New USA Cycling President & CEO Derek Bouchard-Hall "appears to be the exact opposite" of his predecessor, Steve Johnson, who "didn't like to talk about doping," according to Juliet Macur of the N.Y. TIMES. Johnson "finally retired from USA Cycling after nearly a decade," and for a sport "trying to win back the public, it should be a relief." Bouchard-Hall "gave up a top job at the British sports retailer Wiggle, taking a sizable pay cut, so he could help USA Cycling turn around and win back sponsors." That includes "changing the public perception of cycling" in the U.S., which, because of Lance Armstrong, "took a nose dive to the pavement and has yet to climb back onto its feet." Bouchard-Hall is "passionate about his mission, so much so that he left his wife and two daughters in London, where he had been working and where they will stay until the girls finish this school year." Bouchard-Hall "has the right credentials to resurrect USA Cycling," as he is "competitive and intense." But the "best part ... is that he doesn’t appear to have ties to Armstrong, unlike so many other USA Cycling executives of years past." For that, "everyone in the sport should let out a cheer." Bouchard-Hall "also knows enough about the truth of cycling to be a credible voice for his sport." He and the BOD are "considering an effort to bar masters cyclists for life upon their first doping offense." Bouchard-Hall: "I'll do whatever I can to get us back on track. We have to make it clear to sponsors that we're doing whatever we can to make things better." Macur writes after "so many years of USA Cycling’s silence on the doping issue, it’s refreshing to see a leader who tells it as it is and is proactive in trying to change things" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/5).
