CCA implodes!!!!

[Fausto Coppied]

More proof:

Montreal-Boston Race Cancelled

Another supposed step forward in Canadian Cycling has fallen on its ass. Since I directed a race for Manibal in 1999 (Women’s Road World Cup) which started his franchise, salvaging it from an early grave, I can tell you Manibal probably went ahead with this knowing he did not have his financing in place, hoping it would come through. Also, much of Mr. Manibal’s support comes from the Parti Quebecois separatists and they are having some difficulties at the moment.


Has there been a Canadian report on this? In a real news source, not just Canadian Cyclist whic mentioned it once?

Tell me how things are going so well in cycling in Canda? Do you think the CCA helped in anyway to make this event happen? Of course not. The Director General, Lorriane Lafreniere came from a coaching association and prior to that media relations. SHE HAS NEVER ORGANIZED AN EVENT. HOW CAN SHE PROVIDE ASSISTANCE?

Officials hit the brakes on bike race


By PATRICK MEIGHAN and STEVE BODNAR, Telegraph Staff
[email protected], [email protected]

Published: Thursday, May. 10, 2007

NASHUA – A professional, Tour de France-caliber bicycle race that was to begin in Montreal, make a stop in Nashua and finish in Boston has been postponed for a year, race officials announced Wednesday.

Mayor Bernie Streeter blamed the postponement on disinterest on the part of the city of Boston, where the race was to conclude.

“This announcement is disappointing to say the least,” Streeter said in a written statement released Wednesday.

“As mayor, I am personally offended by the city of Boston’s lack of interest and support. I know our state officials who have worked long and hard on this event also are crushed with this decision,” Streeter said.

Events that the city of Nashua had been planning around the Aug. 11 event will continue as scheduled, city officials said.

Bike race organizers said they scrapped this year’s race because of the difficulty coordinating the race with various U.S. and Canadian governments, according to a statement issued Wednesday afternoon from the Montreal-Boston Tour headquarters in Quebec.

However, race organizers made no specific mention of Boston’s lack of interest in the race as the cause of the postponement.

Putting the race together required organizing officials in Quebec, as well as Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, which proved too much in such a short amount of time, according to race officials.

“We want to thank all our partners, who did not hesitate to give their time and support to this project,” Daniel Manibal, president and executive director of the tour, said in a written statement.

“They understand the importance of putting it off until 2008. They have already accomplished an amazing feat, and we want to assure them of our determination to make the Montreal-Boston Tour a reality, Manibal said.

Back home, some were let down by the news but could understand the need for a delay.

Keith Dobbins, a sales associate at Goodale’s Bike Shop in Nashua, said he was “extremely disappointed” when he learned of the postponement of the race, but agreed that the extra time would help provide a better event.

“It will give better chance for more people to get out there and realize cycling is fun, safe, healthy and a good investment,” Dobbins said in a telephone interview Wednesday evening.

Goodale’s had sponsored some of the bicycling events to be held in the city to coincide with the race.

Bob Hall, owner of Souhegan Cycleworks in Milford, was also looking forward to seeing the Montreal-Boston Tour this summer, until he heard the plans went flat.

Hall knows how difficult it is to put together an elaborate cycling race. In September, he helped organize a cyclo-cross race, where road bikes were used in an off-road competition.

“There’s lots of organizing for a one-day event in a single town, never mind an eight-day event in two countries with people from around the world getting involved,” he said from his Milford store Wednesday night.

Besides for community members, Gov. John Lynch, and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, were also big supporters of the race. In a statement released through his press spokesman, Lynch said he and his wife will continue to support bringing the international race through the state.

The second to last leg of the race was to end in Nashua. The final leg was to leave the city and end in Boston. City officials had expected the event, part of the pro bicycle racing tour, to bring thousands of spectators to downtown.

“The international bike race would have been a wonderful opportunity for our city to shine once again. The crowd expected for that day in our city would have, in all likelihood, exceeded the Olympic Torch run down our Main Street in 1996,” Streeter said.

Nashua officials said they will still hold the other events planned for the day, including bike races planned at Holman Stadium sponsored by Goodale’s, along with SummerFun children’s events at Greeley Park and an Energy Fair sponsored by the city’s Green Team.

City officials have been rounding up sponsors and donations to pay for the events and hadn’t planned on using tax dollars to cover any of the costs.

Hall, at Souhegan Cycleworks, said he understands how the postponement of the race can be disheartening, but doesn’t think the feelings will last.

