Sunday 21 October 2012

What will the UCI decide?

Tomorrow, the UCI will announce its decision on whether to ratify, or appeal USADA's sanction of Lance Armstrong. In the case of the latter option being chosen, this would involve an appeal to the CAS and a long, drawn out process during which all sorts of embarrassing details might emerge.

It occurs to me that USADA may have some more evidence up its sleeve, particularly concerning the allegations of corruption and collusion with Armstrong by senior UCI members including Hein Verbruggen, the then President of the organisation.

Recent press stories have reported allegations that Verbruggen took a bribe from Nike, to cover up a positive test by Lance in the early part of his Tour de france reign. If this is true, the bank records will tell the story, providing an authority with jurisdiction and the power to subpoena decides to act.

My guess is that because of these factors, and the continuing bad press that an appeal would entail, the UCI will wrap the whole thing around Armstrong's neck tomorrow, hanging him out to dry and hoping the whole thing then just goes away.

But of course it won't...

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