Road Cycling - Dissatisfaction with the way Cycling is run in South Africa by the SACF

Not sure whether this is the right place, anyway here goes -

Cycle races in South Africa are run with licenced and fun riders competing in the same race. This is contrary to UCI rules. The South African Cycling Federation has in the past turned a blind eye to this. They have now made a one sided ruling that the rule will be enforced. It also seems that this will be applied selectively. In the larger races (with larger income from race entry revenues) they allow the licenced riders to start and compete mixed. In other races they enforce the rule. South African cyclists are also being cencored on one of the major messageboards in the country. This debate was quite lively on the messageboard and now all messages (some might have been defamatory) have been removed. I as a cyclist protest at this kind of totalitarian rule by a small body that does not care about the fun cyclist.

G'day,

you serious?. I don't know anything about cycling in Sth Africa, but its a bizarre concept to allow 'fun', unlicenced riders in a race!. Are you talking about UCI sanctioned races?. In the rest of the world, it is nearly impossible for amateur riders to get a start in a UCI ranked race, without going thru some sort of qualifying. But this is still 'licenced' riders who are highly experienced amateur racers!, I can't comprehend 'fun' cyclists being allowed in ' Paris-Roubaix', or 'gent- wevelgelm'....ha ha, I suppose they can ride MTB's with knobbies too?....the lawyers must rub their hands together in glee over there!,

cheers,

Hitchy

Well, that's the way of the South Africans.... the minority rules, right?

Totally messed up over there. And I am glad I don't live in that sorry place. Is the UCI aware of the violations in the rules, and if so, what are they going to do about it?

Koffee

This is an example of the double standards practiced. Note that they try to ban certain races whilst other races are handled with a "case sensitive approach" By the way this statement was made by Gotty Hansen who is a member of the South African Cyling Federation. (the comment can be seen at http://www.sacf.co.za/ )

The communication sent out regarding the UCI regulation that prohibits licensed riders to ride in non-sanctioned events, or in the same bunch as non-licensed riders in sanctioned races, was aimed at two events on the calendar that acted in blatant and total disregard for procedure.

The two events in question are the Kremetart Tour and the Tzaneen event, in which licensed riders took part after the events declined sanctioning. The Kremetart race was on the calendar – yet the organiser decided shortly before the race not to have SACF officials present. And then they encouraged the elite licensed riders to take part.

The SACF, governed by UCI legislation, has the responsibility to look after the rights of sponsors, event organisers and riders in the sport.

When an event isn’t sanctioned there is no recourse against a rider who endangers another rider or the public or makes him/herself guilty of some form of misconduct, including the use of banned substances. It is our duty to level the playing field and ensure a fair contest within the rules of the UCI.

Licensed riders are also insured in any sanctioned event in which they take part. When they ride in a non-sanctioned event this falls away.

In the same vein a sponsor’s rights cannot be protected in unsanctioned events as there is no enforcement of correct clothing and other procedures. Non-licensed riders ride with any clothing and under no rules, which means any rider can gain exposure for a corporate although he is not in the correct kit. This is potentially harmful to sponsors like Microsoft, Barloworld, Exel, Minolta and HSBC who spent considerable amounts in the sport annually to gain exposure.

We know that every rider wants to race and he/she doesn’t want to be tied down. That’s why we have adopted a case sensitive approach. Participation in existing events where the SACF has an established working relationship with event organisers won’t be affected by the regulation. We understand the complexities of South African Cycling and we are bound by the SACF constitution to not only look after the interests of the top tier in the sport, but after the sport as a whole – and we are committed to that.

This means that events like the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour, the Pick ‘n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, the Pick ‘n Pay OFM Classic etc will be run in the same way as previously and that licensed riders will be seeded with their unlicensed counterparts in bunches.

The SACF is in the process of implementing a structure which will see its own ranking system come into effect. We will work together with existing seeding systems and races to implement this. The details of the seeding system and the effect on riders will be announced in due course. I must stress, however, that this will not take place to the detriment of licensed riders and will not hamper their participation in sanctioned events in any way.

This system will see riders riding with the same number throughout the year, which will bring about immense cost savings in number printing. In the first year numbers will be randomly allocated, but in the second year the numbers will be allocated according to your ranking.

We endeavour to find a long-term solution for South Africa against the background of the UCI directive on licensed riders riding with their non-licensed counterparts. The key, we believe, is to bring two licenses into effect: a UCI license and a common national license.

The idea is to make the UCI license applicable to riders at the very top of the sport who take part in nationals and international events. They would then fall under strict UCI regulations.

The national license will be for those that are serious about their sport, but don’t have ambitions to aspire to these goals. They won’t then be precluded from riding in mixed races, even though it might not fall within UCI regulations

We believe a time frame of nine months will be needed to create the ranking system. The system will also enable us to rank riders according to profession, for example the top doctor or lawyer in the country will transpire.