“I think people are probably going to wait. I think any race takes a while to get going,” he said. “I’m pretty sure the cycling community won’t be thrilled that its not happening this year, but they will be patient for the race.”

Patrick Meighan can be reached at 594-6518 or [email protected]. Steve Bodnar can be reached at 594-6481 or [email protected]

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Somebody asked what the CCA had to with the postponement of the Montreal-Boston Race. I exaplained:

OK.

Now I get you.

Allow me to explain.

First, it helps to understand that history with Manibal and the CCA. In the past they detested each other. In fact, Manibal did not even want to see the CCA at his events. I told him he had no choice. That was due to Pierre Hutsebaut and other things.

I'm not sure how Manibal is dealing with the current CCA. Since they know nothing about cycling, he probably doesn’t have much of a problem with them.

Had this Montreal-Boston event been held it would have been THE biggest in the sport in Canada.

As such the CCA SHOULD HAVE HAD A VESTED INTEREST IN SEEING THIS THROUGH. THE CCA SHOULD HAVE BEEN FACILITING THINGS FOR MANIBAL ESPECIALLY AT THE NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. THE CCA IS IN OTTAWA AFTER ALL.

For such an event, like at the 2003 Road Worlds the CCA should have been in contact with government representatives from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Canadina Heritage - International Affairs Branch, (of which Sport Canda and therefore the CCA are part of), Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, etc.


THIS IS WHAT THE CCA SHOULD BE DOING, NOT TELLING US ABOUT FRIGGIN’ BELLS!!!!

As I told the Board of Direcotrs when I applied to run the CCA, the CCA should have a mandate to ensure that EACH PROVICNE HAS AT LEAST ONE NATIONAL IF NOT AN INTERNATIONAL SANCTION EVENT IN EVERY DISCIPLINE (that means road, track, mtb & now BMX). If the provinces are unable to do this on their own the CCA Competition Coordinator should be assisting them.

That’s what the CCA should be doing.


But the current and past management at the CCA couldn’t find their asses with both hands.

Lorraine Lafreniere is a talking head, a PR person who issued the statements she was told to issue. She has never organized and event, she only talks about them.

The CCA had another golden opportuity to hold a major international event and they blew it.

I hope this explains things to you.

Of course, if for you the big picture remains bells, then you probably won’t get this. You, like the CCA and most of its Board, are awash in mediocrity.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Do you think the Canadian Cycling Association is somewhat overwhelmed?

Their web site “Events calendar” on their home page lists three events: May 2, May 13 and May19-20.

Here we are in the peak of the season, most of June gone by and the national governing body of the sport cannot even manage to list its own events.

If the CCA cannot be bothered to update its own calendar how does it expect anybody else to take interest?

Instead we get asinine bike “tips” that don’t apply or are meaningless to everyone holding a racing license, the very clientele of the CCA.

What’s a matter, Lorraine? Can’t you keep up the pace? Did you think you were getting into a cushy PR job where you wouldn’t have to do anything for three-quarters of the day? I’ll bet you spend all your free time surfing the web for other jobs, huh!

I had told you to quit before you looked foolish. I guess it is too late for that….

Keep up the poor job.

What will you be cutting next? Who will be fired when you realize that revenues are dropping some more?

Bill Kinash’s mission of killing the sport nation-wide is almost complete.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

And you think the CCA doesn't read my posts or email????


A day after I posted this below pointing out their web site was more than a month behind in its calendar, they update the calendar.


Good for you, Lorraine. When I tell you to jump I want you to ask how high and how often.....

So when are you leaving? How foolish do you want to look?

Do you think the Canadian Cycling Association is somewhat overwhelmed?

Their web site “Events calendar” on their home page lists three events: May 2, May 13 and May19-20.

Here we are in the peak of the season, most of June gone by and the national governing body of the sport cannot even manage to list its own events.

If the CCA cannot be bothered to update its own calendar how does it expect anybody else to take interest?

Instead we get asinine bike “tips” that don’t apply or are meaningless to everyone holding a racing license, the very clientele of the CCA.

What’s a matter, Lorraine? Can’t you keep up the pace? Did you think you were getting into a cushy PR job where you wouldn’t have to do anything for three-quarters of the day? I’ll bet you spend all your free time surfing the web for other jobs, huh!

I had told you to quit before you looked foolish. I guess it is too late for that….

Keep up the poor job.

