Britain's Brian Cookson has landed a stage win ahead of the UCI presidential election. This could be groundbreaking with regard to the election on September 27th. There Cookson, currently President of the British Cycling Union, will compete against incumbent Pat McQuaid of Ireland.
In a secret ballot, the representatives of the European Cycling Association have expressed their confidence in Cookson. The vote ended with Cookson voting 27 to 10. In addition, the association emphasized that its representatives entitled to vote in the UCI presidential election should vote for the British and against the Irish.
For the incumbent McQuaid, re-election is becoming increasingly remote. Even before the UEC vote, the Oceania Association had withdrawn its confidence in the Irishman and announced that it would support Cookson in the election. In addition, McQuaid still has to hope that a change in the election statutes will allow his nomination by the countries of Morocco and Thailand. His British rivals are currently seeking a legal review of the line-up, especially as it came after the candidacy deadline. The representatives of the UEC also complained about McQuaid's dubious actions in the context of the vote that has now taken place.