UCI nags managers to sign charter

UCI president Pat McQuaid appears to be meeting with some resistance to the organisation's antidoping charter, after most of the UCI ProTour and Professional Continental team staff and management missed the August 5 deadline to sign the document. Only seven of the 20 ProTour teams met the deadline to sign the 'Managers' and other team staff's commitment to a new cycling': Ag2r, Bouygues Télécom, Cofidis, Crédit Agricole, Française des Jeux, Gerolsteiner and T-Mobile, with Pro-Conti team Skil-Shimano being the only other team to have both riders and staff ink the document.

"We have sent a reminder to those who have not signed yet," McQuaid told Reuters. "The reminder was followed by personal phone calls. We deal with the teams on a one by one basis." So far no punishment has been levelled against teams which have delayed signing the agreement.

ProTour riders were first presented with the charter in June, and pressured to sign or face exclusion from the Tour de France. The document states that cyclists will give up a years' salary if caught doping, but it has still yet to be tested after the positive controls of Alexander Vinokourov, Andrey Kashechkin, Cristian Moreni or Iban Mayo.

The charter was then extended to Professional Continental teams and staff. Riders wishing to participate in the World Championships have been told that they will be required to sign the charter.