A group of at least 300 riders, including Chris Froome and other team leaders, are demanding changes in the CPA Riders Association, sparking another power struggle on the eve of the CPA's annual meeting.

The CPA (Cyclistes Professionnels Associés) will hold a two-hour online video general assembly on Monday evening because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but individual riders will be given a short slot to express their opinions and many other Because of the agenda, the plenary will likely be extended, which will only increase the pressure for change.

Andy Hood of VeloNews was the first to reveal that leading riders had gathered to call for change at the CPA. More than 325 professional riders have signed a petition calling for reforms at the CPA, according to prominent Dutch journalist Raymond Kerkhofs on the Cycling Opinions website. They include Froome, Nicolas Roche, Robert Gesink, Matej Mohoric, Yasper Steiven, Sam Bury, Jos van Emden, and Cohen de Kort, and several leading rider agents, lawyers, and experts have also expressed their support.

Former Yumbo Visma player Steph Clement has also been contacted by teammates and has been represented by Luke Eisenga. Eisenga was managing director of the AIGCP Team Association from 2013 to 2016, where he held various management positions at Team Telecom and Rabobank, before leaving cycling and moving to Dutch soccer. He recently left soccer and offered to use his experience and negotiating skills to support an informal association of athletes.

"This represents a lot of the peloton. There is a new momentum," Clement recently told Velonews.

"Being home for three months during the COVID-19 crisis changed everything. Before that, everyone was busy racing, everything was going on, and the future seemed bright. But COVID gave people a chance to look at things and consider the current situation. We want a more sustainable future and a better position for riders."

"There is an accumulation of things that have happened over the past few years, which were ignited when the pro race stopped in Paris-Nice.

After years of suffering under the control of the UCI, race organizers, and teams, the riders want a stronger say and influence in how pro cycling is run.

The riders were apparently angered that the CPA recently voted in favor of the UCI allocating €1 million from the WorldTour Emergency Fund to cover the costs of its legal battle with the Veron Team Business Group before the European Commission. the CPA is an international sports governing It claims that it took this action out of principle to protect the organization. Ryder also questions the management of the Transition Fund, which is supposed to pay a lump sum in the form of an annuity upon retirement.

The biggest complaint of the new riders' coalition is representation. They understand that they cannot force a rule change at Monday's general meeting, but they have begun talks with the CPA and will continue to push for changes and different representation rules, ultimately aiming for a riders' association based on the concept of one rider, one vote.

The CPA is the official sanctioned body that represents riders at the organizational level, and Gianni Bugno was again elected president in Innsbruck in 2018 for a four-year term; the CPA is funded by 2% of riders' prize money and WorldTour entry fees, and over the years has received significant donations from the UCI The CPA has a constitution and is registered under Swiss law. It has a constitution and is registered under Swiss law.

The CPA is a member of the UCI's influential Procycling Council, but has little say in the running of procycling.

According to the CPA bylaws, riders are represented through national umbrella groups, which in turn represent their members. Developed cycling countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland have a strong influence on the CPA, and block votes are decisive, especially in presidential elections.

France has about 150 votes, Italy about 120, and Spain about 86.

The United States and Canada formed a new national association, ANAPRC, in 2014, and riders from Australia, Belgium, and Poland can also join the CPA by voting at the General Assembly. However, riders from other countries feel underrepresented, with some noting that less than half of the peloton is represented through national associations.

Secretary General Laura Mora has led the defense of riders' interests, most recently during COVID-19, when teams moved quickly to target riders' salaries as a means of cutting costs, and fought for their payment and their future.

CPA recently updated its prize payment system with the creation of a women's association led by former Italian rider Alessandra Cappelotto.

The CPA asked Cycling News to welcome the riders' association but to act according to democratic processes and CPA rules.