An Englishman succeeds an Irishman. Brian Cookson, 62, was elected Friday in Florence as president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) for the next four years. This retired landscape architect, head of the English Federation, was preferred to the outgoing Irishman Pat McQuaid, two years older. An almost unsurprising vote. But the result was ultimately quite close: 24 votes for Cookson, 18 for McQuaid.
With the exception of the clear score, nothing was very clear during this long half-day of voting, organized in the prestigious setting of Palazzo Vecchio, the former Medici palace, in Florence. Before choosing between the two candidates, the UCI Congress had to decide on a possible modification of the statutes, with immediate effect, which would have allowed a candidate to present himself without having the approval of two national federations. A first vote supposed to give a boost to Pat McQuaid, dropped by the federations of Ireland, his native country, and Switzerland, his country of residence.
At the end of a complex, and frankly confusing, process, Congress chose not to choose, with the first vote yielding a draw, 21 votes for, 21 against. It therefore remained to tip the balance to one side or the other, towards Brian Cookson, supported by Europe, Oceania and part of the American continent, or towards Pat McQuaid, supported by Asia and by the 'South America.
The first one won. The second therefore gives up his apron, after a “reign” of eight years. Any other result would have been a surprise. By maintaining Pat McQuaid, the UCI would have in fact sent a curious message, the Irishman having been suspected of having participated in maintaining a thick smoke screen around the practices of Lance Armstrong.
Will the arrival of Brian Cookson change things? Not sure. The Englishman built his campaign on the urgency of restoring the credibility of cycling. He presented himself as an alternative to a power too marked by business and suspicion. An easy role to play. It is now up to him to prove his ability to give the discipline, and even more so the UCI, a more dignified image. He will also have to demonstrate his independence and freedom of maneuver to those, many, who guess behind his long silhouette the presence of the powerful Russian Igor Makarov, one of his first supporters, a bitter opponent of Pat McQuaid.
