Rob Jones, of Canadian Cyclist: blithering idiot!!! - Page 2

Anyway - My comments are: while there are SOME good ideas.. you do not elaborate just how these would actually be accomplished. Plans get attention.. bitching and pointing out wrongs do not.

I have made responses to your LIST below. for what good it will do. I expect a long rant from you.. that basically comes back to the same ****. Hire M. Arzouian and all things will be wonderful at the CCA again. sigh.

No one in cycling will hire you. No One!


They don't want you.. PERIOD. Get it through your head. You have a proven track record of casuung dissent, discord and generally pissing everyone off that you have dealings with. You are not the person who should not represent cycling in Canada.

Who are they?

There are five employees left?

The board who are MIA?


Nice idea. but domestic racing is not the CCA's mandate. This is for the most part under the pervue of the provincial associations. Do you plan to usurp them? Piss them off.. good start to getting them onside. I don't see USA cycling running races.......

What do you know of the CCA's mandate?

They have a Competiton Coordinator, don't they? He need not only work on national championships.

The Canada Cups are CCA prpoerty.

What do you kow about mandates??????

Their mandate is devloping riders and getting internationa results, if having a better domestic racing program will do it, then that's their mandate.

Think outside the box.
Take the blinders off.



Ski Canada is the exception... not the rule with sport in Canada. And yes..skiing is that much more popular than cycling. Skiing takes place at set venues where people can purchase expensive chalets, take their kids and they go back year after year, sometimes for generations. Ski areas are communities. Cycling has no such venue or attraction. Skiers tend to be the wealthy part of the population. cyclists are not. How much $$ do you plan to spend?

Skiing is NOT more popular than cycling. It only appears so because people HAVE to ski in the same place. There are far more people that ride bikes. Go to StatsCan and look. You are simply wrong. If you look at equipment sales overall they are similar. Real Estate does not enter into the equation.

As for cyclign equipemtn do you not realize that people are buying $5000 bikes and $200 riding jerseys and shoes?


And just HOW would you do that. The general media has proven time and time again.. cycling is not on their radar. Sportcom and Canadian Cyclist have been sending press releases to the major media after every major cycling event in and out of Canada where Canadians participate for years now. I see no appreciable increase in cycling coverage anywhere.. UNLESS it involves a scandel. Like Jeanson's recent confession or Landis' doping.

How do you plan to change the mindset of the media.. at gunpoint?

You change the mindset by talking to them, not just emailing or faxing them results and dropping it at that.. I was talking to Jim Chrsitie of The Globe and Mail last night.


Easy? I beg to differ. I work in the news media, albeit not national. While sports is not my main area (I am the cycling expert) I do know how things work. I can tell you local kids teams, and major pro teams are the ONLY interest, as that is what the advertisors want. The pro stuff comes down from the wire service and the local stuff is provided by the teams and parents for the most part.

There are guys that cover cycling and they like it.

Pat Hickey at The Gazette.
Jim Christie at The Globe and Mail.
Randy Starkman at The Star.
Wayne Scanlan at The Ottawa Citizen and others.
Canada is a small market. You get the top eight newspapers you get the country.


The Sports editor of the Leader Post in Regina? Of course he would not have a clue who Bill Kinash was/is. I have worked in the small city media for 20 years. If I asked the sports editor who were the presidents of any of the sport organizations in the province or Canada for that matter. he would not be able to name any of them either.

That's bull. In Montreal all the sport writers know who Louis Barbeau is and he runs the Quebec Federation.
Bill Kinash ran the SK federation for 20 years in Regina, somebody must have had to deal with him? If they didn't Kinash simply doing a poor job.


This has been done already for the past 2 years for track, and I am not too sure that it is such a good thing. The youth events now get little or no coverage at all. At road nationals the youth events were held so far ahead of the elite events that the young riders had no contact with the elite ridders. Not a good thing if you are trying to promote mentorship.

