Bjarne Riis today said it was unfair of UCI management committee member Peder Pedersen to comment on the Alberto Contador case while it is still ongoing, faulting the Dane for saying he thought the Spaniard would get a two year ban.
The SaxoBank SunGard manager’s view has now been backed by someone in a curious position; Pedersen himself. He has reflected on his comments, probably heard and read the opinions of some of those who faulted his position, and he has now conceded that he might have been better saying less.
“I have been employed for over 40 years in an industry that has laws and rules to follow,” he told Jyllands Posten. “I know when to comment on a particular case, and that it is of course not right to comment on a specific case while it is in progress. It is bad practice, and so I’ll say that the critics are quite right.”
However Pedersen stresses that he wasn’t speaking as someone with inside information. “That is not how it should be perceived,” he stated. He said that his understanding of the Contador situation is through the media only, and that he has not looked at the UCI documents pertaining to the case.
The Spanish rider is currently awaiting a decision from the Spanish cycling federation RFEC, which in turn is awaiting clarification of some points by the UCI. It is thought that the outcome of the disciplinary action will be announced in February, after which either side can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.