping will get their suspension reduced. A cyclist the lies in this process would get a lifetime ban.

    With this scheme, people like Vino, Landis or Ricco would have gotten lifetime bans.

    • walshworld October 13, 2010 at 11:06 am - Reply

      Not sure how I feel about the longer ban. Two years is a long time when you're pro career probably only lasts 10. Sure, on the second offense. If the tests were perfect, yeah, maybe. Matt

  2. RideLikeaGirl1 October 13, 2010 at 10:39 am - Reply

    Where can I submit my job application!

    • walshworld October 13, 2010 at 7:04 pm - Reply

      The minute he’s gone I’ll forward your application. Matt

  3. Bryan October 13, 2010 at 12:37 pm - Reply

    Word.

  4. apa02 October 13, 2010 at 12:44 pm - Reply

    It seems that you’re qualified for head of UCI if you have no morale or sense of wrong. Lovely Hein was exactly the same. Pat seemed better when he started but his real self is as corrupted as Verbruggen’s was.

    • walshworld October 13, 2010 at 11:08 am - Reply

      SO true, Hein was also a worthless hack. These guys are all private club, cocktail curcuit guys with no interest or ability or motivation to do the hard work. Matt

  5. Matt - Inner Ring October 14, 2010 at 8:05 am - Reply

    The more I look into matters here, the more it just seems he is just a bit slapdash. He’s not really corrupt, just easily confused and too quick to open his mouth. We credit him with too much authority at times.

    There are others in and around the UCI though who perhaps pull some strings. It suits them to have a weak President.

    If it helps, think of him of George Bush, whilst Rumsfeld and Cheney are busy doing the deals.

    In other words, it’s an institutional problem. Still if he stood down tomorrow you’d hope someone with better PR schools would take over.

    • walshworld October 14, 2010 at 12:47 am - Reply

      Matt, the Bush analogy is a good one and I buy that. I do think the UCI is a very dated organization and cycling is now a much more modern, global and complex sport to govern and they clearly haven't kept up with the times. This is part of teh growing pains we're seeing in the sport — like the old school Italian and Spanish DS's that still insist on "prepping" their riders as they've always done. These people will hopefully be weeded out or die off. Matt

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