That is because Masters clog the program. they shoudl have their own Nationla Championship liek in the US and many otehr countries. They say they spend the money on equipment. They say they have sponsorship following, prove it.


What new events?

You assist the small events or look to create new ones. You approach NATIONAL lelvel sponsros and pitch them the races.

The province DO want help on this. I spoke to Leon Organ the Prez of Newfoundland cyclign he liked the idea.


The CCA 's financial statements are posted online and are part of the statement published at the yearly AGM.

No sponsorship DETAIL is posted and NEVER has been. Garneau and Tim Hortons refuse to say how much they give because it is an embarrassingly low figure.

7 b) There should be at least one national road race in every province.

And how do you force this to take place? BC superweek wants nothing to do with being part of any national series.

I didn't say "series" I said national as in "National sanction", you know about the different levels of sanctioned events don't you? BC Superweek IS a national sanctioned event.


Good idea. Have you looked into the cost of building these? Do you have a proposal. Have you presented it to any "benefactos? I seem to remember you went after Doral.. and could not even get in teh door.

I seem to remember Montreal had a velodrome and it was "removed" due to lack of use. Cyclists are poor by comparison. They also moan ad nauseum about spending 100$ per year fro a racing licence. Not too sure if you can count on teh cycling community to pony up big bucks.

I do have a very workable propsoal for building a $5million velodrome.

You do not know why the Montreal Velodrome was closed. Useage really had little to do with it. The Botanical Garden wanted it for their Biodome. I was in the middle of the politics, I was at City Hall asking questions and talking to the news when it went down. My team-mate Jacques Naubert and rider for Evian and fellow McGil student Richard Young went to court with an injunction.

Cyclists are poor?

Not where I live. They drive new Volvos and Subarus. They have $2000 to $3000 bikes. They pay $5000 to go ride with Steve Bauer in France for a week.


This is already being done. Garneau sells the national uniform to dealers now for 2 years. I don't see to many around tho'....

It has been done only in the last two years. I had been calling for it for 10 (ten) years or more. They finally did it. Like making the National Criterium Championship Official again.

We sold 2000 Evian jerseys in two years. We sold about 4000 t-shirts.



This has been tried many times by the provinces, with little success.How do you propose to do this.

I propose to lsit the shops on the CCA web site and use the CCA membership to drive sales to them. They in turn wil sell CCA promotional stuff.



Bike shops don't even like to carry magazines these days. They don't take trade ins, sell stuff on consignment or host events. I see it as a hard sell frankly.


Been done! How much support has this opportunity attracted?


Have you asked the Masters how they feel about this?. I think it would be VERY unpopular. Seems to me your attack on the Masters at the 2003 road worlds nearly got you lynched.

I do not care about Masters. They are killing the sport.

Can I be clearer?

I care about developing young riders, not pampering hedonists who couldn't hack it in the Elite/Senior ranks.


Pierre H and Brian J. (as I recall) very knowledge and experience in cycling is why they got the jobs in the top jobs at the CCA first place. Both are now working with the UCI. Mirek Mazur was fired from the Ontario cycling association because he pissed off so many young riders. Nothing is stopping Mirek from running for a spot on the board.. nothing.


You say we need more knowlwdgeble cycling people at the CCA. Past experience says this does not always work.

It works until the pros run into the stupidity of the board members who know nothing. When these board memebrs vote off people like Curt Harnett nobody else want to join in.



Pierre Blanchard has been president for nearly 3 years now. What has he done?

Unfortunately Pierre still has Kinash as a Board-member-at-large and Kinash was still on hiring committees.


----------

Not many of these suggestions written three or four years ago have been done.

I would add today, Sept. 17, 2007:




Yah, remove the CCA from all the resources and access to all things that are Ottawa. How many other sport organizations have their headquarters outside Ottawa? There is a good reason why Ottawa is the place they must be. Why aren't Skiing Canada's offices in Whistler or Jasper or near some other major ski resort?

