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11:09 GMT         Day 3 of 90, Season 69    

OCM Riders on Strike
by Tim Johnson, at 19/3-11 - 05:57 GMT


  (written by peddelen)
  
  The 18th of March, 2011, will always be remembered by the OCM community as the start of the Big Strike.
  
  However, the story begins much earlier than that.
  
  It was a sunny day in Germany and the most important tour of the season had just started. Stage 1 was finished and the big surprise was that Gregory Levis (Equipo Easy On), the best time-triallist in the world, was not the winner. He wasn't even close, he finished the prologue in the slowest time ever. Levis had a good excuse though. A photographer popped up just in front of him after a few kilometers, leaving him no chance of avoiding a collision.
  
  Levis later commented, 'I passed out for some

moments and the first thing I saw was my team's manager Eli holding a replacement bike. Not knowing what happend and still full of adrenaline I finished the stage. But when I got off my bike at the end, I felt this enormous pain in my knee and I knew Germany tour was over for me.
  
  However the following morning the team said I had to start and told Eli I couldn't because of my knee.'
  
  Eli later added, 'I really wish I could have left him there to recover but the Germany race organisers told me if Levis did not start the entire team was not allowed to start. Not to mention the life ban on all official races.'
  
  Matthias Drebjo, leader of the riders' strike explains why the riders chose such drastic

action. 'Cases like this one with Levis are incidents they happen a lot, especially in Tours where injured riders are often forced to finish. We want to make it so that all riders can join an OCM cyclists' Union to prevent this ever happening again.'
  
  However, approval of this Union still has to be given by the highest officials of OCM, approval which has still to be given. We are hoping for an answer on Sunday evening - until then the strike will go on.
  
  Vasco Assis later added, 'The OCM officials know there are problems and has indicated that a solution will be sought. We won't stop the strike - we won't race, we won't train, we won't rest - until there is an agreement that there will be a Union which stands up for our rights!'



Comments


lastplace1414 at 07:42 19/3-2011
  Tsk tsk, I hope the organizers get the message pretty soon, especially with WC's coming up...


nrk at 07:54 19/3-2011
  lol, nice one


Asymm Project at 08:10 19/3-2011
  So, how's the radio ban affair going? If OCM officials finaly ban radios, I will boycott the forum and leave the game.
  
  ;)


Team Guinness at 11:40 19/3-2011
  What a nice twist to the story..... ;)


sprint4live at 11:45 19/3-2011
  Haha, nice article. I have some feeling that the riders will be racing again on Sunday...


NECFTW at 12:03 19/3-2011
  Break down the strike with brute force!
  Riders should ride, no need for thinking!


Team Chili at 16:34 19/3-2011
  Love the creativity in the game these days around stories relating to the game. Keep up the good work guys.


Cider Riders at 20:18 19/3-2011
  Great article. This exploitation of the riders must stop! They are human beings, not robots...


TEAM SERFIN97 at 16:06 20/3-2011
  Great Peddelen? Very good interpretation!!!


Team Kernow at 00:29 21/3-2011
  I really do not agree with Matthias Drebjo,the riders should stop moaning and keep racing, hence why my captain finished Germany in 16th place and will compete in Kasseler Hügel whilst injured! :P
  
  Nice article mate ;)


Team Nato at 10:49 21/3-2011
  This story should be added to Drejbo/Levis/EEO/Assis biography pages, so you can then link from say a line or two about this in there Bio into the main article page??


Bywater CT at 12:59 21/3-2011
  It's interesting that the whole strike was timed so that Gregory Levis became OCM Tour leader for a day :)


Royals at 14:24 21/3-2011
  It will be a lead with a dark lining. With this strike nothing is certain :P