"It is a proposal that goes against all rights," said Francesco Moser, head of the Association of Professional Cyclists (CPA), in response to yesterday's decision by the UCI to require all ProTour riders to sign an anti-doping agreement.
The Italian argued for the riders' rights and he pointed out that the teams' management never pays the price for doping. "The riders are the only ones that ever pay but it is not true that it is only them at fault," he stated in La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Moreover, it is betrayal."
Last Friday, members of the CPA met with UCI President Pat McQuaid in Aigle. "We discussed the possibility of a new Code of Ethics with the UCI . A code that would put the squads on the same plain of responsibility as the riders. Now the same McQuaid says to the teams that, if they want, the problem of doping can be resolved overnight. Last Friday there were five lawyers with us but then it came as a surprise that they were not allowed to talk [yesterday]. It is not normal."
Gianni Bugno, member of the Association of Italian professional riders (ACCPI), also voiced his concern. "It is an ad hoc law made for the Tour de France that could then go on to exist for all of the races. Again everything is made for the function of the Tour."