THEY ARE!!!!!!

You are just plain WRONG here. Do a litte research before shooting off your mouth or hittign your keyboard. How does it feel to look so foolish!!!!:

Canadian Ski Council, Mississuaga, ON not Ottawa.

ALPINE CANADA ALPIN</B>
Suite 200, 505-8th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 1G2
Telephone: (403) 777- 3200
Fax: (403) 777- 3213
Email: info@canski.org

CCC National Office (Croos CountRy Canada)

Bill Warren Training Centre

1995 Olympic Way, Suite 100

Canmore, Alberta, T1W 2T6

Tel: 403-678-6791

Fax : 403-678-3644

Email: info@cccski.com

Rowing Canada
1234 Esquimalt Road
Suite 201
Victoria, BC
V9A 3N8

YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT....


The cycling industry does NOT have big bucks. Not too sure where you get that idea.

Dorel employs approximately 4,700 people in 15 countries. Annual sales are US$1.8 billion and are made in over 60 countries worldwide, OWN Pacific Cycle, which markets several brands including Schwinn, Mongoose, GT, InSTEP, Playsafe and Roadmaster.




Good idea, but not practice. Hamilton and their opposition to Road Worlds is one example. Ask Curt Harnett how his attempt to revive the Toronto Queen's park event went.

Curt Harnett had to deal with the ridiculous Equal prize money laws in Toronto which wil kill every major race until it is changed.

Quebec may be the only province with a major city that would be welcoming to a large cycling event. BC's super week too, but they want no part of being a series.
not series, nationally- sanctionned.

The board hires and fires. Did you get an interview for the CEO job? The members of the hiring committee are: President, LT and JT. So if you did not get an interview. It means they did not want YOU!

The board is reponsible for the letting go of staff. The HP committee headed by Louis Barbeau responsible for the fack ups with Pan Ams team and Symmetrics pulling out.


MANDATE

* To act as an umbrella organization for the provincial and territorial federations or associations who promote cycling as well as for all bicycle users
* To further the activities of the cycling federation or associations throughout Canada
* To promote the expansion and operation of the membership agencies
* To promote the formulation and implementation of a favourable general cycling policy
* To defend and protect the rights of its members
* To affiliate with the Union Cycliste Internationale, in addition, with any organization that can help it achieve its objectives
* And in general, to administer and promote cycling in all its aspects

this from the CCA site http://www.canadian-cycling.com/cca/about/about_cycling.shtml

Rider development is not at the top of the list and it specifys ELITE rider development

AND
They now have 3 additional disciplines to manage as well.. ParaCycling, BMX and DH. With budget cuts and no more resources.


Stats Cnada's list of Cycling participation includes people who ride once a year. THAT IS NOT A CYCLIST especially by your own elitist terms and agenda. And the 5000$ bikes and 200$ jerseys are being bought by MASTERS and triathletes HMMM.


That is talking to the converted. Jim Christie loves cycling always has. Talk to someone you don't know and does not have an interest in cycling and turn them on to it.

Again.. preaching to the choir.

In Montreal I would expect it. But we are talking CANADA.. talk to the sports editor of the Calgary , Edmonton, Vancouver, Halifax papers

There is no reason to take out a national sanction unless it is part of the series. A national sanction means nothing. never has. unless it is part of a series.

IS it? They allow racers with non national licences to race. As far as I know this is not allowed at a national sanction event..


5 million is a joke. 25 million maybe will get you a workable facility


Again, masters and Trigeeks. Who you love to slam. They are not the development of the sport. not interested in the sport. never have been never will be and they are not interested in anything but themselves.

Uh yah.. like that is going to make a difference. Sorry.


...and you could not get in the door. Companies like that treat bikes like widgets. They have no passion for the sport. a bike is a commodity.

That was the least of his problems. Toyota, his big sponsor did not renew. The city wanted a huge up front $$, and fought him at every move.

