2014 Pro-cycling season thread

We did, but it has been reignited by Kimmage on twitter.

If Cookson got the job because he was the best candidate with the right skill set, it should be quite straightforward for him to get a job elsewhere in a related field. However, if they can demonstrate there is no conflict of interest (which should also be straightforward) then I don't think he should be hounded out of his job.

As to why Kimmage is asking questions now, perhaps it only recently came to his attention?

I can see both sides of the argument and on balance I think it is legitimate, but I also think it is reasonable to ask questions.

I have no issue whatsoever with Kimmage, or any other journalist, raising legitimate questions about conflicts of interest or doping or any other topic. I've read a lot of Kimmage's work and still think he is an excellent journalist.

However, I think his activity on Twitter makes him look unprofessional. He engages with, and encourages, the worst of the cycling Twitterati and gets involved in their hysterical rants on doping. I have no doubt that doping is still an issue in pro cycling, but the shrill nature of the tweets of certain individuals, their complete lack of objectivity, their cherry picking of evidence and data and false and erroneous accusations are ridiculous.