There are some who had speculated, with wildly misplaced optimism, that the CIRC report published today might draw a line under cycling’s worst decades of doping. That was never going to be possible when some notorious figures from the past continue to be involved in leading positions.
It was never going to be achievable when cheating remains such a problem that one of the sport’s top teams, who include the reigning Tour de France champion, could soon be expelled and disbanded.
CIRC was never going to mark the closing of an era when individuals asked to co-operate were under no obligation to participate and some people refused to be interviewed. The commission could force no new confessions, and had no coercive measures against anyone who lied. With its very limited powers, and the vast scale of the subject to be tackled, the three-man panel was going into battle with peashooters.
There is no clean break from the past, and there never could be, but what can be taken from the report is that the fight against doping at least appears to be in more reliable hands than previously. As CIRC sets out, for far too long the UCI has been part of the problem, more worried about protecting an image than driving out the cheats. Leaders of the governing body even colluded with Lance Armstrong.
Brian Cookson, the president of the UCI, came to power promising to restore the body’s credibility and while there is still a very long way to go, there are a few encouraging signs.
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The UCI’s recent demand for Astana’s racing licence to be revoked showed that the new regime has teeth, especially given that Vincenzo Nibali could be prevented from defending his yellow jersey.
There will be an expectation on Cookson to continue a hardline approach, and he has plans to introduce a fit and proper persons test. It remains to be seen how that would work when some former dopers are credible campaigners for clean cycling and others taint the sport. A president cannot arbitrarily decide who to turf out and who to keep.
The CIRC report contains many recommendations to strengthen UCI practices and anti-doping procedures, although Cookson can claim to have already taken some significant steps such as ensuring that drug testing is far removed from the presidency.
Publishing the report can be seen as another sign of good practice, given that it is available to all with only minor redactions. This is not Fifa.
Some will argue that publication is possible because there is not a lot of information in there that is explosive or revelatory, and they have a point. In the endless fight against doping, CIRC represents a very small step forward. But it is better than what has gone before, as the report makes clear.