What will you be cutting next? Who will be fired when you realize that revenues are dropping some more?

Bill Kinash’s mission of killing the sport nation-wide is almost complete.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

You think it can't get worse and then this:

Looks like the Canadian Cycling Association is once again clueless, this time in regard to the Pan Am Games.


This cluelessness now seems to extended even to High Performance Director Kris Westwood. I challenge anyone to read his explanation of things and translate what he means. Of course this stuff is WAY over the head of CCA Director General Lorraine Lafreniere. Lorraine what did Kris just explain??????

Oh, and by the way, the athletes going to the Games are also listed. The Canadian Cycling Association itself has not listed their own athletes going on their own web site….


Typical ! :


http://www.canadiancyclist.com/default2.html

​

June 20/07 10:00 am EDT - USA Cycling Announces Pan Am Games Team - CCA Responds to C1 Status for MTB

Posted by Editor on 6/20/07.​

​

USA Cycling Announces Pan Am Games Team - CCA Responds to C1 Status for MTB

We had published last week a preliminary and unofficial list of Canadian athletes who will be attending the Pan Am Games (repeated below). The list did not contain any top mountain bikers because the event did not carry any UCI points ... or so we thought. USA Cycling then released its list of athletes for the Games, and stated that the mountain bike competition was a UCI event (C1), carrying ranking points. When we brought it to the attention of the CCA that there were UCI points available for mountain bike at the Games, we received an explanation from Kris Westwood, Director High Performance Programs. Below is the CCA response and the unofficial Canadian Games team.


CCA Response (Kris Westwood)

This came as a surprise as COPACI (Pan Am Games Association) had stated at last year's Pan Am congress that no UCI points would be awarded at the Games.

I checked with Peter van den Abeele at the UCI, and they used a completely different rationale to award points to Pan Am Games in mountain bike versus NOT awarding points to road and track.

The intent here is to give another points scoring opportunity to South American nations, as they have very few mountain bike events on the international calendar.

The argument for not giving points to road and track is that the Games have very limited participation through a restrictive qualification process, and there is also a Pan Am championship on the calendar so points couldn't be given to both events.

In the end, the former arguments won over the latter in mountain bike, and the opposite was the case in road and track. (Kris, WTF are you saying????? Sounds like you had no clue before and still have no clue now. Apparently spending too much time at the CCA makes you into an idiot)




This will not affect Canada in any way. Pan Am Games are on the calendar as a C1 event, an athlete can count a maximum of five C1 events to his or her points total, and our athletes have access to a ton of C1 events. Bromont, Tremblant, Hardwood and Canmore are all C1s, as are Sea Otter, Fontana, Park City and Banner Elk on the US calendar. Sending our top athletes to Pan Ams - even if it fit in their calendar - would be unlikely to increase our points total.

I would point out that Catharine Pendrel is now the third Canadian on the UCI rankings, so she will potentially contribute to our points total, though we don't have much to worry about on the women's side with all the points Marie-Hélène is earning.


Unofficial Canadian Games Team

Men's Road Race
Dominique Rollin
Charles Dionne
Ryan McKenzie
Keven Lacombe

Men's ITT
Dominique Rollin
Eric Smith

Men's Track
Madison: Ryan McKenzie & Keven Lacombe
Individual Pursuit: Ryan McKenzie
Points: Eric Smith
Sprint: Cam Evans

No Canadian women on the track as none qualified

Women's Road Race
Anne Samplonius
Joelle Numainville

Women's ITT
Anne Samplonius
Joelle Numainville

Men's MTB
Mathieu Toulouse
Ricky Federau

Women's MTB
Catherine Pendrel

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Australia 6, Canada ZERO!


Sitting here in New York watching the 2007 Tour de France on the Versus cable television channel is proving to be a bittersweet experience.



The TV coverage is excellent, three or four hours a day, first live and then taped replayed at mid-day and in the evening. Some of the stages are shown without any ads for the last hour.



No more scenic fluff spot or unnecessary graphic, just racing, like in Europe.



How has the TV coverage been back in Canada? Probably not so good, huh? Can you imagine what it must have been like to read The Toronto Star back when Ernest Hemmingway was covering the Tour de France for them as a correspondent!



It becomes bittersweet because one of the major sponsors of the show is Cérvelo, the bike manufacturer doing so well in the pro peloton formerly of Quebec, now of Ontario. Cérvelo is a hug success story that most Canadians have probably never heard of.



