Breck Epic might lose Pro Racers due to UCI rule

Submitted by Kris Thompson on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 05:29

And this from Breck Epic's Facebook page

Rumors confirmed by anonymous USAC official - any pro with a Union Cycliste Internationale trade team affiliation will be fined by USAC for riding in a non-USA Cycling sanctioned event. Seems like those two groups are far more interested in looking after their own interests than looking after the best interests of the sport. That's a transparently sleazy policy, UCI and USAC...no matter how you choose to spin it.

News Item:

Mountain Biking

7 Comments

Time for USAC/UCI to go away

Submitted by IndyRacer (not verified) on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 07:53

I didn't even know that USAC had a Pro league anymore. They ran what was left of NORBA into the ground and all the good races went independent.
Breck-Epic/RME - Keep far away from USAC or you will loose the other 95%+ of the riders that just want to race an Epic course!

USAC/UCI - Look after keeping and growing the sport, not shutting it down. The NRC schedule is falling apart this year due to races leaving. Repairing that should be your main priority not trying to screw over Pro racers. First step - Fire Steve Johnson.

UCI = Sleaze

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 10:53

UCI = Sleaze and Sleaze = UCI, USAC = Remora so therefore feeds from UCI sleaze.

# of UCI trade teams in US?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 16:47

Though the rule is seems unreasonable, what really is the impact?

In 2012 there were three US MTB teams that were UCI trade teams as far as I know. Subaru/Trek, Specialized and Luna.

So what is the real impact? This means 2 or 5 or 10 or 30 people are ruled out of the race? I think the number is quite small, a handful maybe, probably around 5?

The rule itself is unreasonable as it shows the "governing" bodies are out of step with the sport they are supposed to be governing. FWIW, USAC is not a government institution but a non-profit organization that gets a government grant. In one respect USAC and UCI are more like unions that must be joined to participate in their parties much like it used to be a must to be part of the United Auto Makers Union if you worked for an automobile manufacturer.

USAC gets no government

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 18:54

USAC gets no government grant...only money from the USAC Development Foundation....
http://www.stanford.edu/~learnest/cyclops/dopestrong.htm

USAC funding

Submitted by Dale Riley (not verified) on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 23:21

Actually, USACs largest non-membership/race revenue source is from the US Olympic Committee. The USOC does NOT get any government funding in the US. Largest source of bucks for USAC is the poor slacker racers. Best part is there is NO say for these poor saps in how the money gets spent.

From the 2011 USAC fiscal information
http://www.usacycling.org/forms/governance/2011-USA-Cycling-Financial-St...

Membership dues/fees ~$4.8M
Sanction & Entry fees ~$3.2M
USOC Grants ~$1.04M
Sponsorship ~$0.9M
USA Cycling Development fund ~$0.65M

USOC funding sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Olympic_Committee
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_the_United_States_Olympic_Committee_r...

Ah yes, I was thinking

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/01/2013 - 10:37

Ah yes, I was thinking USADA... getting stories confused...

It seems the UCI USAC operate

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/01/2013 - 06:55

It seems the UCI USAC operate less like labor unions and more like mafia. You are not required to join, but something bad might come your way if you don't.