McQuaid forced to admit defeat

Pat McQuaid has lost his battle to remain as president of the international cycling union (UCI), beaten by Britain’s Brian Cookson by 24 votes to 18 at the UCI Congress in Florence.

It came after a morning of heated discussions at the Congress over whether McQuaid should even be allowed to stand after he was not nominated by the Irish federation or the one in Switzerland, where he lives.

Many felt that McQuaid had done the hardest part — which was actually getting to Florence in the first place following a string of protracted battles by his opponent to prevent him from standing as a candidate.