This has been a great year of results for Dominique

Dominique Mayho and Nicole Mitchell were crowned the 2012 Male and Female Riders of the Year at the Bermuda Bicycle Association (BBA) awards ceremony on Saturday night.

The pair were clear favourites to claim the honours on a night that also acknowledged the performances of athletes throughout the year.

Mayho had a season to remember, winning national titles in the mountain bike series, time trials, road circuit and criterium series.

“Dominique has had a wonderful year, winning all four National Championship titles and won all road races locally but one, all the mountain bike races and turned in several awesome time trial series performances,” said BBA president Peter Dunne.

“He bested Garth Thomson’s Harrington Sound time trial course record and came within four seconds of Tyler Butterfield’s Shelly Bay course record. This has been a great year of results for Dominique and there is certainly pressure for him to continue at this level and go further.”

Mitchell’s performances were equally impressive, winning the Time Trial, Road circuit, and Criterium series, along with a silver medal at the Caribbean Cycling Championships (CCC) time trial and a bronze in the CCC road race in Antigua.

“Nicole has continued to progress her racing and carried a basketful of National Championships titles with time trial, road race and criterium which were capped with a silver and bronze CCC time trial and road race respectively,” said Dunne.

“She was the standout in the local women’s field and has her sights to go even further.”

Mark Godfrey won the Junior Rider of the Year after a series of impressive results.

Among his achievements for 2012 included an eighth place in Adult ‘A’ road race series, and was the junior road race champion.

He was also third in the junior time trial championship plus a first place finish in stage three, second at the Tour de FCCC, and eighth in the junior CCC time trial.

Vashon Cann won the Most Improved Junior, while Clifford Roberts and Richard North won the Most Improved Rider and Club Person of the Year awards.

Attending the dinner as the BBA’s guest was Lauren Tamyao, a silver medallist from the 2012 London Olympic Games and her husband Mike Tamayo, manager of the top US men’s cycling team United Healthcare Pro Cycling.

Meanwhile, 14 candidates successfully completed the introductory level course for race officials, courtesy of the BBA last week.

The two day course was the first time the BBA has held such a programme to develop the officiating of local racing and with the number of successful completions the association is in a strong position to become more self sufficient at local races.

Led by top official Diane Fortini of the US and the administrator for cycling in New England, the newly qualified officials will also be capable of working the Island Games cycling events.

Mrs Fortini has been a frequent visitor to Bermuda to help with officiating at major events and will be the Chief Referee for the Island Games cycling in July.

customs and other government agencies for security checks

China will reserve the right to appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against its ruling that China breached WTO rules by slapping anti-dumping duties on X-ray scanners from the European Union, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Wednesday.

In a statement posted on its website Wednesday, the ministry said it welcomed some of the findings by the WTO panel that supported China's claims regarding issues such as disclosure before final determination.

"But on other rulings by the panel, China will conduct a serious evaluation and reserve the right to appeal," the statement said.

The WTO released a report Tuesday saying that China's decision to levy anti-dumping duties on X-ray scanners imported from the EU was not based on an objective examination.

"The increasing trade frictions between China and the EU are a result of the great contrast in their economic situations. Such frictions will naturally increase at a time when the EU is struggling with its debt crisis, while China's economic growth continues," Zhao Yongsheng, a visiting scholar with the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"X-ray scanners are niche products targeting a highly specialized market. The ruling will not affect the trade volume between China and the EU, but will harm the interests of specific Chinese companies," said Yao Ling, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

MOFCOM decided in January 2011 to impose anti-dumping duties on X-ray scanners from the EU, ranging from 33.5 percent to 71.8 percent for five years.

The ruling came after Chinese firm Nuctech Co filed a complaint with MOFCOM in 2009, asking for the duties to be imposed on X-ray scanners from the EU.

After it failed to reach an agreement with China through consultation, the EU asked the WTO to set up a panel to settle the dispute in December 2011.

Nuctech could not be reached for comment Wednesday. X-ray scanners are used by railways, customs and other government agencies for security checks.

In 2012, China won rulings in three cases against the EU and US at the WTO, including a dispute over the EU's anti-dumping duties on Chinese leather shoes. It also lost three cases, including the ruling that China UnionPay holds a monopoly over yuan payment cards, data provided by MOFCOM to the Global Times showed Wednesday.

