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Brian Cookson at the site in Paris where the UCI was founded (source Brian Cookson Images, Flickr)Brian Cookson: Lance Armstrong participation in Tour de France charity ride "inappropriate and disrespectful"
UCI president Brian Cookson says Lance Armstrong's planned participation on part of a charity ride that will tackle the Tour de France route this summer a day ahead of the race is "inappropriate and disrespectful."
The disgraced cyclist has been invited to spend a couple of days on the ride by former England footballer Geoff Thomas, who credits cancer survivor Armstrong with helping insprire him to successfully fight leukaemia after being diagnosed with the disease in 2003.
Although the UCI has no jurisdiction over the event, which Thomas hopes will raise £1 million for the charity Cure Leukaemia, Cookson was unequivocal in his opinion when speaking at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club in London.
He said it was "completely inappropriate and disrespectful to the Tour de France, the peloton and the UCI" for Armstrong, banned from sport for life in 2012 and stripped of the seven yellow jerseys he won between 1999 and 2005, to take part.
The Texan's planned participation in the event has polarised opinion. Some believe that Armstrong's presence will help Thomas raise more funds for his charity, with broadcaster Ned Boulting among those to wish the ex-footballer well in achieving his goal.
Others, such as Sir Dave Brailsford maintain that Armstrong should stay away, with the Team Sky principal expressing concerns that the media attention his presence in France would undoubtedly bring would be a "massive distraction" from this summer's race.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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40 comments
Having met Geoff at the 2007 TFD in London , i wish him SUCCESS in his Fund Raising efforts !
I am glad i did not get invited , since i have nO Idea where i would raise the 50k for which each of the team has responsibility .
WHY are ALL getting " knickers in a twist "? IF the guy is only good for several stages , doesn't this demonstrate that he did not have the ability to ride 7 TDF in Good Health ?
Come on Brian , get on YOUR Bike and ride with Geoff , he may not ask you to chip in from the CHF260k that you get for voicing your opinions ? You will be at the TDF for the start , so arrive a day earlier and help Geoff Thomas get this important " Fund Raiser " off to a good start !
Meanwhile i will ride for the 18th time , on the day and try to evade the attention of the Gendarmerie Cadets , who wouldn't know a " Disabled Athlete " let alone help a man with a White Stick , across the road !
Even georgethecyclist.blogspot will ride more of the route than 7 failures !
He who is without sin.
Bet you've done something wrong in your life too. There can only be good come from a fund raiser for cancer charity.
Hope it never is disease that you suffer from
Guy gets cancers. Guy reads Lance's book, and returns to it time and again for inspiration during treatment. Guy survives and takes up cycling to raise money for cancer, again inspired by Lance. Guy befriends Lance. Guy invites his friend on a couple of stages of his latest ride - a ride which Lance is NOT banned from. The world goes mad!!!
Cookson should keep his nose out - what has this gotta do with the UCI?
Agreed. Not content with the normal disciplinary route some people want to see him hunted out of everything.
Cookson seems like a good guy but what he should have said is this.
Could not agree more with that statement oozaveared
my respect for Cookson is growing - he's not afraid to speak out.
Agree. I care more that he is willing to have and express an opinion than what the opinion actually is to some extent.
Though in this case I agree.
Doesn't take much courage to speak out against the fallen, opposing whom was part of your election campaign. This is just appeasing his supporter base, specially in the UK.
His bravery is more apparent if he speaks out this openly on the current issues of the sport - ongoing doping issues, money & exploitation in women's cycling, and his plans for popularising cycling as a sport to the 90% population that lives outside Europe and US.
Maybe, but he is choosing his battles a bit carefully. Few are going to disagree on him mouthing off against Armstrong. There are other promises he isn't speaking out on, and I don't recall he had much to say about Zorzoli, for example
Lance Armstrong: disrespectful and inappropriate? Surely not!
Let him ride, I say. I don't accept Brailsford's worry. Pro cycling needs to accept the past in order to move into the future, and all that crap. Mind you, that's not so easy when pro riders are still being caught out for doping on a pretty much monthly basis.
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