Can we reach a consensus on all medical matters?
11 World Tour teams and 19 Continental Pro teams are members of MPCC, which represents 81% of the total pro teams, but also 81% of its physicians. Two doctors representatives have been elected for the year 2015 and they are going to attend to all the meetings : Gérard Guillaume (FDJ) and Jan Mathieu (Lotto-Soudal). As for Armand Mégret, he is the medical consultant of MPCC for cortisol tests. Since the creation of the movement in 2007, his role is to conduct cortisol tests required by MPCC and then collect results from these tests.
133 cortisol levels samples were collected in 2014, of which 49 on the Tour de France. After the doctors meeting in October last year, it was agreed to increase the number of cortisol tests in 2015 and to bring it up to the maximum of UCI circuits. MPCC also formally asked UCI to consider a common regulation applied to all the teams about the use of corticosteroids.
Sports Entertainment Group new member of MPCC
Sports Entertainment Group (SEG) has requested the membership for SEG Cycling and SEG Racing. SEG Cycling is a management company for professional cyclists, officially licensed by the UCI. SEG Racing is a Continental development team created this year. The Board of MPCC has accepted the application of SEG, so now SEG Racing is part of MPCC as a member of the teams section, while Martijn and Eelco Berkhout are members of the agents section, which now involves seven members.
« We have done a lot of work in the fight against doping and will continue our work in that matter », Martijn Berkhout states about the management company SEG Cycling. About SEG Racing team, he adds: « Our goal is to educate and develop young talented riders in a safe and clean environment. We are the only continental team with a biological passport system, which we fund by ourselves. » The roster of SEG Racing includes top riders from the juniors ranks: U19 World Champion Jonas Bokeloh and U19 Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Bak Klaris. All the riders are under 25 years of age.
Cult Energy joins MPCC!
MPCC now represents 81% of first and second division teams. Cult Energy is the 19th team member of Continental Pro ranks to join the movement, out of a total of 20. The Danish team has applied for membership through its manager Christa Skelde. The Board has accepted the request of the team this 27 January.
Christa Skelde states: « Cult Energy Pro Cycling, Lion Cycling S.A., the owners, the riders, the staff and the partners are committed to clean cycling and sports without doping. We are committed to create a team environment where doping isn't necessary, nor desired, nor possible. We are working for a sustainable future of the team and we want to support the goals of the MPCC and credible cycling. »
The physician in charge of the team is O. Wilheim Schäfer. The main riders of the team are former Tour de France’s yellow jersey holder Linus Gerdemann, former Giro d’Italia’s mountain classification winner Fabian Wegmann or even Gustav Erik Larsson, silver medallist at Beijing 2008 OG.
Wayne Evans, 5th agent to join MPCC
The Australian company Lion Sports Management, represented by the UCI-approved agent Wayne Evans, is member of MPCC’s « sporting agents » section since Friday, 16th January. Lion Sports Management works with several pro cycling riders including brothers Cameron and Travis Meyer, former U23 time-trial world champion Damien Howson or Leigh Howard. « I am very supportive of the MPCC and only wish to represent riders who are participating in a clean sport of cycling », Wayne Evans says.
Reciprocal agreements shared by MPCC and its sporting agent members imply commitments: agents have to hold a license issued by the UCI, have to promote the image of cycling by fighting against doping and any form of cheating, and under no circumstances should work with a rider or former rider who is facing or used to face a ban for doping, or is subject to an ongoing judicial procedure. Then MPCC gives them the opportunity to make proposals about cycling credibility recovery and invites them to general assemblies. With the membership of Wayne Evans (Lion Sports Management), the « sporting agents » section now includes five members, with Christian Baumer (Agentur Baumer), Philippe Raimbaud (R’Sports Conseil), Michel Gros and Joona Laukka (LC Management). Other agents expressed interest in being part of MPCC too.