The daughter of a Chicago city pump operator and a secretary

“If I had the first lady’s ear, I’d say talk more about the kind of education that women and girls — girls of color, in particular — will need to make it in a global economy,” said Avis Jones-DeWeever, executive director of the National Council of Negro Women.

E. Faye Williams, chairwoman of the National Congress of Black Women, said: “I’d like to see her promote the important work being done by women in this country, talk more about how she overcame her own difficulties and encourage girls not to back away from goals that may seem out of reach.”

Williams and Jones-DeWeever are among Michelle Obama’s most ardent admirers — and defenders. Their comments were not offered as critiques but as responses to my question: What else would they like to see her do? The first lady is reportedly looking for an expanded role in her husband’s second term, and I, for one, hope she finds it. Soon.

Enough with the broccoli and Brussels sprouts — to say nothing about all the attention paid to her arms, hair, derriere and designer clothes. Where is that intellectually gifted Princeton graduate, the Harvard-educated lawyer and mentor to the man who would become the first African American president of the United States?

Surely that was not her bumping hips and doing hand-jive dancing with Jimmy Fallon in drag on his late-night TV talk show.

On Wednesday, the president and first lady are scheduled to attend the unveiling of a statue of civil-rights icon Rosa Parks at the U.S. Capitol. Michelle Obama might want to hang back afterward and ponder: If a seamstress from Alabama could help move a people to the front of a bus, what might she do to help move them to the head of the class?

Let’s not forget who Michelle Obama is.

The daughter of a Chicago city pump operator and a secretary, she was raised in a one- bedroom apartment on the rough and tumble South Side. She and her brother slept in the living room. And yet, by sixth grade, she was speaking French and taking advanced courses at a magnet school. At Princeton, she majored in sociology and developed a profound understanding of African American history. After earning the law degree from Harvard, she went to work for a law firm specializing in intellectual property and then became a Chicago city administrator and community outreach worker.

She ought to be under consideration for a seat on the Supreme Court, not recruited as a presenter in some Hollywood movie contest.

Last year, in one of the most important initiatives of his administration, President Obama announced a partnership between the United States and 12 other countries to “break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls.”

The initiative, the Equal Futures Partnership, has been spearheaded by Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett and, until her departure earlier this year, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton. The effort cries out for Michelle Obama to fill Clinton’s shoes.

Back in 2011, the first lady even gave a speech to the National Science Foundation about keeping girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math, the “STEM” disciplines. These days, however, we’re more likely to hear her talk about stems in a White House vegetable garden than about girls excelling in science and math.

Williams and Jones-DeWeever part ways with me on such an assessment. Both believe that the first lady’s “Let’s Move” exercise and nutrition campaign has been effective in reducing childhood obesity. And they applaud her partnership with Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, to help military families.

As for my view that booty shaking with Fallon and participating in the Academy Awards were frivolities unbecoming to both Michelle Obama and her position as first lady, Williams replied: “Is there ever a time when a black woman can get away from the heavy lifting of the day?”

How would Parks have answered that? Or Sojourner Truth? In 2009, Michelle Obama helped unveil a statue of Truth at the U.S. Capitol. The great abolitionist was the first black woman to be so honored; Parks is the second.

“One can only imagine what Sojourner Truth, an outspoken, tell-it-like-it-is kind of woman would have to say about this incredible gathering,” the first lady said. “Just looking down on this day, and thinking about the legacy she has left all of us, because we are all here because, as my husband says time and time again, we stand on the shoulders of giants like Sojourner Truth.”

who wants to take part has a voice

Doug Cox is an internationally known violin maker who lives in West Brattleboro and has been a Town Meeting Representative for 20 years.

After serving for two decades Cox says he want to become moderator to help improve the meetings and make sure everyone who wants to take part has a voice.

"I love Brattleboro and the richness and diversity of its people and cultures; and I love democracy with all its quirks and idiosyncrasies, and the very human messiness and passion of the democratic process," he said. "I see Town Meeting as a place where these come together in a way that embodies who we are as a community and how we relate to each other. As a student of Brattleboro's Representative Town Meeting, and other forms of participatory governance, I feel I have much to offer, and much to learn from the moderator's position."

Cox is a founding member of the town's Arts Committee, where he has served since 2008, and occasionally attends Selectboard, Planning Commission and Agriculture Committee meetings.