Today during Stage 8 two or three on six Australians were either forced to quit or didn’t make the time gap. That still gives the Australians three or four more guys in the race than Canada.



How sad for Canadian cycling that Australia can enter six guys in the Tour de France and Canada does not have one rider in the event. They have not had a rider for years. In fact, somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but in all of Canadian cycling history we have had only three riders compete in the Tour de France, two in Yellow, Alex Stieda, Steve Bauer and Gord Fraser. Geoff Brown of Ottawa was in it for years as a mechanic.



How can Australia field so many riders and Canada so few?



I’ll tell you how, because Australia spends far more than Canada does, both from their government and from the private sector and Australia has people in place who know what they are doing.



The Canadian Cycling Association and its past President and current Board Member-at- Large, Bill Kinash are to blame. Canada has people like Lorraine Lafrenière running their cycling program who never saw a bike race before taking over the sport.



How stupid is that?



How does this happen.



What will we do about it?



Prepare to be very disappointed in China for the 2008 Olympics.

 

[kclw]

Actually the TV coverage in Canada is exactly the same as what you describe.

It has been that way for the past 7 years.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

The CCA loses another position.

Soon Lorraine Lafreniere will sit there alone in Ottawa with noblody left to tell her what' s going one.

Good work, Lorraine.

How are those new sponsors coming along?

Any big plans for CanBike tips next year!!!!




Kris Westwood gone...
Geez, who is going to write the CCA ******** now?

Has Lorriane Lafreniere had time to learn how to do that?

At least she is still there and she will sure be a big help to High Performance!

Maybe somebosy can explain this to me, "The CCA announced today the decision to remove the position of High Performance Director as part of a realignment of the High Performance sector prior to Beijing."
http://www.canadian-cycling.com/cca..._director.shtml

So you are preparing for the Olympics next year and you ELIMINATE the position of High Performance Directors???? WTF does that mean??????

Are we now going to get a Director of Mediocrity? Oh, no, we already have plenty of those don't we....

And so you were warned and you continue to ignore and deny the obvious.

The legacy of Bill Kinash contines. He has just about driven Canadian Cycling completely into the ground.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

Do we need more proof Bill Kinash and his pretty flunkie Lorraine Lafreniere have ruined the sport of cycling in Canada???

OK

How about Canada's dismal performance at the Mountain Bike World Championships. No medals for Canada. Get ready, that will be result in Beijing as well

Good thing Lafreniere fired the High Performance Director Kris Westwood, he wasn't needed any more there is no High Performance at the CCA.

As the performance declines so will Sport Canada funding the CCA's only funding. Corporate sponsorship is non-existant thanks to former President and Board Member-at-large Bill Kinash hiring only people who know nothing about the sport like Lafreniere, and Steve Lacelle before her and Kim Sebrango. Great philosophy,"hire only people with no experience in the sport to run the sport.

how long can this continue before the sports media, the riders, the organanzers, the coaches, the teams, the industry DEMAND a change?:

09.08.07 - Mountain bike – world championships - Three Canadians in the top-15

Montreal, September 8, 2007 – Three Canadian riders cracked the top-15 in the women’s cross country race on Saturday at the world mountain bike championships being held at Fort Williams, Scotland.

Quebec’s Marie-Hélène Prémont posted the best result finishing fourth while Catherine Pendrel and Kiara Bisaro, both of B.C., were sixth and 11th respectively.

Irina Kalentieva of Russia won the gold medal completing the four-lap 34.2 kilometre race in one hour and 44 minutes and 08 seconds. Sabine Spitz of Germany was second, 39 seconds behind the winner, and Jingjing **** of China third 1:42. back.

Prémont, the bronze medallist at last year’s worlds, was 3:16 behind the Russian. Pendrel and Bisaro were respectively 4:11 and 6:23 from the winning time.

‘’It’s my best ever performance at the world championships,’’ said Pendrel, a Kamloops resident. ‘’My goal was a top-10 finish but I was confident I could make the top-five. I was fourth from the middle of the second lap to the start of the fourth lap.’’

Pendrel experienced leg pains on that final lap which dropped her in the standings. She has now competed at four worlds and was 32nd last year.

‘’I’m very pleased with what I’ve accomplished. Fourth would have been great but sixth is good. I’m confident now I can finish in the top-five at the World Cup final next weekend.’’

