The Cycling as a sport is losing its credibility with increasing events about doping and other things that makes people uncomfortable during an interview and exclaims that the question being asked or some recording being played is off the record.
In a recent interview of Pat McQuaid that come out in the newspaper this week was not only about the CIRC( Cycling Independent Reform Commission) that was looking into allegations of anti-doping cover-ups and corruption during his term as the resident of Union Cycliste Internationale or UCI which is the governing body of world cycling. It was very clear that just because no evidence was found then that did not mean the UCI would stop and was not looking for any more. Pat had never actually said anything off or on record about things related to anti-doping but only if you go further at the report made by CIRC you understand some of the things that Pat was talking about and that was off record.
When it comes to the war on doping in the peloton Cookson has realized that the UCI presidency will not make much of a difference and that it could go either way.
Cookson has invested a lot on the sport and his credibility. Marakov who was one of Cookson’s supports is no more on his side and so the Astana decision is not only about, if or not they will get to ride this summer in Peloton. It is going to be an important decision and statement about how much things have changed since the term of Pat’s UCI presidency or how much it hasn’t.
Pat having made things so perfectly clear in his interview with the newspaper had several reasons which are now going to be crystal clear and plausible even though they have been made off the record.