"I feel Brattleboro's Representative Town Meeting is very successful in that the elected body provides a continuity of experience and perspective, and in many ways does a better job of representing the breadth of population and interests than would an open, voluntary attendance town meeting in our community," he said. "The attendance record of Town Meeting members is remarkable. Brattleboro's Town Meeting is a wonderful study in human nature and the challenges of living together and taking collective responsibility for our community."

If Cox is elected he says he will not serve as long as O'Connor, probably about six to eight years, and while he says he would not suggest major changes, Cox does want to leave a mark on the process if voters elect him.

"I feel uplifted about Brattleboro after most Town Meetings, and I hope that all who participate will leave with some sense of growth and accomplishment from the proceedings, and with stronger respect for each other and the democratic process," he said. "The biggest challenge is to help focus discussion so that full and careful consideration is not compromised by the need to get home and walk the dog. By broadening the voices making initial motions, I think we might reduce the feeling that there is an "us and them" relationship with the School Board and Select Board."

Cox says he would want to continue the pre-meeting training sessions for new town meeting members and make sure outside voices are welcomed into the meeting when appropriate.

He also says he wants to attend the Vermont League of Cities and Towns pre-town meeting session, and meet with other moderators in Connecticut and Massachusetts, where the representative method of town meeting is more common.

"I will provide an atmosphere that is efficient and inclusive," he says. "I hope that atmosphere will encourage more folks to run for town meeting member. It is a great institution and a great experience. All who are interested in democracy and the future of Brattleboro should have a chance to serve their neighbors in this way."

Crispe has also served as a town meeting rep for more than 20 years and he says his long experience attending Brattleboro Representative Town Meetings encouraged him to run after O'Connor announced that he would not seek re-election this year.

"I welcome an opportunity to contribute to the democratic process in a way in which I believe I am qualified," he said. "As a Town Meeting member for many years I have had an opportunity to observe how the meeting is run, and am familiar with the procedural and parliamentary issues which the moderator must be able to address."

Crispe spent several years as chairman of the Town Finance Committee. In 2012 town meeting representatives elected him Pro Tem Moderator when O'Connor was ill.

He has also served on the Brattleboro Housing Authority Board, as well as the Police and Fire Space Needs Committee.

After attending town meetings in Newfane, where he grew up, Crispe says the representative form of town government works for a town like Brattleboro.

"I believe the Brattleboro representative system works and provides the community with a democratic voice and competent governance," Crispe said. "Town Meeting representatives in Brattleboro seem to have a higher standard of preparation than in towns where town meeting is open to the general population. The commitment to attend informational sessions leads to greater knowledge which hopefully leads to better decisions."

"I have observed Mr. O'Connor over the last two decades and admire his ability to conduct an orderly meeting while remaining fair and impartial. I would hope to do the same," he said. "As a local lawyer I deal with state and municipal law on a routine basis. Many years ago I served as Assistant Secretary of the Vermont Senate where my duties included advising members on procedural and parliamentary issues. I have also served on several public and private boards and committees including in the capacity as chairperson. I am familiar with the moderator's responsibilities."

The planning commission presented several principles

“You have an opportunity that is comparable to what the founding fathers of this community had here,” Barth said at the economic development meeting. “You have the opportunity to create whatever you want.”

What he’s talking about is the comprehensive plan process for the vision of Perkasie years from now — a 100-year opportunity, Barth said.

Based on residents’ surveys that had a 32 percent response rate, as well as business surveys that had a 15 percent response rate, the majority of Perkasie community members would like to see a more central downtown area in the borough.

Residents also wanted to maintain a small-town character and mixed-use development, meaning a mixture of residential and commercial units.

David Sebastian of the Bucks County Planning Commission relayed to the crowd of people that Perkasie residents tend to shop for things like groceries, prescriptions, gasoline and hardware within the borough, but they leave the borough for things like clothing, sporting goods, movie theaters and restaurants. This leaves the opportunity for the borough to encourage more growth within Perkasie, as well as urge residents to shop within town.

The planning commission presented several principles, based on case studies of successful areas, to encourage economic development within the borough. Some of these principles included promoting “walkability,” providing a mix of retail tenants that reflect market demands, supporting architectural features that mirror local styles and locating parking to the side or rear of buildings in order to promote uniformity on the streets.

Based on the case studies, the commission also learned that ideally there would be no more than 10 percent non-retail use in the downtown area and no more than 20 percent vacancy.

