The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that Marianne Vos (The Netherlands) and Bernhard Eisel (Austria) have been elected to represent road cycling on the UCI Athletes' Commission, after a vote held during the 2017 Road World Championships taking place in Bergen, Norway.
Vos and Eisel were chosen from a list of six candidates - three men and three women - by athletes participating in the Championships.
Of the athletes competing in Bergen, 72% took part in the vote. Vos and Eisel obtained 45% and 71% of the votes respectively.
Members of the Commission are elected for a four-year mandate running from the UCI Congress in 2017 to the Congress in 2021.
This weekend’s election is part of the renewal of all UCI Commissions in 2017.
Marianne Vos and Bernhard Eisel will join Maja Wloszczowska (Poland), Lukas Flückiger (Switzerland), Myriam Nicole (France) and Greg Minnaar (South Africa) representing mountain bike; Sarah Storey (Great Britain) and Colin Lynch (Ireland) representing paracycling; Laura Smulders (Netherlands) and Liam Phillips (Great Britain) representing BMX Racing; Kristina Vogel (Germany) and Kenny De Ketele (Belgium) representing track cycling; Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) and Simon Zahner (Switzerland)representing cyclo-cross.
This year, the UCI has decided to increase the representation of its various disciplines on the UCI Athletes' Commission by modifying its electoral system.
This new voting system will see the UCI Athletes' Commission grow from 13 to 20 members, with a perfect Men/Women balance across all disciplines.
In line with the election method of the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which elects its members at each Olympic Games, elections of the two representatives from each discipline will take place every four years at the UCI World Championships of the relevant discipline.
The mission of the UCI Athletes’ Commission is to: • present the UCI Management Committee with a wide range of considerations in order • to improve the role of athletes in all disciplines; • promote/improve the respect and rights of athletes across all forms of cycling and in all disciplines; • promote ethics and all fair play rules inherent to the practice of cycling at all levels; • provide a direct link with the UCI Management Committee for major events; • inform athletes of the range of professional training available to them during and after • their sporting careers; • act as ambassadors and role models for all disciplines and at all levels.
According to the Commission's terms of reference, the President of the UCI Athletes' Commission is elected by his/her peers and is co-opted onto the UCI Management Committee, the executive body of the Federation which operates under the authority of the Congress. In addition, one representative on the Athletes' Commission from each discipline automatically becomes a member of the Commission of his/her discipline, and therefore represents the athletes on that Commission.