Sorry, you have not convinced me. Anybody else?

Jasmine, now after your comments about Zamprogna's resignation we know you are a liar.

After your comments about the Ski Associations we know you are uninformed.

Still, I will address your further misinformation:


Bill Kinash was still on the hiring committee in 2006 to hire Lorraine Lafreniere, who knew nothing about cycling before running/ruining the sport for Canada. The others were Presidnet Pierre Blanchard and Leslie Tomlinson.

MANDATE

* To act as an umbrella organization for the provincial and territorial federations or associations who promote cycling as well as for all bicycle users
* To further the activities of the cycling federation or associations throughout Canada (assisting with racing IS further the activites of the provincial associations. Thx for proving my point.)
* To promote the expansion and operation of the membership agencies
(adding races to the provincial calendars is expanding them)
* To promote the formulation and implementation of a favourable general cycling policy (more races ar favorable cycling policy)
* To defend and protect the rights of its members
* To affiliate with the Union Cycliste Internationale, in addition, with any organization that can help it achieve its objectives
* And in general, to administer and promote cycling in all its aspects

this from the CCA site http://www.canadian-cycling.com/cca/about/about_cycling.shtml

Rider development is not at the top of the list and it specifys ELITE rider development (not at the top of the list but that means it is on the list, right!)

AND
They now have 3 additional disciplines to manage as well.. ParaCycling, BMX and DH. With budget cuts and no more resources. (who cut their budgets and why? They were cut for a lack of results. Wasn't Lorraine Lafreniere bragging about a great relationship with Sport Canada? That worked well for her she lost $1,000,00 in a year almost 40% of her budget. Wasn't she a marektiing person set to bring new sponsor in? Where are they?)



Stats Cnada's list of Cycling participation includes people who ride once a year. THAT IS NOT A CYCLIST especially by your own elitist terms and agenda. And the 5000$ bikes and 200$ jerseys are being bought by MASTERS and triathletes HMMM.
Do you think everybody that buys a pair of skis is an avid skier? It is the same criteria for evaluation. Lots of people I know own a pair of skis and they come out of their closet once every few years. How many people do you think ski in the Maritimes?



That is talking to the converted. Jim Christie loves cycling always has. Talk to someone you don't know and does not have an interest in cycling and turn them on to it.
Exactly and Jim is a national reportet for the biggest newspaper in the country. Give him decent races and he will cover them, DAAAAHHH! Again you prove my point.


Again.. preaching to the choir.
First you say the media does not want to cover cycling now you are telling me I'm discussing only reporters who cover cycling, the choir, so which is it. Where is your logic? If these guys are on Canada's biggest newspapers are known by you to be cycling fans, you agree with me that they will cover the sport if there is something to cover.



In Montreal I would expect it. But we are talking CANADA.. talk to the sports editor of the Calgary , Edmonton, Vancouver, Halifax papers. I have gotten front page cycling news and photos on the newspapers in EVERY ONE of THOSE TOWNS!!!!


There is no reason to take out a national sanction unless it is part of the series. A national sanction means nothing. never has. unless it is part of a series.

AGAIN WRONG!!!!!
Without national or intenational sanction you CANNOT legally allow international riders into your events.

You really know NOTHING about the sport. You must be Lorraine Lafreniere.

Being part of a series has NOTHING to do with it.


IS it? They allow racers with non national licences to race. As far as I know this is not allowed at a national sanction event..
I have no idea what you even are trying to say here.



5 million is a joke. 25 million maybe will get you a workable facility
Forrest City Velodrome in London, ON was built for less than $1,000,000. It "works" all the time. Call Peter Junek and ask him what he could do with $5,000,000. You really have no idea what you are talking about. Do you even know who Peter Junek is?

Well lets wade through more of your ****

Bill K may be on the hiring commitee ...but so are Pierre Blanchard and Leslie T.. so if Pierre and Leslie are so great.. how does Bill's incopmpetence outvote them?

