September 18, 2007 РHere is the latest newsletter from the Cyclistes Professionnels Associ̩s (Association of Professional Cyclists) for September 2007.

The CPA is Preparing the General Meeting in Como

The general meeting of the CPA will take place, also this year, on the eve of the Tour of Lombardy. All the members of our association are expected to attend it on

Friday, October 19, 2007, at 2: 30 PM at the Grand Hotel di Como, in Como.

Considering the importance of the event, during which the statutory charges will be renewed, the CPA News proposes in this edition to take stock of the principal initiatives the CPA launched during these eight last years and also of the results it obtained, in order to make it possible for everybody to have his own opinion about how the association, created to take care of the professional riders’ interests, works.

Joint agreement
Signed by the AIGCP and the CPA, it came into force on January 1, 2002. It makes part since then of the UCI regulations and defines the work conditions, remuneration, social benefits and insurances which must be included in each contract.

Solidarity fund
The Solidarity fund, which exists since 2002, plans to pay, to the riders who are at least 30 years old and who stopped their career, a 20 000 CHF allowance to facilitate their redeployment.
After a period of 5 years, necessary to constitute this solidarity fund, the first allowances were paid in May 2007.
Moreover death insurance is subscribed yearly. It covers, under certain conditions, all the professional riders who are under contract and, in case of decease 20.000 CHF are allocated to the rightful claimants.

Administrative audit of the professional teams (bank guarantees, administrative structures and budgets)
By request of the CPA, the UCI is organizing since 2002 a permanent control of the administrative structures, the budgets and the bank guarantees of the professional teams.

The recurring problems that occurred between 1985 and 2001 are the cause of that initiative, which, most of all thanks to the mandatory constitution of a bank guarantee equivalent to 25% of the budget of each team and the administrative controls which are executed with professional criterions before the UCI register them, have for sure reinforced each rider’s contractual position and rights.

Riders’ report for more safety in the races
On the basis of the reports the riders regularly send to the CPA and which are transmitted to the UCI, for all that is related to the problems of safety in the race, transfers, conditions of lodging and any other problem of organization, it has been possible to show how the courses must be improved.

Inventory of the prizes
The CPA makes every year the inventory of all the prizes the organizers allocate, which are an important source for the financing of the Solidarity Fund.

Statistics about the fluctuation of the amounts the organizers allocate each year give the CPA the possibility to react in case of irregularity.
The association, together with various national associations, is moreover at the complete disposal of his members who do not collect their prizes.

Riders’ Council
The CPA created in 2006 a Riders’ Council, which consists of riders of different teams and nationalities, in order of facilitating a permanent contact between the association and the riders.

Legal adviser
Since June 2007, a legal adviser of international level appointed by the CPA is at the riders’ disposal, at whom all the members can inquire about the problems related to contracts and rights of image, as well as far any other matters with their respective employers, agents or the sporting or administrative authorities.

Communication
The riders can consult the website of our association www.cpasite.org (in French and in English).

Moreover they receive the monthly issue of the CPA News (translated into French, English, Italian, Spanish and German), which informs them about all the activities and projects of the association.

Through the Riders’ council or their respective national association, they can send their propositions to the CPA.

Pascale Schyns, present in many international races, is also at their disposal in order to inform or advise them.

Collaboration with the UCI
Recording that the CPA has got representatives in the various Commissions or working groups of the UCI (UPTC, Road Commissions, SSCC, Antidoping and Disciplinary), the CPA News underlines the good collaboration established in the last year with the International Federation, which pays attention to the requests our association expresses.

By wishing good luck to all the participants in the next World Championships in Stuttgart, the CPA News recalls to all the riders as a conclusion that any contract must be initialled at the bottom of each page by the parts which sign the contract, and that the rider must obligatorily keep a copy of that same contract.
A possible translation will be at the rider’s expenses.