PRESIDENT'S 2003

THE PRESIDENTS WEEK -- #3 (Unity and Cyclo Cross)

From British Cycling President Brian Cookson

This week I�ve had both a heavy workload and a heavy cold, so I reached the weekend feeling a bit under the weather. Despite the sunshine, I�ve not been able to get out on the bike, because the cold turned into flu-like symptoms, which really means that serious exercise (or what passes for that in my case) is not advisable. So that left me with a bit of time to ponder on an important current issue � Cyclo-Cross.

Cyclo-Cross is an important part of the cycling scene, and a particularly good way of bringing youngsters into competitive cycling. It forms an integral part of our plans and hopes for developing the youth side of our sport, and we have invested a fair bit of time, energy, and money into helping the sport progress. So I was very surprised and concerned to hear that there are some proposals on the Agenda of the AGM of the Notts and Derby Cyclo-Cross League, one of the biggest groups of organisers, to run their events outside British Cycling next season.

I�ll try not to upset anybody, but I really feel that I need to comment on this and bring a few facts into the discussion.

Cyclo-cross, up until a few years ago, used to operate entirely independently of the BCF, as it was then. Then the British Cyclo-Cross Association agreed to merge with us to take the sport forward in an integrated, unified way. As part of a historic agreement, British Cycling agreed to employ the BCCA Administrator, Brian Furness, and a Cyclo-Cross Commission was agreed and appointed, composed entirely of the people involved in running this branch of the sport. British Cycling also agreed that all the income from Cyclo-Cross would be ploughed back into running the sport.

That all still stands, and for the record here are the most recent financial figures. In 2002, the Cyclo-Cross Commission had an annual income of around �55,000, of which around �20,000 came as a grant, a proportion of the funding British Cycling receives from UK Sport. �16,000 came from Entry and Event tender fees, �11,000 from race levies, and the rest from Programme and handbook adverts, sales and sponsorship.

All of that income went back into the Cyclo-Cross Commission�s budget, to be spent on such things as; �26,000 on race promotion expenses and prize lists for National events, and over �20,000 on sending Cyclo-Cross teams to race abroad, including the World Championships. Just to be clear, the Cyclo-Cross Commission decides what it wishes to spend it�s budget on, without any interference from the Board of British Cycling. That of course, is just as it should be � the people most involved with the branch of the sport deciding what is most important to them.

Because we acknowledge the importance of Cyclo-Cross, British Cycling has tried to be even more supportive, however. The entire salary and costs of the Cyclo-Cross Administrator are covered elsewhere in British Cycling�s budget, and we provide accounting and auditing services, so Cyclo-Cross gets a professionally-run sport with the costs being covered by income from elsewhere.

That�s not all. In addition, we made sure that the Great Britain Cyclo-Cross Team at the recent World Championships had free use of British Cycling team vehicles, thus saving hire costs of over �3,000. Put all this together and you could say that British Cycling contributed at least �30,000 more to Cyclo-Cross in 2002 than Cyclo-Cross generated on it�s own.

I want to emphasise that this doesn�t give me or the rest of the Board a problem. A deal is a deal. We accept that some branches of the sport generate more income than others, and we are happy that Cyclo-Cross is a part of the sport that needs to be supported and encouraged if it is to grow. We want to see Cyclo-Cross grow, and see it as an important way into the sport, as I said earlier.

The only problem comes when some people start to undermine the other side of the bargain. I think it is fair to say that a small number of the officials of the BCCA were less than totally enthusiastic about the affiliation to British Cycling at the time. That�s a matter for them. To their credit, they accepted the democratic decision of their membership. On our side, we have worked hard to make the arrangement work, and so I really cannot allow anyone to say unchallenged that British Cycling has in any way diminished or undermined Cyclo-Cross. We haven�t. Nor have we intervened in how the sport is run. We haven�t taken money out of the sport, we have put money into it.

Finally, above all, please don�t let anyone tell you that Cyclo-Cross has been unable to influence the running of British Cycling. At the time of the merger, the BCCA proposed one of their officials for membership of the Board of British Cycling, and he was duly elected. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend many meetings and resigned a few months later. Since that time, no other nominations have been made to the Board from Cyclo-Cross. The opportunities have been there, the door is open, but someone has to walk through it!

Now I don�t wish to cause offence to anyone involved in Cyclo-Cross. And I suppose there will be some people who think I shouldn�t speak out on such matters (though oddly enough I am expected to take the flak when it comes to criticism!). But there comes a time when you have to speak plainly about important matters, if you are to take any organisation forward.

For the Notts and Derby Cyclo-Cross League, and perhaps for the whole of Cyclo-Cross, that time is now. Breaking away from British Cycling would be a really bad idea. There are a couple of inescapable truths and some important questions to be asked, in this situation, which everyone really must consider;

1. If there is a major reduction in income from the Cyclo-Cross branch of the sport, it follows that there will have to be a major reduction in expenditure.

2. Cyclo-Cross is also both directly and indirectly supported by the rest of the sport of cycling. This would also have to reduce at least in proportion to the loss.

3. Do we really need yet another break-away organisation, in a sport that is already far too fragmented?

4. Do we want Cyclo-Cross to be a full part of the mainstream of an international sport, with opportunities for progression from youth level to international competition, or do we want to be stuck in a cul-de-sac, going nowhere?

I�m sorry if some people find these words a little difficult to swallow, but these are the issues that the members of the Notts and Derby Cyclo-Cross League need to think about before they throw away the good work that has taken us this far.

Brian Cookson, President, British Cycling

OTHER COLUMNS FROM BRITISH CYCLING'S PRESIDENT
The Presidents Week #1 >>> Full Story
The Presidents Week #2 >>> Full Story

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� British Cycling 2002/2003