In the shadow of the Etihad Stadium, butted up to an Asda superstore and a Next outlet centre at the heart of Manchester’s Sport City, sits the National Cycling Centre, the theatre of dreams for a generation of all-conquering British cyclists who have come to dominate the professional peloton. This is the velodrome where Chris Boardman rode through a wall of noise to the ultimate Hour record in 1996, where Yvonne McGregor stormed to a world pursuit title in 2000 at the start of the Lottery-funded gold rush, where the British cycling revolution had its apotheosis in the 2008 world championships and won half of the 18 golds on offer. Record after record have tumbled to confirm its reputation as one of the fastest tracks in the world.

Entering the Velopark cafe, I’m expecting artisan breads and freshly ground coffee, homecrafted cakes and a salad bar. Instead, I’m offered instant decaff and settle for Earl Grey in a paper cup. Less the best cycling cafe ever more a Welcome Break on the M62. It is fascinating, however, to watch team personnel from the South African squad hauling thousands of pounds worth of disc wheels and carbon frames into the velodrome. A middle-aged couple with bike boxes bearing departmental stickers from Anjou pass me in the lobby. Everyone I meet is unfailingly courteous as I state my business and am ushered upstairs to the offices of British Cycling. I sneak a peek at the BMX track – the velodrome is off limits for filming purposes – and almost wish I was there for pleasure not business, so unalloyed is the joy of the 30 or so kids of all ages pounding the track.



I am here, however, for business, specifically to meet Brian Cookson, the president of the International Cycling Union, on his home turf at British Cycling and to discuss some of the barbed issues concerning women’s cycling. It is one year since Cookson beat Pat McQuaid to the poisoned chalice of the top job in cycling. He was the change candidate, the new broom to sweep clean the Augean stables piled high with the muck of previous administrations. The Barack Obama of cycling.

UCI president Brian Cookson. Photograph: Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images

Cookson is trim and relaxed in shades of smart casual blue, the silver beard neatly trimmed. The office is standard issue corporate, possibly the very office in which he presided over the inexorable rise of British cycling and not such a step from the kind of local government offices he inhabited until 2013, when he was elected to the top job in the sport after an ill-tempered UCI Congress.

A rueful Cookson says very few of the 150 or so accredited press corps turned up for his speech to this year’s congress during the world championships and that he had to urge them to ask him questions. There was a similar indifference to the junior conference, where Giorgia Bronzini gave up two hours of her time to talk about the development of the sport the day before the elite women’s race.

It is the kind of positive, good news story about the women’s sport that so often goes unreported in favour of tales such as the IDRD-Bogota kit controversy, which has bought me to Manchester to ask Cookson about that tweet and some of the underlying issues that face the women’s sport.

Cookson is quick to admit that the whole furore was “an object lesson in the perils of social media. It was blown up out of all proportion.” He also takes the opportunity to take me to task for suggesting that he could only think of one thing at a time, before attempting to put the record straight, pointing out that there were “quite prominent people such as Nicole Cooke and Kathryn Bertine saying that something should be done and what worried me really was a pretty clear implication, more than that a statement, that women were being intimidated into wearing this kit against their will.”

So why did he choose to respond if, as he says, the UCI had looked into the situation? “Otherwise people will say the UCI is doing nothing about this terrible thing, so I tweeted and perhaps I could have chosen my words better.” So he regretted the infamous “standards of decency” tweet? “Yeah, I think I would probably say … I would probably have put the full stop after standards.”

To the many who have raised the issue of a certain women's team kit, we are on the case. It is unacceptable by any standard of decency. — Brian Cookson OBE (@BrianCooksonUCI) September 14, 2014

Cookson seems surprised at the reaction he received on Twitter. “It seemed to stimulate all sorts of reactions from people from a whole range of viewpoints, not all of them, I have to say, that would be favourable to those of a ‘feminist’ point of view, if I may make that judgment.” He laughs nervously. “Some very odd and bizarre, some very insulting to me personally.” He considers for a moment. “You know what, here’s what I think: it’s very hard for us men to comment on things that affect women in that respect and get it right.” He is ultimately bullish, though. “You know what,” he concludes, “if I reacted hastily, I’ll take that on the chin.”

