Achievements OG

Baroness Sue Campbell – Chair of UK Sport, 2003-2013

Brian Cookson's personal integrity, alongside his commitment and dedication to his sport has been absolutely key in transforming the UCI over the last four years. I have no hesitation in supporting his re-election for a second term as UCI President.

Bob Howden – President & Jonathan Browning – Chairman, British Cycling

During his time as President of British Cycling our federation developed from being a body in crisis to a turnaround success story. The success came not just in terms of medals won, but in levels of participation, in the bringing of major events to our shores and by inspiring Britons to fall in love with the sport. British Cycling wholeheartedly recommends Brian Cookson for re-election as the UCI President.

Osama Al Shafar – President, Asian Cycling Confederation and UAE Cycling Federation

We at the ACC support you in your endeavour to continue the process of transformation of UCI and also your special attention towards the Asian Continent in its march towards propagation and excellence at all levels of this wonderful sport of cycling.

Michael P. Plant – UCI Management Committee Member and 1980 Olympian

Your daily focus and objective is driven by what you can do to make us better and stronger by working in concert with the athletes, key stakeholders, membership, federations, Management Team and staff. Your professional approach, respect for those who interact with you and commitment to do the right thing has helped our organization achieve new levels of success.

Tracey Gaudry – President Oceania Cycling Confederation & Vice President UCI Management Committee

The progress we have made under Brian's presidency has been extensive and includes professionalising the sport for women across all disciplines, promoting the increased participation of women and girls in cycling as a sport and activity, and furthering the involvement of women throughout the governance, administration and delivery of the sport.

Harald Tiedeman Hansen – President Norwegian Cycling Federation and Member UCI Management Committee

We’ve made great progress across the board, including in the sphere of technology where we’ve transformed the UCI from a conservative federation to one that embraces and promotes progress. I look forward to supporting him during his second mandate.

John Tolkamp – President, Cycling Canada

Under Brian's leadership the UCI has taken great steps to restore the integrity of the sport, stabilize its operations and most importantly grow all aspects of the sport globally in a sustainable manner.

William Newman – President, Cycling South Africa

I'm sure another four years as UCI President will result in more great things for track cycling, and for African cycling across all disciplines.

Michel Thioub – President, Senegal Cycling Federation

Four years ago, I had chosen Brian, and I am pleased to see that he has provided unwavering support for the development of African Cycling.

Federico Moreira – Presidente, Federación Ciclista Uruguaya

On behalf of the Federación Ciclista Uruguaya, I wish to say that, under Brian Cookson’s leadership, cycling’s reputation has been restored and the interests of Latin American nations have been better addressed than ever before.

Robert Farrier – President, Trinidad & Tobago Cycling Federation

Under Brian’s stewardship, the UCI will continue to make great strides in improving the Sport of cycling, its athletes and administrators on a global scale.

Swiss Cycling

Brian has been credible in the fight against doping and for an open and transparent association. It should also be emphasized that, with the participation of all the key players, he has taken the initiative to adapt cycling to the current conditions and needs, globally and in a timely manner.

Captain Sawadogo – President, Burkina Faso Cycling Federation

We have indeed read your manifesto and we appreciate its true value. It is with pleasure that we will see you re-elected head of world cycling.

Mabrouk Kerboua – President of the Algerian Cycling Federation

Our federation adheres perfectly to your cycling development strategy and we thank you for all the renewal you have made during the last four years in cycling, throughout the world.

Madis Lepajõe – Former President, Estonian Cycling Federation

He is a leader who believes in democracy. Brian talks to people and listens their opinions even if they are by far different of his own views. He is convinced that cycling needs continuous development and new ideas to attract all generations.

Sergey Bubka – IOC Member

I find it very good for the development and adaptation of sport to the realities of modern life and respect Brian’s willingness to contribute in this way to the Olympic movement and cycling in particular.

Peter King – Chief Executive Officer, British Cycling Federation, 1997 to 2008

Transformation of any complex organisation is a long-term task and to complete Brian’s manifesto to modernise, develop and enhance both the UCI and World cycling requires a second term. I support Brian and wish him well in his campaign for re-election.

Ricardo Nogare – Brazil, Member of the UCI Mass Participation Commission

Brian has been a very good President for Latin America and for cycling across the world. We especially appreciated all the work he put in to ensure the cycling events at the Rio Olympic Games were a big success.

