Pat McQuaid

Pat McQuaid (born 5 September 1949) is a former Irish professional road racing cyclist and is the current President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

McQuaid comes from a successful Irish cycling family, with his father Jim and uncle Paddy being top Irish cyclists. His brothers Kieron and Paul Oliver and Darach as well as his cousin John McQuaid were also successful cyclists in Ireland and represented Ireland in the World Cycling road race championships and in the Olympic road race.

McQuaid raced from 1966 to 1982, starting as a junior and then racing nationally and internationally as a senior. He was Irish road race champion in 1974 and then won the Tour of Ireland in 1975 and 1976. He also won Ireland's toughest one day race, the Shay Elliott Memorial Race. At the end of his career, he rode for the UK pro Viking Cycles team.

McQuaid was racing when a young Seán Kelly started to become successful in Ireland. The two of them were on the Irish national teams sometimes together during the seventies. Both had aspirations of riding the 1976 Olympics but were banned from riding the Games after they competed in South Africa during the sporting boycott. [cite web| url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2005/interviews/?id=pat_mcquaid05a |title=An interview with Pat McQuaid by Shane Stokes |publisher=Cyclingnews |accessdate=2007-04-16]

After his cycling career ended, McQuaid worked as a schoolteacher but stayed involved in the organisation of cycling. He was the Irish National team director from 1983 to 1986. He has also been Race Director on the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, the Tour of China, and the Tour of Philippines. Pat was the President of the Irish Cycling Federation from 1996 to 1999. McQuaid served eight years as the UCI Road Commission chairman. [cite web|url=http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/9310.0.html|title=UCI president McQuaid: Globalizing the sport - Part 2|publisher=Velonews|accessdate=2007-01-27] Since 2006 he has been President of the UCI. [cite web| url=http://www.celtictrails.com/html/ct_about.shtml |title=The McQuaid family's involvement in Irish cycling |publisher=Celtictrials |accessdate=2007-07-09]

In July 2007, with the Tour de France as cycling's main event going on, a power struggle erupted in the world of professional cycling, pitting McQuaid against the Tour's organizers, Amaury Sport Organisation. Among the tactics used was McQuaid publicizing a telephone call with the Tour’s race director, and then demanding a public apology for the way in which the conversation went. It remained to be seen how much support McQuaid had in his struggle from the rest of the UCI and the UCI's national federations. [cite news
last =Pugmire
first =Jerome
title =Cycling chief McQuaid demands apology from Tour director Prudhomme
publisher =Associated Press
date =2007-07-23
url =http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news;_ylt=AhibtK2xPTFb3X72OyDTjgp.grcF?slug=ap-tourdefrance-mcquaid&prov=ap&type=lgns
accessdate =2007-07-23 ] In addition, before and during the 2007 UCI Road World Championships in Stuttgart, McQuaid had a public feud with Stuttgart's Minister of Sports, Susanne Eisenmann. She wanted to ban Elite Race favourite Paolo Bettini from starting because he refused to sign the general UCI anti-doping pledge, a plan which eventually backfired. [ [http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/07/09/28/CYCLING_World.html Bettini cleared to race] ] The German broadsheet "Süddeutsche Zeitung" accused McQuaid of flip-flopping on doping questions, on one hand maintaining that "there is no doping case of Michael Rasmussen" and defended Bettini, but on the other hand stating he wanted to fine Patrik Sinkewitz and Alexandre Vinokourov. [http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/weitere/artikel/821/135558/ Radsport beerdigt sich] , sueddeutsche.de. "McQuaid [said] : "Es gibt keinen Dopingfall Rasmussen.‘‘ ... Amüsant mutet es wiederum an, dass McQuaid ankündigte, die UCI werde sich nun von Dopingsündern wie Winokurow oder Sinkewitz Geld zurückholen, da dies ja per Ehrenerklärung abgemacht sei. Doch hat nicht McQuaid in Stuttgart die Erklärung im Falle des renitenten Weltmeisters Bettini "juristisch nicht bindend‘‘genannt?" -- relevant passages translated : McQuaid said "The is no doping case against Rasmussen." However it is amusing to see that McQuaid was said to demand money from doped athletes Vinkourov and Sinkewitz, because they are bound by a promise (the UCI anti doping pledge); however, he called the same pledge "legally not binding" with Bettini.] The influential German "Spiegel" magazine also doubted McQuaid commitment in his fight against doping. [ [http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/0,1518,508744,00.html Die WM der Amateure] , spiegel.de; "UCI-Präsident McQuaid, ... ist eine Witzfigur, ein Grüßaugust, der sich freut, wenn er den Fahrern vor einem Rennen die Hand schütteln darf und ihnen danach die Medaillen umhängt. ... ist eine Witzfigur... Im Kampf gegen Doping gehen dem Iren jegliches Durchsetzungsvermögen und vermutlich auch der rechte Wille ab." - "UCI president McQuaid... is a laughing stock who is happy to shake athletes' hands and give them medals ... in the fight against doping he is lacking assertiveness and the will to change things."]

In March 2008, McQuaid was promoted to the grade of Commander in the Order of the Ivory Coast Sporting Merit.

References