Does he accept that his reaction to this relatively minor issue meant that women’s cycling was put in the spotlight for negative reasons? “I accept that what I said contributed to that but I’ve said lots of other things about women’s cycling that haven’t gone viral.”

I ask him about the comments he made in Bertine’s documentary film Half the Road and he becomes animated as he speaks of his disappointment at what he sees as a deliberate misrepresentation of his views. “I spent an hour from memory talking to Kathryn Bertine at Valkenberg over two years ago now and I thought in the course of that we agreed pretty much on most issues around women’s cycling,” he recalls, only to become the victim of what he calls “highly selective edited quotes which didn’t give a picture of my views as a whole.” He admits he probably did say that women are not as strong as men on a bike and that he believes this to be true “but”, he is quick to qualify, “that doesn’t mean I don’t think women deserve to have a strong professional scene or be remunerated properly.”

Half the Road

Warming to his theme, he reiterates his achievements in setting up a women’s commission – something that had never existed under previous UCI administrations – and placing a woman on each existing UCI commission, including Kristy Scrymegeour, team boss of Specialized-Lululemon, who sits on the Professional Cycling Council, which deals with men’s professional road racing.

“These are not token women,” he is keen to point out. “They are there for their expertise, experience and the contribution that they can make.” He clearly finds Bertine’s implied criticism of his commitment to developing women’s cycling exasperating. “So, other than integrating women’s voices into the operation of the UCI in that absolutely intensive way, other than the point where one of my vice-presidents is an extremely experienced and competent former professional, I don’t know what else I can do.”

Of course there is no guarantee that those women are vocal advocates of the women’s sport. What about the men on those commissions – do they advocate for the women’s sport? “I think there probably are men who have a great deal of sympathy and support for women’s cycling. I don’t believe there are any men on any of the UCI commissions who are anti-women’s cycling in any way. I’ll leave others to make that judgment and for us men to judge other men.”

How does he intend to ensure that women’s voices are actually listened to? “Let’s ask that you give us the benefit of the doubt about that and see how things work out.” He feels that women should come forward, not only as cyclists but as coaches, in administration and officiating. So a much more holistic approach than seeing cycling as one big happy family with women’s cycling the idiot child in the corner? “I don’t feel that way and I don’t feel anyone in this building, at British Cycling, feels that way.” Does that apply to the UCI? “I can’t speak for every man involved in cycling, can I? But what I will do as president of the UCI is make sure we don’t act in that old-fashioned sexist sort of way as much as I possibly can.”

Our conversation shifts back to social media and the important role it has played in developing engagement with what has traditionally been a minority sport. Cookson hopes the way the UCI conducts its online communications is changing and accepts there are things the organisation can do better, and will do better now that Sebastien Gillot, the new head of communications, is in the post. There will, for example, be a full-time employee dedicated to the UCI Women’s Cycling Twitter account, which was, for the most part, a damp squib at the world championships, the biggest showcase for women’s cycling in the sport outside of the Olympics.



So Cookson will be dragging the UCI into the 21st century? “That’s your phrase,” he retorts, describing Twitter as “problematic”, as he has found out on several occasions. During a much-vaunted Q&A session, he appeared to repeatedly refuse to answer questions from Paul Kimmage, one of the key critics in cycling. “It’s easy to ask those questions in 140 characters,” he says, “but not very easy to answer them in any meaningful way.”

"It is critical that the UCI embraces a more open and transparent approach in the way it conducts business." - @BrianCooksonUCI Misquote? — Paul Kimmage (@PaulKimmage) July 13, 2014

Outside, it is an unseasonably warm autumnal afternoon. Inside, the work of British Cycling buzzes in the cubicles next door. I want to know why no women were sent to ride the individual time trial at Ponferrada and why mountain bikers were sent to support Lizzie Armitstead in her bid for the Rainbow Jersey and not experienced roadies such as Sharon Laws. Cookson says that in the past not only women’s but men’s places have gone unfilled “though I can’t think of any off the top of my head”, and that those decisions have always been made by performance staff, even when he was in charge, and are not gendered in any way. Other riders, however, have previously been sent without any realistic expectations of a medal, I point out. Cookson says this was for “more than experience”. Weren’t there women who deserved that kind of opportunity? Or is it really only about the medals? “I think the decisions that have been made, the success they’ve had, it’s difficult to be critical of them, they’ve generally made the right decisions at the right time.”



