UCI president David Lappartient was at the Gravel World Championships in northern Italy on Sunday, leading the federation’s embrace of the 'spirit of gravel' and witnessing Gianni Vermeersch pull on the first elite men’s rainbow jersey of the speciality.
However, Lappartient also faced further questions about his recent comments about press freedom and the continuing presence of oligarch Igor Makarov on the UCI Management Committee.
During the UCI Road World Championships in Australia, the UCI refused to give a media accreditation to Cyclingtips journalist Ian Treloar and then comments emerged from an interview with Velonews where Lappartient said: “There are always big stories on CyclingTips but never in favour of the UCI."
“This guy is sitting in Australia sipping a beer. What have they done for this?” he said in relation to an investigation by Treloar into the evacuation of Afghan riders and people linked to the Afghan Cycling Federation.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done and I’ve nothing to report to him. He can continue to write bad things about the UCI. To be honest, I don’t care but if there’s something then I won’t close my eyes to it.”
The UCI argued that Treloar was not given accreditation for Wollongong because no media was permitted more than three media representatives at the Championships. However, other media are often given more than that number of accreditations.
A member of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC), Treloar has written and researched extensively the UCI's role in the evacuation of Afghanistan athletes, and Makarov's membership of the UCI management committee. He has also investigated the bizarre relationship between the UCI and former Turkmenistan president and autocrat Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. Turkmenistan has been branded one of the most repressive states in the world.
Lappartient avoided the three-accreditation-per-media rule when quizzed at the Gravel World Championships but continued to bristle about what he viewed as biased media scrutiny.
“We live in a democratic world and to allow the press to say what they want is completely normal, otherwise we’re not in a democratic world,” he suggested.
“We’re not always right at the UCI but we’re not always wrong either. To always write articles that challenge the UCI - that is not completely balanced.”
Lappartient again specifically criticised reporting on his involvement in evacuating riders and staff from Afghanistan.
“I can tell you that I spend so much time, night and day, to help the Afghan riders, and so, to be shot at [by Cyclingtips], I thought it wasn’t balanced."
Makarov uncomfortable presence on the UCI Management Committee
In April, Makarov was named on a list of individuals sanctioned by the Australian and Canadian Governments over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The individuals have been viewed by the Canadian Government as "close associates of the Russian regime, including Russian oligarchs and their family members, who were sanctioned for their complicity in Russia's unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine."
Makarov did not attend the UCI Management Committee meeting during the Road World Championships in Australia. But Lappartient again defended his position in cycling’s most important governance committee, citing International Olympic Committee rules.
“He wasn’t in Australia. It was only an on-site meeting, we didn’t have a video link. But he’s still a UCI Management Committee member,” Lappartient said.
“We’re aligned with the IOC position, which is that Russian teams and riders are not to take part in any competitions. However the Russian or Belarus Olympic Committees are not suspended, so neither are their national federations and their officials.
“They can’t travel in certain countries and that’s a challenge for all of us. We have some discussions ongoing in the Olympic movement to see our position for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. That’s challenging with what has happened in Ukraine.”
Embracing the spirit of gravel
Lappartient was happier to talk about the inaugural Gravel World Championships in the Veneto, which he attended in person.
“I think it was important to be here. You can feel that the spirit or atmosphere is different,” he said.
“Gravel has a bright future. At the UCI we’ve been able to name the hosts for the Gravel World Championships until 2027. There’s lots of interest from different continents.
“We can feel that it’s something really different and even the top riders want to be here. Gravel is booming and it's key for the bike industry and for the UCI. As an international federation, we should be connected to the reality of our sport. Sometimes big federations are like ships and are difficult to turn."
Lappartient insisted he has no plans to try to regulate major gravel events in the USA but believes an official UCI World Championships can help the entire speciality.
“We know that there are a lot of gravel events outside of the Federation because it’s a kind of ‘free’ discipline. We don't want to lose that spirit but we can provide a World Championships title,” he said.
“The rainbow jersey is an icon for all the riders and to win the jersey is also recognition for gravel.
“We don’t want to be strict, that’s why we mix amateur and pro riders in the same event. That's the same as in the Gran Fondo series and in Marathon mountain biking, where you can have the top riders in the world but also you and me.”
