McQuaid: "The Irish people against me were the new cyclists who don’t know the history of Irish cycling, nor have any interest in it.”
By Brian Canty
Former UCI president Pat McQuaid says he did not get the credit he deserved for his role in fighting doping and helping grow the sport.
He added that he misses not being involved, and by not being the governing body’s top man he believes Ireland is at a major disadvantage.
In an extensive sit-down with stickybottle in Spain last week where the Irishman was a guest at the An Post Chainreaction team’s training camp, McQuaid opened up firstly about what it’s like being outside the corridors of power, having served eight years as President, from 2005 to 2013.
“I do miss it certainly,” he confessed.
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“I did love being involved at the level I was at, but whatever level I was at I loved it.
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“Be it organising a race in the Philippines, or the Tour de Langkawi or a city centre race in Dublin.
“I always loved it and enjoyed it and the role as president of the UCI I loved as well; lots of aspects of it.
“Some aspects I didn’t like but by and large I loved the possibility to help new federations and help projects, like in Africa for instance.
“When I started in the job in 2005 there was only something like three or four races on the UCI calendar and when I finished there was about 30; so I got huge pleasure from that.
“I got huge pleasure from seeing someone like Eritrea's Natnael Berhane (above) winning the Tour of Turkey last year and now possibly riding for MTN Quebeka in the Tour de France.
“Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN-Quebeka); he’s an ex-UCI World Cycling Centre rider who has ridden a Grand Tour so I got huge pleasure from that too.”
Irish connection
Closer to home, he said his influence was the reason Irish track rider Eoin Mullen (above) got a place in the aforementioned UCI training centre in Aigle, Switzerland.
“He’s there because it was my decision,” said McQuaid of the talented Galway man who has taken his first elite win at the Three Days of Aigle this season, won a bronze medal at the U23 European Championships and also qualified for the elite World Championships.
“I spoke to Irish cycling and Fred Magne (coach) in Aigle and I said I’d like him to take Mullen on.
“And Fred came to me and said ‘the guy’s got talent but it would cost the federation so much a year to keep him here’.
“And I said ‘well, can we put it under the World Cycling Centre budget and he said yes.
“That was a personal intervention on my part to get him there, because he was Irish.
“I didn’t get a huge amount of credit for those things but it didn’t bother me too much.
“In the end, if I’d have gotten more credit it might have helped my electoral position but you can’t turn back the clock.”
Friends dropped by UCI
Losing the presidential vote saw “anyone that had any connection with me was removed from the UCI straight away which was unfortunate for them.”
Stephen Roche held a seat on the UCI's Professional Cycling Council but was axed after McQuaid lost the 2013 Presidential election. The latter said “anyone that had any connection with me in the UCI was dropped.”
There he referenced Sean Kelly, who sat on the road commission, and Stephen Roche, who was a member of the Professional Cycling Council.
McQuaid said Ireland’s Michael Robb was “one of the best commissaires that I know and he was dropped as well.”
He refuted the suggestion that doing more for Irish cycling would have enhanced his chances of winning Cycling Ireland’s backing to contest the UCI presidential election when a vote of members was taken in 2013.
“It wouldn’t have (improved my image),” he refuted.
New face of Irish cycling
“I think my brother Kieron (above, right with Pat McQuaid) hit the nail on the head in the open letter he wrote to stickybottle some weeks after the vote.
“He was there and he said all the people supporting me were people from old Irish cycling; people who had been around a long time, people who organised races week in, week out.
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“Those against me were the new cyclists; the new guys who came into the sport and don’t know the history of Irish cycling, nor have any interest in it.
“So I think because they’ve the bigger numbers in the Irish federation - and they’re all the young lads on social media or who are influenced by social media; guys who ran various campaigns against me.
“There were people who stood up and said all the different things I did for Irish cycling but it went over their heads. That was unfortunate.
“I don’t think if I stood up and said ‘I’m going to get the Tour of Ireland’ it would have made any difference to the outcome.”
Astana and the UCI
And by being deposed of the presidency he also lost membership of the Olympic movement – a key decision-making body.
“Once I lost the presidency I lost my Olympic membership and it’s a pity because as I predicted, the UCI is not represented on the Olympic movement at the moment since I left.
“This is a very critical period for it and cycling as well because there’s a whole new 2020 program being developed and the UCI is having no really influential say in how that’s going.”
While his failed election bid might have left a very sour taste, he said his passion for the sport has still remained undiminished.
He watches events closely – though didn’t have an opinion on the suspect case of Czech rider Roman Kreuziger.
He has mixed feelings about how the UCI has handled the four positive tests on the Astana team this year, but stopped well short of attacking the organisation he once led.
One of those riders who tested positive was Maxim Iglinsky (above, right) who rode the Tour de France with the team this year when Vincenzo Nibali took the overall win.
“I do think their communication wasn’t great around that,” said McQuaid.
“And that’s the one thing I’d say the UCI has done better than I’d have done; they’ve got professional people in to do the communication more professionally.
“What’s behind the communications would leave questions to be asked but I don’t think they could have done much differently. I think they followed the rules and that’s what you have to do,” he commented.
“But nothing has changed in the UCI; no new rules have been implemented since I left.”
The future
At present he’s “looking at a couple of different projects” to occupy his time.
But he stressed it would need to be something attractive and with little travel involved.
“At this stage of my life I’m looking more towards retirement,” he said.
“I'd like to be involved in development projects, assisting new federations or nations that want development.
“I don’t want to say anything more about them until such time as I’m ready to make a decision because I may not do it at the end of the day.
“I’ve been approached by a couple of people on different projects and I said no because it meant too much work or too much travelling or I didn’t think the project was feasible.
“Anything I do will be something feasible and interesting to work on.
“But I’m not rushing into anything. I’ll wait until something really attractive comes along.”
Tour of Ireland
But one project he’s unlikely to see himself involved in any time soon is a Tour of Ireland.
“I’d certainly like to be involved but it’s not something I’m actively searching for.
“My brother Darach has been trying to attract a sponsor and get it back but to date, I understand he doesn’t have anything concrete.
“But if I was approached by somebody with an interest in developing it and had somebody with access to the finances necessary I’d certainly help out.
“Right now, I’m looking after my health and I’ve a lot less stress in my life.
“I’m looking at a few things but I won’t jump at anything less unless I feel I can get enjoyment out of it so we’ll wait and see.”
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