The day after its annual general meeting and a few hours after the presentation of the 2017 Tour de France – during which Christian Prudhomme vigorously argued the movement is the vision to share – it’s time for the MPCC to publish its views on the past year.
The members of the MPCC met in Paris on 17 October 2016. They looked back with satisfaction on the past year. Improved relationships have been established with the UCI, which led to the acceptance of the introspection-period principle the movement’s members abide by in the event of several doping cases.
The MPCC also welcomed the full respect for the rules shown by the members on a voluntary basis. Now the movement only consists of members which met their commitments. More than half of the professional divisions’ teams remain under MPCC membership and this people is dedicated.
The physicians representing the member teams reaffirmed the following principle: when a rider is sick as it requires a treatment with corticoid drugs, he is prevented from riding for 8 days and resumes competition only if his cortisol level is above the norm. The physicians also requested to continue to set up random cortisol level tests within the framework of health. They even expressed the wish to increase the number of tests carried out on races outside France. This is why the movement is going to contact its national association members to this end.
In addition to these measures all the members adhere to, the MPCC reiterated its request to the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) to include corticoids on the list of banned substances.
The health risk presented by tramadol use has long been studied by the attending physicians. The reality of the situation around this antalgic drug led them to renew the request to the WADA, exactly as the UCI did, to ban the use of the medication in competition.
Within MPCC, the team physicans undertook not to prescribe tramadol to their riders in competition. In accordance with them, the MPCC examines the technical validity of a test detecting the use of tramadol, achieved thanks to saliva or urine tests. In the context of health, the use of tramadol would lead the concerned rider to apply no-start policy.
During the general assembly, the MPCC also invited its members to vote for the constitution of the board, which is now:
- President : Roger LEGEAY
- Vice-President : Iwan SPEKENBRINK
- Secretary : Philippe SENMARTIN
- Assistant secretary : Christophe BRANDT
- Treasurer : Yvon SANQUER
- Assistant treasurer: Marc SERGEANT
- Members : Gianni SAVIO, Sébastien HINAULT, Vincent LAVENU
Lastly, the MPCC attended on Tuesday 18 October the presentation of the 2017 Tour de France.
During his introduction speech, the director of the race Christian Prudhomme made some statements the movement welcomed:
« I wanted to say it again here: the MPCC’s raison d’être still remains. Self-imposed regulations, stricter than international ones, can avoid many concerns, debates or controversial issues. I like the watchword of the MPCC: to leave the light on. This is the key to our future. »