Lord Sebastian Coe – President IAAF, and former Chairman British Olympic Association

Brian became President of Cycling at a particularly challenging time for the sport. He has brought a real sense of purpose and re-direction to the sport and I am very happy to support his ambitions to serve a further term as UCI President.

Sir Philip Craven MBE – President of the International Paralympic Committee & International Olympic Committee Member

I am happy to support his candidacy for a second term as UCI President being sure that he will have more time to take Para cycling forward to a new level of development within the UCI.

Travis Tygart – CEO, United States Anti-Doping Agency

The way UCI conducts itself in anti-doping has been completely transformed since 2013. It has earned itself the reputation of highly competent and trusted partner, a model for other sports.

Peter Nicholson – Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) Member and WADA expert

Brian Cookson's clarity of vision and his unswerving determination to attack doping issues in the sport were central to the CIRC's capacity to operate independently and with a broad mandate.

Andy Parkinson – Former CEO, UK Anti-Doping

I have known him for many years and he has always operated with the best interests of the sport at heart. Since moving to the UCI, the same principles have applied and the UCI is now a trusted ally in the fight against doping, committed to the protection of all athletes in the sport, and a strong advocate for the type of governance required from such organisations.

Rod Carr – UK Sport Chair 2013 – 2017 and UK Sport Board Member 2003 – 2017

I have known Brian for many years and have respect for his achievements. Initially as Chair of British Cycling, overseeing the Olympic and Paralympic medal success, and more recently as President of the UCI where he has shown strong leadership in implementing important and necessary reforms.

Sir Hugh Robertson – Chairman of the British Olympic Association (and previously UK Minister for Sport and the Olympics 2010 – 2013)

During his first term as President, Brian has shown the leadership necessary to reform the sport and restore its reputation. I very much hope that he is given a second term to finish this vital task.

Cedric Vasseur – Professional Cyclist 1993 - 2007, Tour de France stage winner and yellow jersey, now TV commentator

I congratulate Brian Cookson and his team very warmly for all the actions they have undertaken over the past 4 years. Brian has reinvigorated each cycling discipline and great progress has been made in many areas.

Dirk Craen – President, European University

It has been a pleasure to see the progress in the UCI over the last four years, and the European University was delighted to award Brian the Degree of Doctor of Civil Laws, Honoris Causa, in recognition of his achievements.

Robbert de Kock – President and CEO WFSGI-World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry

Brian’s natural leadership has led to new visions and his sensible and balanced decisions have seen engagement with all stakeholders. His main focus always is to improve the conditions for the riders.

Scott Kaylin – Co-founder and President at Champion System

The UCI, under Brian's leadership, has made great progress in growing the sport of cycling worldwide. He recognizes the value and need to work with the broad stakeholders and has been proactive in collaborating with industry to ensure their needs and concerns are incorporated as cycling develops further.

Jaimie Fuller – Executive Chairman, Skins

Cycling has had a difficult history with doping, particularly within the tenure of the previous two Presidents. Brian has, in his current term as President, rebuilt the bridges with the World Anti-Doping Agency and the anti-doping community as a whole and made administrative changes to ensure the independence of anti-doping administration and sanction.

Monica Santini – Managing Director, Santini Maglificio Sportivo

I can state in all honesty that this current administration under the stewardship of Mr. Cookson has brought about truly positive and progressive advancements that have had wide ranging benefits for the world of cycling, aspects that I feel will only continue to grow with his re-election.

Kristin Klein – President, Amgen Tour of California and Executive Vice President, AEG

Brian’s vision for a strong international cycling organization supporting men’s and women’s platforms has not only helped us to raise the profile of our race but has helped the sport of cycling reach new levels of success across numerous measurable categories and revenue streams.

Michael S. Gollner – Executive Chairman, Madison Sports Group

We at Madison Sports Group are trying to modernize and improve upon our version of track cycling through our Six Day Series. I have therefore observed with awe the significant improvements you at the UCI have implemented into track cycling over time and I saw the Hong Kong event was a delightful manifestation of that progression.

Alain Bovay – Deputy and Mayor, St-Légier-La Chiésaz

Since your arrival in the region of the Canton of Vaud, you made contacts promptly and your first-class work on the field has significantly paid off. I appreciate your unwavering commitment to the UCI.

