UCI letter: New anti-doping hotline

Today UCI President, Pat McQuaid, sent out a letter to all the professional riders urging them to use a new "confidential hotline" should the rider witness any doping abuse.

"We need to do more to ensure that the UCI is as accessible as possible, and in particular to you the riders, should you wish to discuss issues or concerns relating to doping", Pat McQuaid writes in the letter.

In the past I've talk with many riders stating they would never 'rat out' any team mates if they saw them using illegal drugs but hopefully things have really changed now. Cycling is once again being seen as the 'dope sport' by the public, but according to Pat McQuaid we can all "be assured that cycling will find a new path forward". I hope that he (for once) is right.

You can read the whole letter from Pat McQuaid here:

Pat McQuaid or Plexico Burrews?

Less than a week after the Contador CAS hearing, UCI president Pat McQuaid now confirms to Cyclingnews that his organization is close to open a handful of anti-doping cases based on information from the biologic passport.

My question is then; "Why is Pat McQuaid telling this now?". In a time when cycling once again is struggling with cases against its top riders, how can it possible be a good idea to say that there are more cases coming, without being able to name any implicated riders? Instead of focusing on the next season, suddenly everybody and their neigh bough now starts to think “who are those riders?”, “I’m sure it’s him, he was just too good this year” etc. etc.

I may be blind here, but please Pat McQuaid; explain to me why you are leaking this information now and not just stay quiet until the cases are opened? It sure seems like UCI is shooting their own feet here…