Assisting with racing does NOT mean putting on races or usurping provincial associations to do so

The cut of budgets means:

all events are lumped into the "Q factor" that is used to establish the funding for a sport. That expansion coupled with the expansion of excpections means less resources.

I have yet to read any event coverage by Jim C. He writes editorials.. that is not event coverage

The media is the general media. Individuals who write the occassional editorial (once a year) is not media coverage.

How recently? not in the last 10 or more years I will wager

A national sanction does not allow a rider who has a non national (CCA UCI) licence to participate.. and they do. Riders who have BC only or Washington state only paricipate in these races.

Explain.

The Forest City Velodrome is on the edge. If it were not for Rob Good and other individuals putting their hearts, souls and personal resources (aka $$) into it, it would fold and I fear this will be soon.

Yes I do know who Peter J is. Has he built a large facility in Canada? I believe he has designed and built a couple in Japan..(or Korea) but so far NOTHING in Canada. Oh yes that wee track in Fonthill, but it lasted a couple of years nad is now GONE.

Come on EA.. you can do better than this...............

Listen, whatever you name is, you're full of crap.

First you say you cannot build a velodrome for $5,000,000. I point out Forrest City was built for way less than thatl, les than one million dollars. You admit it is making it, barely but making it. Well, if they had FIVE TIMES the money they would make it wouldn't they!

You tell me that Leslie Tomlinson and Blanchard and somebody else were on the committee to hire Lorraine Lefreniere . I point out it was Kinash not somebody else and then you claim Blanchard should have known better, admitting that Kinash WAS ON THE COMMITEE AND YOU HAD NO CLUE.

Who care how Sport Canada decides how to fund their associations. The point is the CCA should he finding sponsors on their own.

Ski Canada is now at over $20 million, only two years ago or so they were at $15 million. They got the same base funding as the CCA from Sport Canada only two or three years ago. Lorriane Lafreniere was supposed to know marketing. in ayear she has done **** because she is learning the sport on the job, instead of hitting the ground running she is falling on her face. It is ridiculous to hire such people as her and Steve Lacelle and Kim Sebrango, a total waste of time and money.


Who cares when we got front page news in Edmonton Halifax or anywhere else. The point is that they will cover the events if there are events and people make an effort to give them something interesting to say in a timely and professional manner.

Finally you simply have no understanding of the sanctions. I think having a national or internationally sanctioned event in evey province is an excellent objective. The wider the sanction the more important and higher profile the event. Plain and simple. Who cares if some guy with a Washington State -only license doe snot participate. We want the best riders with the best prize money, that's the whole point, not some weekend warrior.

Again you have zero credibilty and understanding on almost everything you say.

I forsee the failure of the program without a major investment from teh cycling community in the next year.

Yah I am full of crap.....

So you are saying Bill K has twice as much voting power as the other 2? Enough to veto their choice?


Ski Canada.. Ski canada.. Ski Canada.. you sound like a broken record. Ski Canada is an anomoly.. not the standard.. Are any other sports doing as well as ski Cnada. Any at all?

As I said before Ken Reid ran as a board member and was elected as one long long before he was hired as CEO. What does that say ?

Really? They get reports from Sportcom and the Canadian Press for free and still they do not publish it.

I do indeed get it. Some provinces, in order to attract riders to take out a racing licence, are offering reduced price licences that are not CCA/UCI licences (you cannot race out of province with these licences). These riders can still race at the BC super week events. States that border on BC also offer these licences and these riders are also allowed to race at BC superwweek. A national santion would not allow this practice.

Credibility. I do not care if you give me any, as I know you have none.. none here at all.

Right folks?

Agsain your disjointed, illogical diatribes.


You keep pointing out Ken Read was board member first.

Who cares?

You sem to place a lot of stock in this. I assume you are another one of those misinformed board memebrs Rob Jones says has to go.

Was Lorraine Lafreniere on a board of the CCA before being hired?