Sir Gary Verity – CEO Welcome to Yorkshire

Having strong and enlightened leadership at the top of cycling’s world governing body is imperative for the future success of our sport. Without the right leadership, we wouldn't have invested and developed the Tour de Yorkshire into something special, or joined with partners to bid for the UCI's flagship event the road world championship to be held in Yorkshire in 2019.

Rochelle Gilmore – Wiggle High5 General Manager

Since Brian Cookson was elected as president of the UCI I have observed a significant, and rapid development in Women’s Cycling. Honouring his election platform for the development of Women’s Cycling Brian has worked tirelessly in his commitment to better our sport.

En Français

Achievements

I am proud of the achievements made since my election in 2013. One of my key promises was a more open and transparent UCI . Our annual report, now in accordance with the highest Swiss accounting standards, contains much more information than previously and is released earlier than before. It serves as an excellent record of all the achievements that we have made together over the last four years. Via this link or on the UCI website you can view each of those reports, giving a detailed view of the multi-discipline, multi-facetted, complex ecosystem that is the world of cycling and the UCI.

Credibility

Another key promise I made was to prioritise the restoration of the UCI’s credibility – an absolutely essential step, given the disastrous state of our reputation at the time. The period leading up to the 2013 elections was a very difficult one, with accusations of serious wrongdoing concerning anti-doping and a presidential election weighed down by controversies.

I addressed those allegations head-on and ensured that a highly respected team of completely independent professionals, the Cycling Independent Reform Commission, investigated them thoroughly. Their report, published on time and on budget, was published in full and its recommendations acted upon.

I worked very quickly to rebuild relations with the World Anti Doping Agency at every level – Presidential and operational – and have ensured that we are a highly trusted partner within the anti-doping community, with agreements in place with numerous National Anti Doping Organisations to exchange information to make our work more efficient.

One of my first decisions as President was to commission a full independent audit of our anti-doping operations by the Institute of National Anti Doping Organisations. Following that audit and the subsequent changes made, we now have an anti-doping structure regarded as a model for other federations, led by the fully independent Cycling Anti Doping Foundation to which we have delegated responsibility for all testing and investigations.

There is now no possibility of any conflicts of interest between our role of developing and governing the sport, and the role of policing it in this most important way. Neither I nor any other member of the UCI Management Committee has any role in the CADF and we cannot interfere in its activities in any way – a model which the IOC and WADA are now pursuing for all sports.

Our work in this area has been extensive. Other examples of the positive changes we have put in place are the creation of the independent Anti Doping Tribunal to ensure consistency and transparency, also close to halving the time taken to deal with cases, and the complete overhaul of the process for granting Therapeutic Use Exemption Certificates (TUEs), now co-ordinated by the CADF and requiring unanimity amongst an independent panel of three doctors.

Constitution

On my broader commitments to credibility and governance I am proud to have overseen a complete revision of the UCI Constitution. We are now one of the first international sporting federations to have term limits for its president and we have a more equal distribution of voting representation. The election process has now been clearly defined and structures put in place to ensure it is transparent and robust.

We now have a new, comprehensive, and far-reaching Ethics Code, and an Ethics Commission made up largely of people who are completely independent of cycling. To ensure that athletes are properly represented I have made a complete change to the Athletes’ Commission, the members of which are now directly elected by their peers at the World Championships. We have at least one athlete on every commission and the President of the Athletes Commission sits on the UCI Management Committee.

Technological and digital progress

Bike under-going mechanical doping checks

I promised to be a forward-looking President and to embrace change. When I was elected the UCI’s website was outdated and incompatible with how most people use it - on their phones. We had almost no social media presence. That has been transformed and we now have a fan base of 2 million, with tremendous unique content at our events to drive audience engagement.

In the past four years we have brought on-board cameras into the racing of our road and track World Championships and more broadly we have changed the image of the UCI as regards technology. We are no longer seen by the cycle industry as a conservative barrier to change but as a governing body that wants to enable development, whilst of course retaining the basic principles and primacy of human athletic performance.

Our co-operative relationship with the industry has also been key in developing the systems we now employ to check large numbers of bikes at races for technological fraud. Where before the UCI had no rules governing this, nor any significant detection plans, we now have clear rules and sanctions coupled with efficient and widely deployed methods of detection.

Competition structure

We have looked closely at all our disciplines to make the changes necessary to make them as engaging as possible to fans. Significant rule changes have been implemented in BMX and Track where we have also made major changes to the structure of the World Cup. The integration of BMX Freestyle and the establishment of the UCI Urban World Championships are examples of our readiness to change and modernise.

