British riders are petitioning the government to get visa-free permits so they can race in Europe this season.
Under the new Brexit agreement British nationals can only travel on the continent for 90 in 180 days.
The petition, which currently has 2,300 signatures, is being supported by a number of pro riders.
They are campaigning to get a new visa-free permit which will allow them to continue racing.
The petition states: "The UK has a huge number of sporting professionals, young and training athletes that travel year-round to Europe to train and compete.
"Wintersports, for example, can have athletes training and competing over 8 months of the year.
"Now, with many athletes self-funded and potentially each country asking for its own visa per trip, this will become impossible due to cost if there is this limit of 90 in 180 days travel.
"Please negotiate a visa-free permit for athletes and sporting professionals."
Many riders have also taken to social media to voice their concerns about how they are going to be able to continue competing in Europe next year.
One rider, Anna Henderson, a 22-year-old who currently rides for Team Jumbo-Visma, said she fears it will be 'impossible' to continue competing if the rules are not changed.
Writing on Twitter, she said: "Sport requires athletes to spend long periods of time in the Schengen area, and without easy options for this it becomes impossible.
"Britain’s sporting success [re]lies on athletes being able to do their job properly and 90 days within 180 days simply does not allow this to happen...
"I understand covid-19 is an issue, but long stay visas allow us to stay in one place for a long time.
"Having to travel to and from the Schengen area due to the 90 day rule is increasing travel and putting more people at risk.
"Elite sports events continue to happen, and British athletes will struggle to attend such events and train properly for them if this does not change."
The petition requires at least 10,000 signatures for the appeal to receive a response from the government.
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77 comments
I can give 3 quick actual examples of how Brexit has affected organisations that I am connected to directly.
1. Shipments of cold transported biological materials being held up in customs despite all additional paperwork being correct. Loss to company running into £10k s. This has led to the decision to move certain operations to continental Europe rather than expand UK facilities.
2. European research partners are no longer able to claim tax credits for work done in our UK labs. This has led to the decision to move certain operations to continental Europe with highly qualified, highly paid, tax paying key staff being relocated or recruited locally.
3. European companies seem more reluctant to agree legal agreements under UK law. Leading to additional cost and loss of legal protections or risk of failing to secure an agreement full stop.
These are not teething issues, they are existential threats to UK businesses leading to loss of opportunity and migration of jobs to the continent.
Sure, Europe is not the only business partner in the World, but we already had access to those other markets.
Seriously, the only good news story I am aware of in terms of a Brexit dividend is that the UK government now has a better chance of banning fishing in marine reserves which for some reason under EU regulations they were releuctant to do. I'm sure that the British fishing industry is delighted.
All these bastards that voted for Brexit should be taxed at a higher rate that than the rest of the sensible population, to pay for all the chaos they have, and will cause.
The problems that would be caused were plain to see, but oh no it was project fear etc.
Brexit was a good example how easily people can be fooled, all to keep a few multi-millionaires happy so that they can continue to keep their money on off-shore bank accounts.
If only multi-millionaires voted for BREXIT, then we'd still be an EU member - there are not very many multi-millionaires.
On average, I'd suggest that the average income of BREXIT voters was lower than that of remain voters - and has probably dropped further as a result of COVID, if that's any solace.
There's a very good book by Robert Tombs, 'This Sovereign Isle' which explains very well the EU referendum, who voted which way and why. Why not read that and try to understand your fellow countrymen instead of lashing out.
So what you are saying is read a book written by a Brexit supporter who might just be writing to support his opinion and not really to write academically?
Are you presuming that it is not written academically, or have you read it?
Oh come on, Chris. Tombs is a revisionist historian and an arch Brexshitter.
I HAVE read his book "The English and Their History" and it is utter rubbish. Absolutely chock-full of omissions, misrepresentations and wilful misuse of statistics.
Tombs is a joke amongst proper historians and is to academia what Boris Johnson is to integrity.
So you're going to base your view on this book on the basis of a completely different book? And as for Tombs, he's an Emeritus Professor of History at Cambridge University. He's hardly David Icke.
It took a decade for the EU debate to subside from Norwegian politics following the 1994 referendum on joining. I wonder how long it will take here?
You do realise that Emeritus is academic speak for "shuffle off to the corner until you're dead" right?
You mean like Stephen Hawking was an Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, or Roger Penrose an Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford?
You see I thought that it meant that the professor has retired but is allowed to retain their title as an honour. Perhaps its different for historians as you say.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/30/the-sovereign-isle-by-robert-tombs-review-is-this-the-best-case-for-brexit
Thanks - I read this before I bought Tombs' book. Got a lot of respect for Finton O'Toole's journalism and well-reasoned argument and subscribe to his IT podcasts.