In addition, some areas’ downtown centers could not thrive because the town centers were too large and sprawling, which may be the case with Perkasie. What works is a more refined town center boundary, Sebastian said.

Barth also unveiled many ideas for how to create more economic development in the borough, including supporting the Mom and Pop shops within the borough instead of a national chain like Walmart, as well as encouraging young entrepreneurs to set up shop in Perkasie — a trend Barth has already seen occurring in the borough.

The new director said he thought the borough’s own electric department, the borough authority, the Bucks County Planning Commission and the motivated community would all be attractions for potential investors.

Preserving the aesthetic character of Perkasie, with its Victorian architecture, was also something that Barth encouraged for the borough.

Barth also suggested nurturing greater partnerships with places like Bucks County Community College, Sellersville Borough and community banks. At the parks, Barth saw opportunities for bike rentals, boating and fly fishing activities.

Many residents said they liked the idea of a downtown center but were concerned about how it would be accomplished and whether the development would kick people out of their homes or create a problem with parking.

Barth maintained that the economic development plans would not create urban sprawl and would instead refine or tighten what is already the town center district.

“It’s not expanding it. It’s actually shrinking it,” Barth said.

Jill Strickland, owner of Frox Boutique in Perkasie, showed interest and support of the downtown plans, saying many of her customers expressed that they would like to have another option in town for shoes, for example, and they don’t want to go to a chain like Walmart.

Since the meeting, Perkasie Old Towne Association posted some sketches of possible development in town to get a reaction from residents on its Facebook page. One picture was an architect’s sketch for developing the area where the farmers market is currently held on Seventh and Market streets. The sketch has received generally positive comments and more than 50 “likes” as of Monday afternoon.

Joe Ferry, vice president of Perkasie Olde Towne Association, said the page as has seen more activity in the last couple weeks than they’ve had in the last three years combined.

“It’s great that people feel passionate about the town, and it validates our belief that now is the time for an economic development program,” Ferry wrote in an email. “I don’t look at comments as positive or negative. People have personal feelings that they are expressing. That’s a good thing. We need a full discussion before something like this happens.”

Frank was employed with the Maryland Department of Natural

When John Henry Frank III took the oath of office as Garrett County’s new director of emergency management, he was told by County Commissioner Jim Raley that a lot of work needs to be done.

“Obviously we need to get the emergency operations center in place now. It’s long overdue,” said Raley at the commission’s public meeting Tuesday.

 Frank thanked the commissioners for their selection, Gov. Martin O’Malley for the appointment and Monty Pagenhardt, county administrator, for providing a smooth transition.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenges ahead and to better serve the citizens and visitors of Garrett County,” said Frank.

Frank noted he would work on enhancing the county’s emergency operations by providing the appropriate resources in the appropriate amount of time.

Frank was employed with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for more than 20 years and has held duties as a forensic investigator with the state Office of Chief Medical Examiner since 2001, according to a letter written by county commission chairman Robert Gatto to O’Malley. Frank was an officer with the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office but resigned the position to accept his new role.

Frank also thanked Sherriff Rob Corley for his motivation and dedication to public service, stating, “I do appreciate your leadership.”

“The county is in great hands,” said Corley. “There is no doubt in my mind that John Henry will tackle this task full force. I know we will be better than we were. Not that we were bad, because we weren’t. He will have big shoes to fill. I have the utmost confidence in his abilities.”

Frank replaces former director Brad Frantz, who held the position for 35 years.

Also during the meeting,  Maj. Terry Schlossnagle, jail administrator of the Garrett County Detention Center, was presented with a Recognition of Achievement Award for 100 percent compliance with standards for adult correctional facilities. The Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards conducted an in-depth, weeklong audit in March 2012 where members of outside agencies reviewed the detention center’s procedures and documentation to meet Maryland correctional standards, according to Schlossnagle.

“Obtaining 100 percent compliance for all of the correctional standards is difficult, but through the efforts of our dedicated Garrett County Detention Center employees, we were able to excel,” stated Schlossnagle in an email to the commissioners.

Schlossnagle thanked Corley and the correctional officers for their work.

  “I am proud to work with such a great group of professionals,” stated Schlossnagle in the email.

Corley noted that he spoke with the commissioners a year ago about a new jail but instead opted to put that money toward education.

“These awards are a direct relation to you guys allowing us to fix what we have down there,” said Corley. “For them to tell us we had made vast improvements is a huge pat on the back for the county in general.We will continue to do the best we can, work with what we have and see to it that we meet all the guidelines and standards in future years.”

