CYCLING:Pat McQuaid's job as UCI president will become easier or much more difficult today, depending on the outcome of a meeting of professional teams in Brussels.
The International Association of Professional Cycling Teams (AIGCP) is gathering to discuss the crisis affecting the ProTour series and to decide on what action to take.
In recent months ASO (organisers of the Tour de France) and those who run the Tours of Italy and Spain, have underlined their opposition to the ProTour.
Between them, the organisers run 11 events listed by the UCI as part of the 27-race ProTour series, but a power struggle with the governing body has led to the organisers rejecting the ProTour, which was introduced to promote the growth of the sport.
The crisis worsened in recent weeks when the organisers stated they would prevent one ProTour team, Unibet.com, from starting their races. The move was seen as a direct provocation of the UCI.
In response, the governing body removed Paris-Nice from the calendar, but the situation became even more complicated when ASO hit back by stating it would work with the French federation, running the eight-day tour as a national event.
Under current UCI rules, top-level teams cannot contest such national races, which are normally reserved for amateur and semi-professional riders.
The teams have been advised of this by the governing body, yet the ASO chairman, Patrice Clerc, suggested yesterday that those that obey the UCI in not riding Paris-Nice would be excluded from the Tour de France.
When contacted yesterday by The Irish Times, McQuaid said Clerc's stance was tantamount to an effort to blackmail teams into submission.
"Once again, ASO is abusing the position it has," he stated. "It is using the dominant position of the Tour de France to try to force teams into Paris-Nice.
"The regulations say that ProTour and Continental Professional teams cannot ride national events. They (ASO) are trying to lever teams in other ways, basically blackmailing them into riding Paris-Nice.
"It doesn't surprise me they have done something like this."
Today's AIGCP meeting is likely to lead to the teams collectively taking a stance. McQuaid says the ball is in their court.
"It is up to them to decide what they want to do. At the end of the day it is their ProTour. We have been defending their interests, defending everybody who follows the rules, which is what our job is to do.
"We don't know what way it will go; I don't think anybody does," he added.
Meanwhile, Philip Deignan, Nicholas Roche, David O'Loughlin, Ciarán Power, David McCann, Dermot Nally, Paul Healion, Mark Scanlon, Enda Smyth and Cathal Miller have received Sports Council grants of €12,000 each.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday: Connacht RR series, round four, Fr Sammon Community Centre, Monivea, noon; Annaclone GP, starts noon.
Sunday: Cycleways Cup, Navan Rugby Club, 12.30pm; Cycling Pursuits Cup, Broadford, Co Limerick, 1.0pm; Connacht MTB League, round four, Clarinbridge, Co Galway, noon; Phoenix GP, Nutts Corner, Antrim, 1.0pm.