No, should had zero experience in the sport and knew nothing about it. The CCA selection committee and board went along with this. No wonder Rob jones says they should be removed. Who wants to work with fools like that?

Yes, I keep referring to Alpin Canada because they are doing the best job. Should I be referring to somebody doing poorly? Is that the role model the CCA wants to adopt!

You keep referring to Sportscomm and CP. CP does not pick up much cycling and even if they do without orgniazers, team manager and the associations picking up the phone to follow these things up they are mainly a waste of tiem.

My point, which you keep missing, is that it is relatively easy to establish a rapport with the sport reporters that you need to to get this stuff pulbished.

As for credibility, you are a proven liar and very misinformed, you have no credibility.

You know what I get such a laugh out of winding you up and then watching you spin off in all directions. Throw in some "mistakes" and you go balistic.

Like I give a crap. I don't care about 'credibility'. Why do you? You have none and you never ever will again.

You are such a pathetic little man. Cycling in Canada and the US want nothing to do with you. NOTHING. But that does not quell your desperation for recognition does it?

Ahh.. take a valium or whatever your drug of choice is these days.

So you are simply here to obstruct.

You are probably the same stalker using a different username following me from web forum to web forum with nothing to say apart from harassing me.

That's fine.

At least now we are clear. You have nothing to offer.
You are just another anonymous coward, probably the same anonymous coward.

You need mental help.

Obstruct?

Christ on a crutch!. YOU take over the forum (I think something like 90% of all the postes on the Canada forum area fromm you), YOU push your own stories, agenda and bad mouth anyone who disagrees with YOU.

Now you are attacking probably the best cyclist Canad has ever produced. because he says something ED does not agree with.......

It is ED ED ED all the way all the time

Sad sad SAD little man you are.

Yes, you are obstructing.

Do you evr start a thread instead of simply attacking me personally? No.

I'm not attacking Bauer at all.

I'm simply saying I disagree with his analysis of the current state of thngs, especaily compare to 15 years ago. So does Gord Fraser. If Steve can point out what's better I would love to know.

The CCA is in crisis mode. It's budget is lower than it has ben in decades. It is being run by Orraine Lafreniere who knew nothing abot the sport one year ago today. She had probbaly neve been to a bike race before runing the cycling association. Jasmine complains I haven't served on the CCA boaird so I'm not ready to run the CA, yet I have 34 years more experience in the sport than LaFreniere! She has not done anything in the sport.

There are fewer events, and especially fewer big events.

There are fewer riders.

There are fewer sponsors.

There is less media coverage.

International results are worse.

we started out having a dialogue.. then you started to get personal.. as always when someone DARES to disagree with your narrow idea of what cycling is.

If you are talking purely ROAD RACES for MEN.... then yes there are fewer of them.. Cycling in N. america is no longer men'sroad racing. Cycling has changed and changed dramatically, and continues to change and evolve. BMX is now an Olympic sport and so is Para-Cycling.

As for less riders? There are more, it is just that they have more choice and are dispersed over more disciplines. I know your elitist attitude does not consider anything but men's Road racing of value. ...you better get over it. The Olympics were mens RR and Mens track until 1986 too. Not any more.

A person interested in the sport of cycling can participate in Road (Road races, crits, Itt), MTN (XC, DH, freeride), BMX and Track, all across N. America and compete against some of the best in the world .

There is also the sport of Triathlon thrown in there too. Huge numbers participate. Huge numbers that cycle, but also run and swim.

There are 5 (?) UCI registered men's continental teams this year. I believe even you said your Evian team was the only one in Canada at the time it existed, so 5 is a definate increase.......

Canada has some of the top XC and BMX riders in the world. Also some very good handicapped cyclists..

There are international events for all disciplines in Canada every year. There were 2 world cups for MTB in quebec this year, there is a Canada cup for MTB and Crankworx in Whistler attracts thousands of cyclists from all over the world.

