Former National and Master’s World Champ Steve Tilford has chimed in on the USAC/UCI controversy on his blog:

First of all I need to state that the rule itself just plain sucks…2nd of all, I doubt that the sanctions are legal. I’m not sure if the rule itself is legal in the United States. It’s like the UCI rule that states that more than 50% of the riders on a Continental Pro team have to be under 27 years old. Someone needs to legally challenge both these rules.

Pro rider and former USAC board member Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski has a great opinion piece in Velonews as well:

Friday’s announcement, though, renders all unsanctioned racing off-limits for all licensed professionals in this country, as well as all UCI licensed masters and junior racers in all disciplines — including cyclocross, which is simply not realistic, given the culture and history of mountain bike racing in this country…Given Friday’s developments, I won’t be taking a UCI or USAC license this year unless a viable solution is negotiated where professionals can race in events of their choosing — a solution that promotes the grassroots growth of the sport, balances the needs of the athletes and the industry, and above all, preserves the culture of mountain biking in the country that started it.

The issue is gaining steam with professionals from Eddie O’Dea to Rebecca Rush vocalizing their disapproval. As more high-profile pro riders consider dropping licenses this could very well limit USA Cycling’s influence in mountain biking1