In other commission news,which was requested by QDMA and introduced by Delegate Wendell Beitzel, would prohibit the taking of any antlered deer with less than three points on one side of the main beam, excluding the brow tine, in the county. The bill, as amended, would exclude youth hunters under the age of 16 and senior hunters age 65 or older, according to Beitzel.

manufacturing and real estate are major job providers

"I believe I can find a perfect job in Nanchong due to my experience," he said. "The main reason for my decision to work at home is that I want to take care of my child and parents."

Zhang also plans to attend a job fair, which will be held on Thursday at a local industrial park, to see if they can provide a position that matches his skills.

Luo Deguo, who is in charge of employment at Jialing Industrial Park, said nearly 60 enterprises will offer some 2,000 positions at the job fair.

"More than 3,000 people are expected to attend the job fair," he said.

Luo said more than 100 workers have visited or called his office asking about job opportunities every day since Feb 14, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

In Yichang, Hubei province, labor authorities hope to retain returned migrants by holding 57 job fairs from Spring Festival until the end of March, providing nearly 40,000 jobs.

In southwestern Chong-qing municipality, more than 30 job fairs will be held this week to help migrant workers find a job at home. Shopping malls, restaurants and enterprises in fields such as electronic device manufacturing and real estate are major job providers.

There are more than 250 million migrant workers in the country, and many of them leave home for other provinces to earn a living.

In Chongqing, among 9 million farmers-turned-workers, 4.1 million worked outside the municipality in the first nine months of 2012, according to local labor authority.

As inland provinces' efforts to lure migrants are paying off, many enterprises in coastal regions are feeling the pinch to retain employees.

Zeng Hongwu, general manager of Guangzhou-based shoes and leather goods manufacturer Apples Industrial Corp, said his company has some 500 employees but is short by about 40 percent.

"More than 10 percent of workers have not returned after the Spring Festival each year since 2009. We've asked employees this year about their willingness to stay or not and 15 percent of them said they would not come back," he said.

Zeng said orders are expected to rise this year from 2012 and that would exacerbate the labor shortage.

"It is felt by almost all factories in Guangdong," he said.

Zeng said garment factories have already begun to relocate from Guangdong's Shenzhen and Dongguan to inland provinces such as Jiangxi and Henan due to lower costs, and he predicts that shoes and leather goods factories will gradually move to inland locations in the next three to five years.

"Till then, a larger number of migrants will go back to inland areas," he said.

Zeng said it's an opportunity for enterprises in coastal regions to shift from manufacturing bases to being more research and development oriented and more innovative so they can outsource orders to inland factories.

To offset the labor shortage, some enterprises in Wuxi, eastern Jiangsu province, are holding job fairs in Anhui province to vie for migrant workers.

which could have gone the way of Jessops and Blockbuster

It turns out that we are an anachronism; an increasing majority of people no longer
do such things.

Thank-you letters have gone the way of pomanders, mangles and writing cheques.

My children will be delighted. But me? I’m left with a melancholy space where such gracious gestures used to reside.

The blunt, bland typography of an email, in Arial or Times Roman, doesn’t begin to touch the swirling calligraphy of a real, inky signature (they’re dying out, too), the comforting tactility of a proper notecard, the generosity of spirit you exert in finding an address, sticking on a stamp and walking to the pillar box.

Does anyone call them pillar boxes any more?
Many once commonplace things are disappearing fast, like frost from a field in the first days of spring.

A survey recently totted up the actions and artifacts that are dying out, and it makes for sober reading – not because these things made life easier (the internet is always easier), but because they made life fun.

Am I alone in enjoying the simple pleasure of alphabetical order, of flicking through a big old book that smells, faintly, of crinolines and pipe tobacco?

Encyclopedias, too: how you could go looking for continental drift and come away knowing so much more about the Aztecs.

And the art – yes, the art – of reading a map. I adore maps. I love the creases, even the struggle to fold one back again while sitting in the passenger seat of a very small car.

I love the fact that you can collect them, line them up on a shelf and let your eye roam over the Dales, around that lake in Cumbria, recall a picnic lunch on the banks of the Severn.

Maps are the physical manifestation of memories. As, of course, are photographs.

These days, most of my photos reside on an iPhone, never made material, only ever digital and therefore, somehow, less important, less vivid.

