"Cycling deserves leadership without double standards" - Johan Bruyneel fires back, calling Lappartient a "hypocrite"
Cycling
Johan Bruyneel's beef with UCI president David Lappartient has not come to an end yet. The Belgian who has been banned from the world of cycling for his contribution in systematic doping of a professional team US Postal and their then star Lance Armstrong in early 2000s. As such, Bruyneel is therefore permitted from having any official function in the sport at any point in future.
According to Lappartient, this dictate has been broken by Bruyneel during recent Tour de France when the 60-year-old appeared at the race site as a guest of a local Belgian TV. On contrary, Bruyneel claims that his ban doesn't involve media presence and then shoots back at Lappartient for being a hypocrite with double standards.
"It is disappointing to see the President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), Mr. David Lappartient, publicly and heavily object to my presence at the start of a stage at the recent Tour de France - where I participated solely in a media capacity - while at the same time maintaining close ties with political leaders (dictators) whose records on human rights are deeply troubling," he wrote on X.
"Mr. Lappartient has appeared publicly alongside President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan, two heads of state widely criticized by international human rights organizations for systemic violations of fundamental freedoms. Despite this, both have been welcomed by the UCI, decorated with awards, and actively involved in high-profile partnerships within the cycling world."
"This inconsistency raises serious questions about the standards the UCI and Lappartient applies - and to whom. If the UCI leadership is comfortable honoring authoritarian regimes with well-documented human rights abuses, then singling out my presence at a sporting event as unacceptable seems not only hypocritical but politically motivated."
"Cycling deserves leadership that applies its values consistently, without double standards or selective outrage," he concludes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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