Dave - Shropshire, England

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the kind words. I am happy you found the book entertaining.

The Bradley Wiggins transfer to Sky is interesting to me because so many people (in this country at least) are having a hard time with it. As a former (underpaid) pro, I really don’t have too much trouble with his desire to make more money or ride for a major team that’s based in his home country. I am not suggesting in any way that he was underpaid by his former employer, but if a guy can find a better paycheck and/or situation, and the rules make it possible for him to leave, well, good for him, I guess. I broke my contract with Transvemij (later TVM) to go to another team in the silly season of 1987/88, but it wasn’t for more money. It is certain that young Mr. Wiggins is making a deservedly large amount more than the young Mr. Parkin did, too.

Bradley Wiggins was a track specialist who has demonstrated all the right characteristics to make him a superstar. I happen to know an American rider who demonstrated superstar characteristics as well, was 4^th in the Tour de France and eventually went on to win the Giro d’Italia. The rider in question then went on to be courted by another big name team. He took the job but never performed as expected and hung up the cleats. It’s an apples and oranges comparison, yes, but still is not completely different.

I do not know Bradley Wiggins but am still very good friends with former pro pursuit world Champ Colin Sturgess and therefore, reckon I might like to hang out with Wiggo as well. I cannot bag on a guy for going with the money. I also cannot bag on a guy for going with a major team that’s based in his home country. I will, however, bag on the rules that allow such a transfer – just a bit, at least.

As Jonathan Vaughters pointed out in his Q&A session at the Nor Cal High School Mountain Bike League dinner, employment and contract laws differ from country to country, making it possible – even easy, in some cases, for riders to break contracts and ride for a different team. Ultimately, it seems, it was Vaughters’ decision to stay away from a potentially lengthy legal battle.

From my very non-attorney-like brain, I have always viewed the contract as protection for both employer and employee. In this particular case, and, in fact, just about every rider transfer that I can think of, the employer seems to get the short end of the stick. Think about it – although it was one of the worst kept secrets in bike racing, the official news of Wiggins’ transfer came only quite recently. The late transfer puts more than a bit of a damper on the team he left. The treatment of “the contract” here seems a bit more like a completely one-sided affair, which is what scares me. What happens when teams decide to do something similar to riders?

Several years ago there was a case, in mountain bike racing, where an American rider, Paul Willerton, made his foray into the mountain bike racing world and eventually finished 4^th at the World Championship in his first year on the fat tires. Through that result, he was able to sign a reasonably decent contract with Haro Bicycles, which had a term of 3 years. As is so often the case, Paul’s results in year one of the contract were less than anticipated. Eventually, his sponsor quit paying his salary. A lawsuit ensued and many riders from the upper echelon of American mountain biking provided affidavits on Paul’s behalf. While I do not know all of the intimate details of the official ruling, I do know that Paul was eventually paid.

But what if the decision would have been in Haro’s favor? And what if it were just as easy for a team like Garmin to get rid of one of its riders as it was for Wiggins to leave there? It seems to me that the powers that be in the UCI need to figure out some way to tighten up the transfer system, making it fair and equitable for both riders and teams. (All indications suggest that they are, in fact, doing so) The sport of cycling, after all, has become too international and too big to continue carrying on like it’s still 1980.