Would he accept that the oft-criticised selection policy of British Cycling as regards women is part of his legacy? He sidesteps the question, responding again that it is not only women and that these decisions are made irrespective of gender. He talks about his early days at British Cycling, when riders would be sent to the world championships “to make up the numbers”. He tells me about the organisational change that came with the injection of Lottery funding in 1997 and the appointment of Peter Keen, who changed the ethos of British Cycling: “He said, ‘You know what, we’re not going to do that any more, we’re going to focus on potential winners,’ and I think that’s been part of the successful ethos that has delivered all of these medals and all of that success, and I’m not going to challenge that at all.” Calling decisions taken at that time “firm, hard, uncomfortable and unpleasant sometimes for the people involved on both sides, and sometimes controversial,” Cookson says he does not believe them to be gender-biased.

There is only time for one more question and it has to be about his performance in his first year as president and that key fourth pillar of his election manifesto: the development of women’s cycling and the knotty issue of a minimum wage for women riders. I begin by outlining the great successes of the past year – La Course, the one-day women’s race on the Champs-Élysées that was announced before Cookson became president. It attracted huge crowds to the sides of England’s roads to watch Armitstead and Marianne Vos go head-to-head again, as they had at the London Olympics.

Marianne Vos celebrates after winning the La Course women’s cycling race. Photograph: NICOLAS BOUVY/EPA

How much of the current success of women’s cycling could really be attributed to his interventions? Cookson says he recognises, welcomes and is supportive of these contributions to the sport’s success and points out the UCI’s substantial investment in TV coverage of the women’s World Cup, the insistence on higher promotional standards and the introduction of a leader’s jersey for the competition that have contributed to giving women’s road racing a much higher profile. He is even magnanimous enough to acknowledge that the UCI is not solely responsible for that higher profile.

“If the UCI is to become a modern and progressive International Federation, we must ensure that there are rules specifying teams guarantee a minimum wage for women pro road riders and proper, modern terms of employment. I commit to achieving this in my first year in office.”



Cookson has blown hot and cold on the minimum wage issue over the years, denying vehemently that he ever said, as Nicole Cooke claims, that women don’t deserve a minimum wage and, most recently, writing on the eve of the inaugural Women’s Tour: “Simply passing a rule saying that there should be a minimum salary would not in my view achieve much other than a drastic reduction in the number of women’s teams.” Laughing, Cookson is apparently happy to accept that he has failed to deliver on his pledge and reminds me of another promise that was central to his campaign. “I also committed to being a listening president and one of the things I’ve listened to is the women I’ve appointed to the road commission.” He says the women’s commission is telling him that the imposition of a minimum wage would be counterproductive and lead to the loss of teams and thus opportunities for women riders.

The Wiggle Honda team owner, Rochelle Gilmore, agrees, highlighting working conditions as the real issue when she tells me “the UCI needs to focus on what team management is guaranteeing in terms of money and making sure that it gets spent on the team.” She agrees with Cookson that the sport simply is not ready for the imposition of a minimum wage because there is not yet a good enough return on investment for sponsors putting money into the sport.



Stef Wyman, head of the smaller, upcoming Matrix Vulpine team is clear that there needs to be a minimum wage – “it’s 2014” – but accepts Cookson’s frequently made assertion that the sport cannot simply flick a switch, and that the change needs to be a gradual one, drafted in over a period of three to five years, on the back of a proper professional structure to the sport. He says that, although all women’s teams are registered as “professional” their structure is based on that of the men’s “continental” teams, which are regarded as amateur by the UCI. He cites a phone call to the UCI some years ago, when a member of UCI staff confirmed to him: “There is no such thing as a professional women’s road team.”

