(ATR) David Lappartient is the new president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) after easily defeating incumbent Brian Cookson.
The 44-year-old Frenchman won 37 of the 45 votes from delegates at the UCI Congress in Bergen, Norway on Thursday.
"I am honored to lead our international federation and will endeavor to meet the commitments I made. Cycling has a great future and together we will make it the sport of the 21st century," Lappartient, the European Cycling Union (UEC) president and former French federation president, said in a statement on his website.
In his pre-vote speech before the delegates, Lappartient vowed to end the "corruption" that has left UCI with a "disastrous reputation".
He criticized Cookson for turning a deaf ear to the UCI’s management committee.
"For the sake of good order it is imperative to have a new president who will lead in collaboration with the elected members of the management committee," he told the UCI Congress.
Cookson, 66, said he had turned around the UCI since being elected in 2013 following a contentious campaign against incumbent Pat McQuaid. In recent days, Cookson had claimed that McQuaid was actively lobbying against him.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate David Lappartient on winning today’s election at the UCI Congress," Cookson said in a statement.
"The UCI I leave behind is unrecognizable from the organization I took over in 2013 and I depart with my head held high.
"Someone needed to stand up and take on the previous regime, who had dragged cycling into the gutter and I leave the UCI knowing that I have delivered all the promises I made four years ago.
"I am tremendously disappointed not to have been given a mandate to complete the work we began four years ago and I hope that David Lappartient will continue to move cycling in the right direction."
Cookson becomes the first UCI chief to serve only one term. His chances at re-election were likely hurt by a series of recent negative headlines involving British Cycling, which Cookson led from 1997 to 2013.
Written by Gerard Farek
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