Another significant success in modernisation was the changes we made to the UCI Hour Record, which had stagnated for many years. We simplified the rules in 2014 and since then we have had multiple attempts by high profile champions.

Our portfolio of UCI World Championships and World Cups across our different disciplines have produced consistently spectacular racing and distinguished champions, with the prestige of each of these events and the rainbow jersey ever stronger.

These many initiatives, supported by a complete overhaul of our financial reporting and controls, and by our revitalised brand and new digital platforms, have enabled us to strengthen the financial position of the UCI. We have transformed the financial viability of our MTB and Cyclo-cross properties, positioning both for future growth. We have strengthened our relationships with our partner family, bringing in more resources to the UCI, and entered into a long-term broadcast rights agreement with EBU and IMG, bringing not only greater revenue but ensuring the widest audience for our growing portfolio of events.

This combination of strong cost control and increased revenue provides the platform from which the UCI can invest in the development of cycling. Removing the impact of the revenues from the Olympic Games, the UCI’s financial performance has still improved since my election, and that despite the significant negative impact of the strengthening of the CHF. Looking ahead, the agreements we have put in place, and the changes we have made, give every reason for an optimistic outlook.

Growing the sport

I promised to concentrate on growing cycling worldwide. By committing to an extra 1 million CHF (Swiss Francs) investment in our Continental Federations for National Federation development, I have demonstrated I understand the importance of our grassroots structures. I established a new International Development Department to create closer links with our Federations, initiated regular communications via our National Federations Newsletter and ensured regular knowledge sharing platforms on all continents.

Investment in the UCI World Cycling Centre has been increased and the number of young athletes from around the world attending has consequently been boosted. We have had a similar increase in the number of coaches and for the first time ever we have had all female training camps, para cycling camps, new cyclo-cross camps and more courses for mechanics and commissaires. We have also invested in bringing over nations that would otherwise not have been able to compete at the UCI World Junior Track Championships for a special camp prior to that event.

To reach out further across the world and build talent pathways to the UCI WCC we have continued to develop satellite centres. The Delhi satellite opened in 2016 and as part of our partnership with Wanda Sports in China a new Chinese satellite will transform the opportunity for athletes from that region.

The success of this work to develop cycling across the world is demonstrated by the success of the Rio Games where we had a record number of nations participating. Currently 11 riders in men’s WorldTour Teams are graduate trainees of the UCI World Cycling Centre, while we have also seen Olympic and World Championship medals won by our graduate trainees in Track, BMX and Mountain Bike disciplines, and I am certain we will see this number grow.

I committed to make the development of women’s cycling a key priority, and we have done this across the work of the UCI. In governance and administration, through the creation of the Women’s Commission, dedicated internal resource and ensuring women are present across all our Commissions; in sport, such as bringing parity to prize money across our World Championships; and in training with dedicated courses for women. In addition we have worked especially hard in an area where gender imbalance has been so pronounced, which is elite road cycling. Our commitment and investment is now bearing fruit, with the second season of the UCI Women’s WorldTour underway and marking exponential growth in this discipline.

We continue to work hard to develop men’s elite road cycling as one of the flagships of our sport. For many years this has been a complex area, with many entrenched and sometimes differing views among the stakeholders of this discipline. But the changes which have been brought in are moving us in the right direction, and we have seen exciting and dramatic racing in events both new and old.

The UCI WorldTour now earns its name as a global series, bringing in new exciting races across the world, in addition to the predominantly European monuments. New operational standards have been introduced for both organisers and teams, with a particular emphasis on rider safety, and with it also enhanced stability to stakeholders through our regulations to encourage investment. All this is underpinned by the ceaseless work to protect the credibility of our sport, so crucial for the continued growth and investment needed to compete for the attention and passion of fans.

And finally, whilst the primary role of the UCI will always be to be the international governing body for competitive sport, the UCI’s role has been broadened, revitalised and enhanced, through our new Advocacy and Mass Participation Events Commissions, as a promoter and enabler of cycling for all levels of ability, as a means of transport and as a simply pleasurable and healthy activity.

In conclusion

So, please compare the above with the promises and commitments that I made in 2013, remember the disastrous and controversy-ridden state of the UCI at that time, and I believe that you will see that we have made great progress. Of course, there remains work to do. Four years is not enough time to see through all the changes and make the progress that I would like to make. In that context, please read my manifesto for the next four years.