PMU stays another year with MPCC
Official partner of the Tour de France green jersey for over 20 years, a collaboration which ended last year, PMU is still the title sponsor of the French Cup and this is why PMU "reaffirms its involvement in MPCC ». The PMU French Cup, whose individual and team classifications were won by Julien Simon and Bretagne-Séché in 2014, starts on next 1st February with the Grand Prix La Marseillaise.
MPCC teams: the riders’ responsibility
This is a characteristic of this team: founded in 2013, the Swiss IAM cycling team became directly member of MPCC and had to promote immediately the right messages to their riders and staff members. Serge Beucherie explains to MPCC what was the content of his speech in order to raise awareness of damages and consequences of doping usage among the team members. The French manager ensures that being a MPCC member is not a constraint for the riders: "That is their philosophy".
Strict but fair rules
A rider who is part of a MPCC team member accepts de facto to consent to stricter regulations in comparison with non-member teams. In case of positive test, the employer has to withdraw the rider from any competition, after the first official communication release. In case of a second positive test in less than twelve months in the same team, all the team-mates of the guilty rider are concerned because the whole team is committed to suspend itself during one week if required.
The "MPCC" riders are also subject to several cortisol level tests during the season. If the team doctor has to give corticosteroids to a rider, the athlete will be on sick leave and out of competition for at least eight days after doctor's advice. The same measure is required if a test performed by MPCC, in collaboration/association with French Cycling Association (FFC) and French Cycling League (LNC), highlights a cortisole level collapse. Serge Beucherie states: "These eight, ten or twelve days out of competition for cortisone use will not ruin the season of a rider".
GM Cycling Team joins MPCC
The Italian Continental team GM Cycling has requested its MPCC membership. On 14 january, the Board has accepted the application of the manager Gabriele Marchesani : this new team, created this winter, is now part of the movement. The physician responsible for the team will be Angela de Stefano. The main rider of the team is the sprinter Filippo Fortin, former rider of Bardiani-CSF.
Why does sponsors have to join MPCC ?
Since 1997, Française des Jeux (FDJ) has been a long-standing partner of cycling, investing in team FDJ, and a strong support of MPCC since the very beginning of the movement. Representing this sponsor, Thierry Huguenin explains why cycling needs more companies within MPCC's sponsor section. He wants more responsability and "would like cycling to become a pioneer" in terms of sponsoring "just as it used to be in the antidoping fight, for almost twenty years now".
This thursday, Bora Holding GmbH, main sponsor of Bora-Argon 18 team, became member of MPCC's sponsor section. Cofidis, Lotto, IAM, AG2R La Mondiale and FDJ are also members as companies, in compliance with their team's membership. LCL and PMU, historical partners of the Tour de France, are also part of MPCC.
Bora becomes member of MPCC's sponsor section
Bora Holding GmbH, main sponsor of the German Continental Pro team Bora - Argon 18, has applied for MPCC membership. "The reasons for our membership are that we stand for real clean cycling and we would like to support credible cycling, Will Bruckbauer said, owner and manager of Bora Holding GmbH. Furthermore we appreciate the philosophy of MPCC very much and we think that MPCC has done a great job so far." The board of MPCC has accepted the request of Bora Holding GmbH, new member of MPCC's sponsor section.
Final 2014 doping figures
Identifying cases of doping is not an easy task and is subject to discretion if required by their respective international federations, some do not advertise doping cases in their discipline. Cycling, in contrast, reveals each positive test. Our numbers are therefore based on proven cases in 2014, according to official communications federations and anti-doping agencies, etc..
Athletics is the most affected sport in 2014 with a total of 95 positive tests, ahead of baseball with 62 cases. Cycling is fourth with sixteen cases, almost one sixth of athletics figures.
MPCC counting includes :
- Road cycling: thirteen cases identified for this most publicised discipline.
- Track-cycling : two case.
- Mountain-Bike : one cases.
Each time a team member of MPCC has been concerned by a case, the MPCC regulations were followed to the letter : suspension, dismissal, self-suspension when required.