Canadian men struggle

In the men’s race, Seamus McGrath of Duncan, B.C., was the top Canadian placing 31st. Geoff Kabush and Ricky Federau, also both from B.C., were 50th and 62nd respectively.

Julien Absalon of France successfully defended his world title fending off a charging Ralph Naef of Switzerland. Absalon won by 25 seconds over Naef with Florian Vogel of Switzerland third 54 seconds back.

McGrath was 6:42 behind the winner in the six-lap 51.3 kilometre race.

‘’I’m having an average season. I’ve done better than that. I neared the top-eight at the last Olympics. I had high hopes,’’ said McGrath, ninth in Athens. ‘’My result today is a reflection of my season. I’m now going to focus on next season to be ready for the Beijing Games.’’

‘’I know I can be in the top-10. But based on my results this year I was aiming for a top-15,’’ said McGrath.

McGrath wasn’t able to reach peak condition this season. ‘’I was very ill in March and April. I’m still not fully recovered.’’

Kabush concluded a nightmare week. He suffered a cut on his arm last week in training which required 25 stitches. Then his trip to Scotland was delayed a day when the airplane was damaged due to a fire. Once he landed in Glasgow, the road to Fort Williams was closed and he was forced to make a lengthy detour and only arrived late that night. To make matters worst, the airline lost his training bike and he was forced to borrow one.

With all his bad luck, it seemed a miracle that he completed the first lap in 25th spot.

 

[Jasmineminor]

Does anyone but myself find it 'interesting' (maybe not the correct choice of words) that M. Arzouian has so much to say about what is being done wrong at the CCA, but very little to say about what should be done to fix it and how he would go about it (besides firing everyone who is currently employed).

Easy to critisize but how about presenting a PLAN, sir!

 

[kclw]

K

How about Canada's dismal performance at the Mountain Bike World Championships. No medals for Canada. Get ready, that will be result in Beijing as well

Didn't you say the same thing before the last olympics?

It is easy to say that there will be no medals at the olympics, if you do the math we shouldn't medal.

In the mens the chances of medaling are remote. Kabush is very fast but even injury free (you know he 20 stiches in his arm at worlds) I don't think he can medal. At best he is top 7 but not top 3. Plaxton has the potential to medal a couple of years down the road but not next year.

In the womens field we have a better shot. We have one maybe two medal contenders. However,it seems that a lot women are capable of winning a world cup. Gunrita, Spitz, Furlana, Kataleva, the two Chinese(I know there is three but only two go to the olympics), and Premont can win at any time. To go out and predict a medal for a Canadian women is definately going out on a limb. But we do have a decent chance, lets say 3/7 odds.

I agree the performance at MTB worlds was dispointing on many fronts. But there where some positives.

Lets see how much you know. What where they?

 

[Fausto Coppied]

You want to claim cracking the top 20 is a positive thing when we used to be in the top 3?

As for Olympic predcitions in 2004, I said the medal count would be very low. It was.

Swimming and rowing were disasters.

Cycling came very close to being one as well.

We salavaged a few medals.

Next year cycling will not get one Olympic medal. Not one.

Swimming has completely re-vamped their program by hiring people who know swimming.

The Canadian Cycling Association has made things worse by hiring even more people who know even less about cycling and then worsening things by firing those peope who did know something about cycling.

 

[kclw]

You want to claim cracking the top 20 is a positive thing when we used to be in the top 3?

As for Olympic predcitions in 2004, I said the medal count would be very low. It was.

Swimming and rowing were disasters.

Cycling came very close to being one as well.

We salavaged a few medals.

So you don't know what the positive good news was. There was two very impressive results. That look good for the future.

Perhaps you should brush up on your knowledge before you start commenting.

Your right the our odds of medaling in cycling at the olympics are low. But you know what they better then the cycling powers of Italy, or Belgium.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

I don't care much about U23 women in the top 10 either.

 

[Jasmineminor]

Does anyone but myself find it 'interesting' (maybe not the correct choice of words) that M. Arzouian has so much to say about what is being done wrong at the CCA, but very little to say about what should be done to fix it and how he would go about it (besides firing everyone who is currently employed).

Easy to critisize but how about presenting a PLAN, sir!

M. Arzouian

Are you going to respond to my question?

How about a PLAN to revamp the CCA. Your *****ing and compalining is getting monotonous!!!

