Bugno aiming for third term as CPA President

Former pro Gianni Bugno is going to seek a third term as president of the riders' association, the CPA, when elections come at the end of the 2018 season. The organization announced the news in a press release after its Steering Committee met in Milan this week.

The Italian is hoping to continue to address the major topics that the CPA has worked on over the past several years, including the introduction of disc brakes, as well as addressing new topics such as the loss of jobs in pro cycling following the UCI's decision to reduce team sizes for Grand Tours and other major races that led to many teams reducing their rosters.

"I am convinced that it is important for the riders to work in continuity and it is important for me to lead some ongoing projects to completion, as David Lappartient also told me to do so," Bugno said. "All the members of this Steering Committee have expressed themselves in favor of this new mandate, and this touched me a lot and confirmed my choice."

The UCI has yet to fully endorse the use of disc brakes in road races, preferring to continue allowing their use on an experimental basis.

The CPA has lobbied against the phased introduction, arguing that a mix of braking systems could lead to crashes.

The organisation will continue to fight for safety, but will also push for riders to be allowed a choice in which braking system they use. In addition, the members of the CPA are convinced that the riders must first of all be able to choose the braking system they want to use.

Bugno has been travelling to several team camps to discuss the topic with some of the sport's top riders. "Even if we have to protect the weakest, to have a direct link with the big names of cycling is important for our movement, because their support will give more strength to our initiatives and – if necessary - fights," Bugno explained.

The CPA is also continuing to work on an automated system for riders to receive race prize money from organisers to ensure riders are paid their due awards in a transparent and efficient way.

"Since some time the CPA has been working on a new, centralised and automatic prize money management system," said a representative from the organization. "The aim of this system will be to guarantee that all the riders receive their prizes, to be in order with the fiscal law of each country, in a transparent, fast and automatic way.

"We want to make sure also that the riders will pay the smallest possible fee for this management. The PCC (Professional Cycling Council) allowed the CPA to be the center of this management system and soon a working commission made of a representative of each part of cycling (UCI, AIOCC, AIGCP) will work to finalise the budget needed for our system."

The organisation also discovered issues with its "Transition and Career Fund" - a benefit that gives riders a one-time payment of €12,500 upon retirement. The General Secretary David Chassot noted increased claims on the fund, which is supplied by a percentage (5%) of total prize purses from race organisers, but the funds "reserves have melted" because many organisers have failed to pay into it. The CPA has had to lend money to the fund.

Regarding the job losses, the CPA reiterated its objection to the team size reduction, and says it will study the races in 2018 to determine if smaller pelotons create a safer race environment and better competition.

Bugno is also looking to make improvements to the CPA's joint agreement with the teams' organisation (AIGCP), "in particular about the insurance coverage of the riders."