Marc Lemay knows the process that Derek Gee-West\u2019s been through during the past five months better than most. Lemay, a former head of the Canadian Cycling Association and a UCI member largely credited with getting mountain biking into the Olympics (as well as a former Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois MP), is the current president of the UCI\u2019s arbitral board, a position he\u2019s held for roughly five years. The judicial body is designed to solve disputes between athletes and teams, ideally resolving matters more quickly and cheaply than in the courts. Before Lemay became the head of the board, he gained experience representing athletes as well as teams. \u201cBut I cannot compare them because each case is different,\u201d he said. In the case of Gee-West, Lemay couldn\u2019t compare any detail, not just because it would be unethical, but because he made sure he had no knowledge of the case\u2019s particulars. (Well, he does know one detail.) I spoke with Lemay the morning news broke that Gee-West was part of Lidl-Trek officially. Lemay was finding things out\u2014like the simple fact that there was a resolution\u2014at the same time as most of the world, through news stories online.<\/p>\n
Podcast: The cloak-and-dagger story of how mountain biking became an Olympic sport<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n I knew there was only so much Lemay could reveal when I called. When I reached him last year at his home in Rouyn-Noranda, Que., I learned he had kept himself completely apart from Gee-West\u2019s case to ensure the process\u2019s impartiality. The mere fact that both Lemay and Gee-West are Canadian was enough for Lemay to make sure he was insulated from the case. He could tell me the basic makeup of the board that had been formed around the matter. In August, the team Israel-Premier Tech announced that it had been informed by Gee-West\u2019s lawyers that the rider\u2019s contract was terminated<\/a>. The team disputed the termination, saying the agreement was in effect until 2028. A few days later on social media, Gee-West confirmed that his time with IPT was done. The rider said he was not in contact with any teams for a new contract. IPT was looking for 30 million euros in compensation from Gee-West<\/a>. The group that was to address this dispute included three members: one from the team (IPT but rebranded NSN Cycling in November), one representing the rider and one named by Lemay for the UCI.<\/p>\n