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Was Jody Cundy the unlucky recipient of a UCI commissaire backlash? I wouldn't be surprised.
Current C5 kilometre world champion Cundy was a favourite for the men's kilometre at the Paralympics today, but a slip out of the start gate cost him a medal, and even the chance to complete four laps of the London track.
As he moved his bodyweight forward and pushed down with his left leg to get out of the starting gate his rear wheel spun and slipped left down the track. He stayed upright but as soon as he was balanced on the bike he put his hand up to call the mishap and the restart.
He could have continued, and perhaps even still won gold (he's that far ahead of the competition) but he simply did what every other rider would have done had they realised something was wrong. He called the mishap instinctively and without thinking.
Only the commissaires didn't allow him one. In ten years of reporting on track racing I don't think I've ever seen anyone denied a restart after such an incident. The British coaches appealed but the commissaire judged there was no mishap and therefore no restart was allowed. Cundy was furious, and stormed out of the track centre shouting and gesticulating at the officials (he later took to the PA system to apologise for his language).
Cundy, and his coach Chris Furber, believed the gate didn't release correctly and that caused the wheelspin, an event that is always judged to be a mishap.
When talking on Channel Four, British Cycling's Steve Peters said the commissaire had told the British team there was no technical fault and therefore it wasn't mishap. But there is no mention of technical faults anywhere in the UCI rules.
A later press release quoting the UCI's technical delegate Louis Barbeau said there was nothing wrong with the starting gate, there was no recognised mishap, and without a recognised mishap there cannot be a restart.
This is what the UCI rules say about mishaps:
In the case of a false start the rider shall restart immediately.
In the case of a mishap, the rider shall take a new start after a rest of approximately 15 minutes
A rider may be only permitted to have a total of 2 starts.
Elsewhere in the rules the term 'mishap' is explained:
Recognised mishap
The following shall be considered recognised mishaps
A fall
A puncture
The breakage of an essential part of the bicycle
All other incidents are considered un-recognised mishaps.
The wording here suddenly becomes important. It suggests that an un-recognised mishap is still a mishap, and therefore the rules on a restart would still apply. Otherwise it should say; 'All other incidents are not considered mishaps', or, 'an un-recognised mishap does not earn a rider a restart'.
Semantics aside, riders are always allowed a restart when something goes wrong in the split second they leave the starting gate. So why wasn't Cundy? To understand this perhaps we have to look in to the complex mind of a sports governing body.
The UCI works on a reactive basis, often using the arbitrary nature of its own rules to enforce a clampdown. After a high profile event they will have a debrief and I believe this happened after the Olympic Games.
This takes us back to Philip Hindes. When the young Briton threw himself to the track in the men's team sprint at the Olympics three weeks ago the team was allowed a restart. He claimed he had lost control and fallen off, and this comes under that wonderfully vague term - mishap.
On reviewing the incident the UCI's track commission would have known it was deliberate and should not have earned a restart. Those who enforce the rules don't like having the wool pulled over their eyes, and the likelihood is the UCI would have briefed their commissaires on starts and told them to apply the rules rigidly.
Today that has cost Cundy a shot at retaining his Paralympic gold medal in the kilometre. We can add the 'mishap' rule to the ever growing list of UCI rules that need a rethink or rewrite.
Reader comments
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Geoff Anderson
August 31 19:10
if you listen carefully to the hines interview, the interviewer said - was he trying to 'pull a fast one'. Hines relied yes, thinking he was being asked if he was trying for a fast start - lost in translation I am afraid. i am sure there is a moral about English speaking athletes but at worst it was unfortunate.
Angharad
August 31 19:50
Isn't this just another episode of the UCI attempting to stop British domination of track cycling? I wonder if swimming will do the same with the US?
Stephen Battersby
August 31 21:33
I can't help feel this is another reflection on the UCI and the way it is run (poorly) - cycling deserves a better governing body.
steve clarke
August 31 23:31
I can't see how a rider can wheelspin on the track, the commissaire needs shooting!!!! I HATE the UCI !!!!!
Michael
September 01 13:17
Joe Cundy decision at the paralympics the worst imaginable. Shocking beyond belief. A mishap occured which was clear to all at the arena and on TV except of course to the UCI officials and the Spanish team. The latter didn't exactly cover themselves in glory. Had they not protested would the UCI have let Cundy re-race. Whatever,they have scarred someone's life unecessarily and unfairly and undermined the spirit of these games and sadly my interest in watching them. I wish there was some way a protest could be sustained in this case.
Henry
September 01 21:39
This sort of thing makes cycling look farcical. It is not good for anyone, especially the fans. The spectators were shown disrespect and their intelligence was insulted by an incompetent group of officials who, in their efforts to stamp their authority on the sport they supposedly "serve", damage it and those that take part in it. The UCI seems like a group of 10 year old boy scouts directing an expedition to the North Pole. No offence to boy scouts.
cyclemike
September 02 17:15
The UCI, to me, seem to be very arbitrary on their own rules and regulations. This does not, for an outsider looking in, seem fair, which is what rules are meant to be fair and even for all. I personally have no faith in the UCI, on their rules or implementation.
Guest
September 12 23:12
I've heard the "lost in translation" argument before, but it doesn't really wash in the case of Hindes, since he then went on to explain how he deliberately faked a mechanical fault. Unfortunately for Cundy, it's not hard to believe that the commissaires and other teams will have taken his comments to indicate a team order. Which is why I was surprised to hear Cav suggesting he is hoping to be part of the team pursuit squad for Rio 2016 - With Hoy retiring and in the light of Hindes' comments, I would have thought the vacancies would be in the team sprint.
Willi Tarran
December 28 20:10
In the Olympic Team Sprint Final the GB false started as the second rider crossed the line before the inside rider. Phil Hindes crash was unneccesary I do not know why the President did not allow a restart for Jody