Cycle Tour faces ban on top riders
Pros warned of ‘consequences’ of riding in unsanctioned event
BIG NAMES such as Britain’s Mark Cavendish, a veteran of the Tour de France, could withdraw from this year’s Cape Town Cycle Tour, the world’s biggest timed cycling event, just a few weeks before the race on March 8.
This comes after Cycling SA, the national cycling body, warned that licensed riders could be fined and even suspended from taking part in future events.
This means last year’s winners of the Cycle Tour, Nolan Hoffman and Cherise Stander, would not be allowed to defend their titles. If they and any other professional riders were to take part in the event, regarded as South Africa’s most prestigious cycle race, they could face a fine of R1 200 and a 30-day suspension from events sanctioned by Cycling SA and the Union Cycliste Internationale’s (UCI).
Organisers of the Cycle Tour said they were baffled by the “threats” made by the national cycling body as they would ultimately hurt the sport.
Last week, Cycling SA – which governs cycling in South Africa – sent an e-mail to its members warning them about the possible consequences of taking part in socalled unsanctioned events.
It referred to the UCI’s “forbidden races rule” which states: “No licence holder may participate in an event that has not been included on a national, continental or world calendar or that has not been recognised by a national federation, a continental confederation or the UCI.”
Licence holders to the global cycling outfit include all professional athletes who are required to register with the union to participate in most of the world’s top races.
The problem is that the Cycle Tour is not sanctioned by the national body. Last year, after a prolonged court battle with Cycling SA, the Pedal Power Association won its appeal to host its events, including the Cape Town Cycle Tour, without requiring sanctioning by the national body.
At the time, the association said sanctioning would require all riders to pay a day licence fee to Cycling SA which chairman Steve Hayward labelled as an “unfair and unnecessary tax”.
If the entire field of 35 000 had to pay the day licence fee, it would mean an income of an estimated R1.5 million for the national body. The Cycle Tour has a signed agreement with the Western Province Cycling Association to sanction only overseas riders with a “full racing licence”. Cycling SA have said the association did not have the authority to sign such an agreement.
Western Cape politicians, including former Transport MEC Robin Carlisle and Tourism MEC Alan Winde supported the association, lashing out at Cycling SA for threatening the Cycle Tour which they said was hugely important to the province’s economy.
Pedal Power Association’s victory in court put the event back on track.
As part of the ruling, Cycling SA would sanction the elite men and women’s events for the Coronation Double Century, Stellenbosch Cycle Tour and Cape Town Cycle Tour, and in return the organisers would pay the levies for the riders to Western Cape Cycling, a branch of the national body.
But last week it seems the organisation backpedalled, warning that riders would be fined and even receive a one-month ban from future “sanctioned events”. It wrote that the UCI’s “forbidden races rule” was once again applicable for the 2015 cycling season.
Hayward said the national body’s leadership had told him they had no choice but to enforce this rule. But, he added: “This is not true, they do have the power to allow riders to take part in the event.”
The Pedal Power Association chairman pointed at the UCI stipulation that special exceptions for particular races or events could be made by the national federation.
“It just baffles me why they are deciding to go after riders. I have to ask the question, why?” said Hayward.
Cycle Tour Trust director David Bellairs said he had spoken to Cavendish’s legal team who said they would decide on the rider’s participation pending clarification from the UCI.
He added the participation of women’s road cycling champion Ashley Moolman was also in doubt.
“That’s the only contact I have had about this from riders so far. It’s up to the elite riders if they want to take part… It will be sad to lose them but at the end of the day, the cycle tour is about the other 35 000 riders and they will still be there,” he said.
Bellairs said he objected to the mandatory licence fee and levies required by Cycling SA for a sanctioned event because it took away from the money the Pedal Power Association pumped back into cycling at grassroots level.
“I could understand if we were a corporate entity and putting all the money in our own pockets, but we do this for the benefit of the public… The Cape Town Cycle Tour is all about putting that money right back into cycling in South Africa.”
Mike Bradley, the general manager of Cycling SA, said they had received notification from the UCI on February 9. “We first sent it to our road teams for input and advised the Pedal Power Association of potential sanction of riders by UCI. We wrote to the UCI to ask them to confirm the rule was still under suspension and they came back with that reply.
“We have sent a letter to UCI asking them to clarify and they said they would reply to us by Friday. We have also advised Pedal Power and requested a meeting to come to a solution.”