You see, that's what I enjoy: debate and well-reasoned argument - as opposed to people abusing each other behind 'nom de guerres' on the internet. That just messes everyone's day up.
GIVE ME A BREAK! there are OTHER countries outside of the EU! plenty of non-EU racers that manage to race in the EU just fine. Just another bunch of negative compainers. Get the right Visa, done. simple.
I swear, how you lot ever managed to wipe your own arse!?
Go wave your flag elsewhere; I assume now the fishing industry is ****ed and can't sell their product anymore you'll be calling them "negative" despite using them to win the vote. Tossers who ignored the facts voted for this reality yet don't even have the balls to own the consequences.
And to use your analogy, we didn't have to wipe our arses before and didn't vote to do so. Unfortunately the sh1t is not ending up on the morons who did lie and lobby for Brexit. But that was always going to be the case wasn't it.
That will be post Brexit vote reality then? Average spot rate for 2015 was 1.377 v the Euro; the High was 1.44 the low 1,27; how chuffing impressive........ will you be saved via the dollar? Oops close but no cigar average 1.5285, high 1.5883, 1.463......
So in you ralternative "real world" being worse off on exchnage rates and losing your freedon of movement is some sort of success? Where is your Garrage located..... Bell End?
Ah, talking exchange rates, are we? What you're looking at is the weakness of the US$.
GBP worth €1.42 pre-frauderendum. Now trading at €1.15. So down 19%. Hardly a ringing endorsement for Brexit.
Face it. This sordid, stupid, xenophobic project has ruined our country's reputation and put a slow puncture in the economy.
Stop the Steal!
I doubt it
I think he meant that he's run out of ideas.
Exchange rates are not some kind of international economic health measure. I don't know where you get that idea from. In the early 1980s the pound bought USD 2.40, due to high UK interest rates in use to curb inflation by reducing domestic demand. Result: exports plummet and imports surge. 3 million plus on the role, Thatcher's Britain, Boys from the Black Stuff, no jumpers left for goalposts.
Too low, and imports of essentials (for the UK, food) become expensive, but exporters do well, assuming they are allowed through trade barriers.
What we need is low volatility around a reasonable point. This allows people to plan investment, lowers borrowing costs for businesses and, crucially, governments.
I'm surprised that typical variations in exchange rates wasn't on the Brexshit pledge list...
I'm sure that it will be great comfort to the struggling companies and individuals that are the victims of this mess...
What about all the professional footballers, for example, from EU countries currently playing in the UK? You don't hear about any issues there.
Existing players aren't affected. The difference in the eligibilty and paperwork for new signings only started this January, so part of one transfer window in which there were less mid-season signings due to covid anyway. And even then, there were issues that affected possible targets, so it doesn't back up your point.
Actually you do, so you might want to research the subject a bit better. Managers Sam Allardyce and Neil Warnock were firm believers in Brexit. Now they're both complaining that it's harder to get European players signed.
Brexit has diminished opportunities for all of us.
I sympathise with these elite sports people, but I don't agree that this should be tackled via exemptions and special status for special people.
We should ALL get our freedom of movement back.
Surely the same rules apply to other non EU sports people. How do they manage it, or are these 'special' non EU rules just for the UK?
I just replied to a similar question on the Facebook posting. Almost all countries have the same agreement with the EU the 90/180 rule, but this can be bypassed as set out below.
Most riders from outwith the EU, like those from Australia, South and North America choose a location, say Girona as an example and set up base, get a residency permit and call that "home". With the UK being a lot closer to training areas like Girona, that was never really needed previously. if you have a residency permit you can come and go as you please, similar to what we had when in the EU, but residency permits are hard to come by just now and the wait can be more then 90 days...
This is a direct quote from a friends post who's on a UCI womens world tour team "I had all of my documents and paperwork prepared but even to get an appointment for a residency application would be around 4 months!"
Yeah, this is nothing new. A visitors visa is supposed to be used for a short visit, as the name implies. If you are going to stay for months, you're probably doing something there, so get the proof of employment and apply for the residence permit like everyone from non-EU countries does.
In other words you voted for this crap
This is the petition. I don't see it linked anywhere in the article....
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/569584?fbclid=IwAR16J7zZ8VSOcLU...
...something about blue passports, ... something about EU rules, ...something about sovereignty, ...something about immigration, ...something about democracy, ...something about WWII. I think that's the case for Brexit explained in about as much depth as I've ever heard it.
Brexit just keeps on taking.
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