The president of the UCI, Pat McQuaid seeks calm in the conflict with ASO, organiser of Paris-Nice. The Irish leader has, however, classified "race to the sun" of "wild race."
The prologue of the Paris-Nice Sunday Amilly (Loiret) has kicked off a test described as a "wild race" by the International Cycling Union (UCi). In a letter to teams and riders before the prologue, the president of the UCI, Irishman Pat McQuaid, warned without presenting a threatening tone. "Enforcement remaining reserved on the subject, I must draw your attention to the implications of participating in a race held outside the UCI regulations," writes Pat McQuaid.
The president of the UCI believes that outside regulation, "the complications, uncertainties and surprises are inevitable." He mentioned the lack of guarantee of participation "according to objective and neutral criteria laid down clearly in advance", as well as exclusion rules of this race decided by the organisers. While acknowledging the "good reputation" of ASO (Organizer of the Paris-Nice) on the organisation, he called "uncertain" the situation with regard to insurance and liability of teams and riders, "in the event of accident or other forms of harm" .
Pat McQuaid also stresses that in the absence of international commissioners (replaced by national commissioners), the various guarantees provided by the UCI regulations are lacking. The rules "may be different from one race to another or from one edition to another, or to change at the last minute," said the UCI adding that "the organiser remains master of the rules during the race and can make decisions according to its most personal interpretations. "
"As far as he is concerned the passport bio, I wish to inform you that its development will be continued within the limits that will be required, especially financially," he says. The letter was seen by several team leaders as a sign of the crisis subsided in the last few days and the threat to suspend the platoon of the Paris-Nice race organised under the aegis of the French Federation.
"It is important that the 2008 season was normal in the sports," summed up one of them. "To do this it was necessary to meet. Consider this Paris-Nice, which everyone wants to run as a truce and discussing sports for not find a comparable situation prior to the Paris-Roubaix on April 13.