If the Cookson UCI is serious about professionalising the sport, surely it would be better to lose some of the teams that are not behaving in a professional fashion? The stories of women facing discrimination and inappropriate conditions are legion – from women riders being asked to room with nine-year-olds, to women being required to cook and clean for team staff, to non-payment of wages, most recently in the case of the Estado de Mexico-Faren team. “I don’t greatly disagree with that but what I’m being told is that if we’re too firm with that rule too soon we will damage the sustainable development we’re putting in place in the development of women’s cycling.” He says that the UCI could bring in the minimum wage rule “tomorrow” but that “those women riders will not suddenly get a big pay packet every month. They will lose their positions and most of them – or a large number of them – would re-register as amateur teams.”

So will we ever see this change? Cookson says he does not have a crystal ball but he is clear that his UCI will be careful about passing rules if they cannot enforce them and that his women’s commission, who are experts on how the economy of women’s cycling works, are telling him that the sport is not yet in a position to pass that rule. He says the next part of the strategy is to develop a much bigger and stronger economy for women’s cycling that teams can be a part of, “then we can be in a position where we say those terms and conditions of employment for the women’s sport can be made part of the rules.”

Pushing my luck, I tackle one last issue – the mandating of professional men’s teams to run women’s squads. There is, after all, a sound fiscal argument to be made for teams sharing joint infrastructure and resources, and both reducing costs and raising standards. The UCI have already floated the idea of World Tour teams running a mandatory under-23 men’s development squad. Cookson balks at the idea of “forcing” teams to “do what they don’t want to do” and run their own women’s teams. “I think there are potential women’s sponsors out there who might not want to sponsor a men’s team,” he says, “and the same goes with events – there are promoters and host towns and cities who might want to do something with women’s cycling and not necessarily men’s cycling.”



He wants to encourage those potential sponsors to come into a sport because they see value in it and a potential return from it, rather than telling teams “you have to have 10% or 20% of your budget going into the women’s team – then they don’t want to do it and they don’t do it properly and they don’t do a good job of it.” However, that is a relatively small outlay from the multimillion budget of a top men’s team – it is estimated that a top-flight women’s professional team, paying minimum wage, costs about €500,000, while the budget for even the smallest World Tour team is more than €10m.



Cookson agrees but is quick to argue that many men’s teams are on a fragile financial foundation themselves and that “if you look at the panorama of men’s teams there are a number that are dependent on the whim of a very rich man, there are a number that are dependent on the political objectives of a government and there are a relatively small number that are really, genuinely getting a commercial benefit from their involvement in men’s sport, so I don’t think any of that is very helpful to the idea of forcing them to have a women’s team.” So we won’t be seeing a Sky women’s team? “I’d like to see Sky have a women’s team, of course I would. This is something I wanted them to do from the start but you’d have to ask Sky why they don’t want to do it.”

Our time is up. Fingers are gently but firmly tapping watch faces and Cookson has to go, it is a busy, media-heavy day and he has other interviews to give. We part with an anecdote about personalities in the sport and share a laugh, and then he is gone. I sign myself out and leave the building, reflecting on a man who is so at pains to be non-gendered that he at times appears to be precisely that, a listening president who could be accused of using that strength to pass the buck on difficult decisions, who has made strides to challenge the parlous state of women’s cycling yet who presides over an organisation who can seem inept at getting out the positive messages about the women’s sport. I wonder how many other manifesto promises have slipped off the radar and have an answer when news emerges that the UCI has failed to lodge the necessary paperwork on time for paracycling’s inclusion in the Tokyo Paralympics.

I head off into the spaghetti hoops of the Manchester road system, thinking about the kids I saw whizzing ferociously around the BMX track. How many of them were girls, I wonder? How many of them can look forward to taking their place in a fully professional women’s sport with modern working conditions and a minimum wage that values them as the equals of their male counterparts? It is clear that Cookson and his carefully assembled team of women are committed to change in the sport. However, in the words of the Rev Charles Buck, “How long, dear Lord, how long?”

You can hear the full audio from the interview by subscribing at Velocast.cc

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