 

[holli]

2003 was the last good year for canadian MTB? Well even that year the results were delivered by "old guard" in other words Green and Sydor. When the old guys quit there were no one to step up and take their place as there were no juniors moving up and other seniors were at their max already. At the moment there are Mcgrath and Kabush who have been top 30 finishers for the last 7-8 years(?) I would say that it's highly unlikely that these two will make it to top-10 in worlds or olympics. There are not many yesterdays top juniors there anymore right? Plaxton and Kindree are two but that's more or less it? So now canadian cycling is harvesting what was sowed in 1999-2003 or even earlier.

For example Switzerland is doing pretty well now and looking back couple of years give some explanation.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

M. Arzouian

Are you going to respond to my question?

How about a PLAN to revamp the CCA. Your *****ing and compalining is getting monotonous!!!

Oh, God, this question again! I have been answering it since 2003. If you want it done hire me and I'll do it.

OK, one more time:

originally posted Pedalmag.com
Feb 10, 2005 10:18 am Post subject:

​

Anonymous wrote:

Instead of taking personal shots at each other, we should be discussing what should be happening and is there anything we can do beyond making this public discussion which we know they read.​

​

Excellent idea.

Is there anything we can do beyond making this pulbic discusssin. Yet bet there is. Here is a whole list of things they could do. You can pick you favorites and write to Bill Kinash and the CCA Board of Directors (all addresses at CCA under "contact us" on a PDF document or write to me and I'll send all you need). Write to your provinces. Write to your newspaper and tell them how screwed up things are and ask why nobody is paying attention. Do we have to wait for a total meltdown likeat Swim Canada. Write to Pedal, Canadian Cyclist and VeloNews and ask why they are buryng their heads in the sand.

Write to this guy, he oversees what the CCA gets.:
Tom Scrimger
Director General/Directeur général
Sport Canada
Rm. 5, 16th Fl., 15 Eddy St./Pièce 5, 16e étage, 15 rue Eddy
Gatineau, QC K1A 0M5
(819) 956-8153 /Fax (819) 956-8006

[email protected]

Here is a short list of things that was posted many times.

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What would I do about it? I have already outlined much of that elsewhere. I will do it again here.

1. I am ready and willing to handle the CCA's Marketing and Communications. I would have no problem working with Brett Stewart (current Interim Director General running to be the new Chief Operating Officer) and I do not think he would have a problem working with me. Having had to work under Hutsebaut is like having shared going to war together it brings people closer and creates a bond only those that were there can understand! They need only ask.

2. I would see to it that the CCA focused on domestic racing, all racing, and NOT send our best riders overseas to chase UCI points as was the case for the last ten years.

3. Short term that might mean a loss of Sport Canada funding so we would have to work to wean the CCA off the Sport Canada teat and find it corporate sponsors, in the same way Ski Canada, which used to get $5 million in sponsorship now gets $13 million. They get the same $1.2 million base from Sport Canada. The CCA now gets about $400,000 in sponsorship. How can skiing be 30 times more popular than cycling? I do not think it is more popular at all but even if it is, it surely is not 30 times more popular. The only difference is one person, Ski Canada has Ken Read (before Read they still had $4,000,000, more than the CCA). The CCA has left its Marketing Director job vacant for 21 months. How can you find sponsors if you refuse to even look? That is incompetence and negligence two stated reason for impeachment in the by-laws.

4. I would improve communications at the CCA and see to it that it trickled down to all those provincial associations who are not doing it properly. Quebec would be excluded since they regularly hold press conferences which are well attended and get good coverage.
4 a) simple thing, host a discussion forum on the CCA site to discuss future plans and get **** from people like you, instead of creating rumours and misinformation on sites like this.

5. I would work closer and more open channels to all the mainstream players in the media, picking the key reporters who like the sport and want to see it covered. This is not very difficult. There are only about a dozen key players to focus on across the country. I'm already on a first name basis with most of them.

I have spoken with the Sports Editor of The Leader Post in Regina, CCA President Bill Kinash's hometown. The Editor was not aware of Bill Kinash until I made mention of him. Twenty years of work with the Saskatchewan Cycling Association and his hometown doesn't have a clue who he is. How can you put that guy in charge of the sport nation-wide? The Editor there said "cycling is less than vibrant in SK". Sports Editors at most newspaper across the country already know who I am and respond to my calls and emails. Some have even come to post here, haven't they...

