Bruyneel apologizes for jersey fiasco
Johan Bruyneel, the director of team RadioShack, has gotten himself and his team in trouble with the Union Cycliste International after making ‘unprofessional comments’ about race commissaries via Twitter.
The UCI announced that Team RadioShack would be the subject of disciplinary proceedings for ‘breaching the regulations governing riders clothing’ after the American team, led and co-founded by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, arrived at the sign-in for stage 20 of the Tour on Sunday wearing the wrong jerseys.
“The UCI regrets that an initiative for a cause as worthy as the fight against cancer was not coordinated beforehand with the Commissaires and organisers of the event,” said the UCI in a statement issued on Monday. “This could have been done whilst remaining within the rules.”
The 9 riders, included Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Christopher Horner and Andreas Kloden, arrived at the stage wearing all-black jerseys with number 28 emblazoned on them, representing the 28-million people suffering from cancer, and advertising Armstrong’s Livestrong charity rather than RadioShack. The team has not informed the management of the Tour about the jerseys beforehand.
“Ok people! Now it’s official! To be a race commissar you don’t need brains but only know the rules! Their motto: ‘c’est le reglement!’” said a frustrated Bruyneel via his Twitter page.
The start of the Tour de France’s final stage was delayed when the management ordered the RadioShack team to change back into their regular colours. RadioShack went on to stand on the podium in Paris as the leaders in the team classification, with Horner’s 10th place finish, Leipheimer and Kloden in 13th and 14th respectively, and Armstrong finishing the Tour in 23rd, his worst Tour finish since the mid-nineties. The team changed into the black Livestrong jerseys before climbing to the podium.
“Team RadioShack’s incorrect behaviour led to a 20-minute delay to the start of the final stage, which could have disrupted the televised coverage of the race, placing the Commissaires under the obligation to impose a fine on each rider and the team managers,” said the UCI statement. “Team RadioShack subsequently breached the regulations by wearing an incorrect uniform on the podium for the protocol ceremony having been instructed not to.”
The UCI Disciplinary Commission said that Bruyneel’s comments on his Twitter page were "utterly unacceptable" and stated that he too would be asked to appear before the council himself for a separate disciplinary hearing specifically addressing the remarks, which were called offensive "to all the Commissaires working in cycling.”
“When race officials informed me that the team wouldn't be able to race with these special jerseys, I became frustrated that our message would not be heard and seen around the world,” said Bruyneel in his apology. “During this time of frustration, I put a disrespectful and unprofessional message on my personal Twitter account targeting the UCI race officials.”
“This was not the correct way to handle the situation, nor the example I want to set for my team, family and fans,” he added. “I understand the race officials' decision and publicly apologise for offending any official or representative of the UCI. It is also my intent to personally apologise to UCI President Pat McQuaid for my remarks.”
Armstrong and Bruyneel can at least be satisfied that, since the black jerseys donned by Team RadioShack were intended to raise awareness of the fight against cancer, all fined levied against the team, as well as those levied again Bruyneel specifically, will be donated by the UCI to Ligue suisee contre le cancer, and Swiss cancer-fighting charity.
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