There were 3 large UCI races for women this year. The World Cup and 2 stage races (Tour de Grand Montreal and the tour de PEI)

BC Super week is getting bigger and bigger. and attracting the top N. American teams now. Montreal Quebec is a UCI event, and every province has a "cup" series of some sort. Canada's top male riders are all on US based teams and are getting excellent results.

As for serving on the board? Ken Reid himself said it was the best way for him to start understanding the grassroots of the sport. Having come from the top, he had to shed his elitist attitude and learn how to work with "the people", learn the ropes of running an association and see things from the bottom up..

Lorraine is a bureaucrat. Has run the CDN coaching association and knows her way around the crap that is Ottawa. She has the credentials. Pierre B and Lesley T hired her. Bill was on the committee too, but all 3 were unanimous in their selection of her. Did you get an interview or even a phone call?

It is almost all politics in Ottawa. Something that cannot be avoided unless you have millons to work with from the private sector . The cycling idustry in Canada does not pony up. They need to, but they don't. Cycling never has been, is not and never will be large enough in Canada to avoid needing Gov't $$$. . That is a FACT.

Canada is a WINTER sport country.. Winter sport is head and shoulders above summer sports. Always have been always will be. That is why there is a hockey rink in every two horse town across the country and a ski hill on every bump on the horizon. Ken Reid got it and spent the time learning to use the advantage. With the Calgary Olympics forming a strong base and the coming Vancouver Olympics in 2010 the opportunities to grow skiing where there. He played the game for many years and learned how to overcome years of problems and difficulties and to use his celebrity to the sports benefit. He is a very smart man.

But that being said, Cnada has produced some superb cycling athletes over the years. Gord Fraser spoke (on CBC newsworld) in the summer about why he did not pursue a pro career in Europe. The drugs. He was happy to live and race in the states for 95% of his career. Good racing, nice lifestyle and he could race clean. So don't **** on the N. American road scene. Good enough for Gord.. good enough for everyone else.

I don't kow what planet you hail from but obviously you have no idea what I have been talking about these last few years.


I have NEVER said the European scene was the be-all, end-all of the sport. In Fact, I SAID THE VERY OPPOSITE!!!

I have always favored pursuing a strong domestic scene.

I do not approve of any of these Pro tours and this points system. I strongly objected when they were launched and warned everyone we would get screwed by the UCI and we have. Look who is with them now Brian Jolly and Pierre Hutsebaut, tow of the most self-centered , untrustworthy, opportunists you wil ever find.

I have always said it is a crock.

As for the other disciplines in cycling other than road and track, I believe they are a detriment to the sport. I think they are toys for kids. They marginalize the sport. The media does not will not cover them. Because of the type people participating in them and the lack of cohension spnsors will also get away with giving the sport peanuts. They will sponsor one of two guys instead of teams and everybody will pay for the right to participate. The business model is almost completely opposite of the road scene and of every other pro sport model.


Finally, I am far more optimistic than you about the sport since I believe it can grow much, much more than it has by simply changing the inexperienced, untalented losers at the Canadian cycling Association in Ottawa.

LaFreniere ran a Coaches' Association. That is not a sport. She never even organized sports events, she watched others do it. She came for pulbic relations and she cannot even get that right at the CCAA. She has done nothing of note in a year, nothing, other than watch the CCA lose five or six important positions.

The numbers speak for themselves.

The CCA gets about $600,000 in sponsorship TOTAL. THAT"S IT!! Skiing get 50 times more, 50 times more. If cycling got only 5 times more it would be thriving and that is only $3,000,000, very littel in terms of national sponsorship. Skiing would still be 10 times bigger. Tim Horton's $400,000 per year for all Olympic Team and all national championships is an insult to the riders and the sport.

The problem with you Jasmine like eveybody now associated with the Canadian Cycling Association is that you accept mediocrity and think small. You have no leadership skills, only the ability to push paper and make excuses.