6. I would separate all Master National championships from Junior, Espoirs and Elite National Championship to focus on the young categories where development is needed if there is to be any future.
6. a) This should allow both championships to grow and make for better races for all categories. It creates another big sponsorship opportunity. It differentiates the groups and makes it easier to target the markets sponsors are looking for.

7. A well-sponsored national road series WITH NEW EVENTS would be a very high priority.
7 a) To know what well-sponsored was I would open up CCA financial statements and post them on-line, instead of keeping them a secret. The only reason to hide this information is because it is bad news and embarrassing. If the deals with Louis Garneau and Tim Hortons are poor we should know about it. It should not be hidden from us.

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

8. Cycling Tracks in downtown Montreal and Toronto would be very high priorities. Now that the CCA has this charitable foundation, I think I would use it to launch a dedicated fund aimed only at build a velodrome. I would consider the possibility of asking for a surcharge on each and every racing license in the country until there was enough money. There could be a cycling referendum on it. That’s what we did as students at McGill to build the new sports complex. For years while I attended McGill I paid into this a fund each semester like all other students to get the new field house built. I have never stepped into the place but I paid five bucks every course or every semester like everybody else until they had enough to launch the project. Some corporate donors matched the funding.

9. Sales of CCA promotional item across the country via Internet and better bike shops would be undertaken.
9 a) Create a list of "CCA-Approved Bike Shops" nation-wide to sell CCA promotional stuff and to let licensed riders get small discounts and know which shops are racing-friendly (ie they sponsor riders, teams, or events)

10. I would re-instate an Official National Criterium Championship for Juniors, Espoirs and Elite (men and women), another important marketing opportunity.

11. I would eliminate Master A and add more riders to the Elite field or find a way to incorporate them into Elite field. More riders, better show.

12 I would seek to bring back into the sport all those people with great experience and much knowledge that Pierre Hutsebaut and Brian Jolly have so ****** off that they have left or will have nothing to do with the sport. I’m thinking of guys like Mirek Mazur and others.

13. Present a full slate of qualified candidates for every position that will be open at the next CCA Annual General Meeting. Announce these candidates to the general public not just Provincial Presidents far in advance of the AGM. Have the candidates agree to work with one another on a platform that will have been presented openly and publicly and discussed beforehand with the cycling community on forums like this
13 a) Make the delegates who vote at the AGM public and accountable so their provincial constituents know what they done in their name.

That’s a good start.

If we could get rid of current CCA President Bill Kinash now by impeaching him and electing Lesley Tomlinson President, as allowed and laid out in the CCA by-laws, we would not have to suffer through another season of his mistakes and inaction. Instead of wasting three years we will have wasted only two.


Once those things were implemented I would then work on some bigger changes…

We are told the CCA has a 12-year Strategic Plan. Have you seen it? Why is it a secret as well? I can post my plan but the CCA wants to keep theirs in the dark.

Do Bill Kinash and his Board of Directors own the CCA???? Do they have shares in it?

Last time I looked it was supposed to belong to taxpayers. That being the case why hide everything from the public?

It can only be to hide what a poor job they are doing of managing it.



----------



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



I would add today, Sept. 17, 2007:



1. Fire Lorraine Lafrenière (now than Kim Sebrango was fired, something I called for for months). Hire somebody with experience and understanding of the sport going in. not somebody who has to learn on the job. Hire somebody who is passionate about the sport and can communicate that passion to others. Sounds like common sense does it. It still isn’t happening, Kinash and now Pierre Blanchard continue to hire people who know nothing about the sport.

2. Move the CCA out of its disarray of crappy but very expensive ($52,000/yr.) office space in Ottawa and put it near the Forest City Velodrome. Create a complete cycling complex with tracks, mechanic shops, testing and training facilities. Leverage the $600,000 Hamilton Legacy being ****** away in $2000 payments and use it to bargain with a municipal, provincial and federal governments to match it with grants ($600,000 to a municipal $600,000 for $1.2 million to a provincial $1.2 Million for $2.4 million to match a federal $2.4 million for a total of $4.8 million). Show sponsors that were are serious about the sport. Make big plans you get big sponsors.



3. Dump the current sponsors who are undervaluing the sponsorship (i.e. Tim Horton’s and Louis Garneau). If we have to go without sponsors for a year so be it better that than to give the sport away.



4. One serious dialogue with the cycling industry in Canada. The players have big bucks. They sponsor foreign teams and do little at home.



5. Focus on bringing back road racing to downtown major metropolitan areas. That is key.



I’ll give you more but how is that for starters.

 

[dropped]

I suspect Jasmineminor simply hasn't seen your list Ed. There are many very good suggestions there, but the issue is the CCA and their inability to make positive things happen. I just finished reading LAM's book "One Gear, No Breaks" - not very complimentary for the CCA at all. Makes one wonder exactly what they see their purpose as?

 

[kclw]

2003 was the last good year for canadian MTB? Well even that year the results were delivered by "old guard" in other words Green and Sydor. When the old guys quit there were no one to step up and take their place as there were no juniors moving up and other seniors were at their max already. At the moment there are Mcgrath and Kabush who have been top 30 finishers for the last 7-8 years(?) I would say that it's highly unlikely that these two will make it to top-10 in worlds or olympics. There are not many yesterdays top juniors there anymore right? Plaxton and Kindree are two but that's more or less it? So now canadian cycling is harvesting what was sowed in 1999-2003 or even earlier.

For example Switzerland is doing pretty well now and looking back couple of years give some explanation.

Definately that was last great year for us. Chances are that will never happen again. Mountain biking is a world wide sport no single nation can or should dominate it. Even Switzerland, which is doing extremely well, did not win the top two events (mens and womens XC). Actually they didn't win a single gold out side of juniors, and the relay.

I disagree with your assement of Kabush, he did place 3rd at the world cup in Saint Anne this year. Healthy he is a top 10 riders (but not a top three).

Plaxton, Kindree and Gagne are our top male espoirs. Lots of potential in those three. With some decent coaching they could be spectacular.

For women, Emily had a very good worlds for a first year U23. (Remember the womens U23 category is relatively faster than the mens). Pendrel is also a relatively young rider who certain appears to have the potential to medal at worlds at some point.

As for Ed. You don't care about U23? What does developement mean nothing to you? A top 10 in the very competative womens U23 doesn't mean anything? Never mind that the first and last world cups where won by U23s and the top 10 at world cups is peppered with U23 riders.

Anybody with any kind of cycling knowledge know that U23 is what matters. It is just about to late to do anything about the senior riders (If you can't crack the top 10 after a couple years as a senior you never will). But a top 10 by a 19 year old U23 is something to build on.

 

[Fausto Coppied]

kclw,


I said I do not care about U23 women's MTB and I do not.


How much more can you marginalize the sport? Let's have U23 women with green eyes and over 160 cm in height who were born on Feb 29th.

You know what, nobody else, in general, cares either.


Nobody even gives a s h i t about women's cycling except for Genevieve Jeanson (and she's gone, I’ll have to look up her restaurant in AZ now that she’s single again!) and a couple others. Canada clings to it because it is the only place they get results (used to). If that is not politically correct I don't give a rat's ass.*


You people simply do not get it.

As MTB rise the sport sinks.

Cry and whine all you want.

The media and the BIG sponsor care ONLY about BIG-TIME Men's Road Racing.

Once you get that in order everything else improves.

Let that sink and so does the sport.

No, I know do not want to hear it.


TOO BAD!

*Here's a little anecdote to illustrate the difference between men's and women's cycling.

Back when I was riding I was selected to go the US Olympic Development team training camps in Colorado Spring ('85, '86 '87) for three weeks in February. I arrived after little or no riding in the winter, maybe some track since the Montreal velodrome was still there. I was coming from sea level to 6000 ft.

On some of the group rides (40 to 60 guys and some of the "A" team US Olympic women we rode from Colorado Springs to Ute Pass (9600 ft. all climbing)

I was riding in the back of the bunch and chatting with a guy from Pennsylvania (sea level, winter riding, just getting his legs back). We allowed ourselves to fall back in the line. By 3/4 of the way up, past Manitou Springs it was strung out in a line and we were still talking and telling jokes. Suddenly the first US Olympic team women's rider caught us.

We started laughing and said time to pedal bit. With a few flicks of the pedals we dropped her and caught the guys ahead.

END OF STORY.

Well, maybe not, at 46 years old, riding two times a week and 30 pounds overweigh I could race with most pro women in a crit since many of them cannot ride a straight lien or turn a corner.

Here in Binghamton last month with a few of tehm, maybe 15 girls, they had a big crash riding tempo , sort of like Lynn Bessette and that German in Athens Olympics when at the front of field chasing Sue Palmer-Komar (who was pushing an excruciatingly big gear), when Lynn Bessette should have been ready to counter attack, she crashed.