Few people put together photo albums now, but I love leafing through the ones from my childhood. Those terrible flares we wore on the holiday in Wales!

The pudding-bowl haircuts, the sideburns on your dad!

Polaroid – one of those companies which could have gone the way of Jessops and Blockbuster, throttled by the knotweed of the internet – has come up with the canny ruse of opening shops where you can have your digital photos made immediately real.

You just pop in and come away with a coaster or a jigsaw or an album full of shots of your cat doing cartwheels. But, hey, I used to love old-school Polaroids – didn’t you?

How you could write a note on the bottom, in felt-tip pen.

We don’t send postcards any more either. For this, I have to admit, I am secretly grateful; writing postcards to your gran always felt like having to do homework while you were on holiday, which seemed ludicrous to me. I still make my children do it, though. It just feels right.

Polite. But last year I simply didn’t have time to send Christmas cards.

The idea of spending two evenings parked at the kitchen table with the Rolodex was just too great a commitment.

Lots of my friends clearly had the same problem: we received around 50 Christmas cards in 2012, compared to a haul of 400 or more a few years back.

I remember we counted them all then, and felt very loved.

However the dilemma for him is that the time requirements

At 31 years of age, double world championship silver medallist Alexandr Kolobnev should have several more years left ahead in his career, yet the Russian has admitted that he has been tempted to retire early and to shift to a completely different role.

His current contract with Katusha runs until 2014 but he is currently deciding whether or not to stay in the sport due to an appealing job opportunity he has been given. “It is a Centre for Sports Modernization in the city of Novgorod-Nizhiniy, about 250 kilometers from Moscow,” he told Pedalier. “It would be a place where athletes prepare to represent their country in a world championship or Olympic Games. It is something I've been wanting do for some time and the opportunity has now arisen to do so.”

However the dilemma for him is that the time requirements and intensity of the job would mean that he would have to retire from the peloton. That gives him pause for thought, but so too the fact that he may have a limited window of opportunity. As a result he’s somewhat torn.

“There is a chance that if I do not take this, I lose it,” he said. “I think one must be a director of his own life and I like the idea of creating something new, for the people, something like Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc.”

Still, as much as the idea of that appeals, he also knows that he has opportunities in cycling too, and ambitions yet to be fulfilled. “Maybe I will have a good season in 2013 and I will want to continue in 2014. I think about this project but also think of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, in which I would like to participate. I would also miss not having got a victory in the world championships.”

Kolobnev’s career has had several stressful periods of late, with a positive test for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide causing him to be ejected from the 2011 Tour de France. Last February he was eventually given a green light to race by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who ruled that the substance was taken inadvertently in a product recommended to him by his doctor. He had been suffering from the condition of varix dilatation, a chronic vascular disease, for the past 15 years, and the diuretic was contained in the product.

The CAS panel found that Kolobnev was using the product for medical reasons and not for performance enhancement, and decided to uphold the earlier Russian Cycling Federation decision not to suspend him. The UCI had sought to have a longer ban imposed.

More recently, he was accused by the Swiss news magazine L’lllustre and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera of selling the 2010 Liège-Bastogne-Liège to Alexander Vinokourov. The UCI is investigating the issue.

Kolobnev is currently waiting to learn if his Katusha team will be given a WorldTour licence, after previously being denied by the UCI.

“The only thing that has no solution is death,” he said philosophically, reasoning that the team losing its current CAS appeal would complicate things, but not destroy them. “For me there is no problem if the team stays in the category of Pro Continental. I am continuing to train and my calendar remains the same: Algarve, Tirreno Adriatico and to prepare well for the Classics. I would like to go back to the Tour de France, but as things are I can only plan my calendar until May.”

Still, he’s determined to push on and to race as well as he can this year. Doing his utmost and achieving the best results he can will then mean he makes a fully informed decision about whether he will remain in the sport or if he will do something completely different.

who are likely to be actively involved in analysing

There are a number of contributing factors to this growth, including the high incidence of home ownership among couples over the age of retirement: 84.5 per cent according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.

This has combined with fiscal conditions that have derailed some people’s financial plans, creating the requirement for alternative solutions.

However, of prime interest is the way in which mortgage professionals must adapt to the differing needs of the owners of lifetime products.

It is possible to approach the management of such mortgages from the viewpoint that, as you are not required to collect payments and the only contact with the borrower is likely to be the annually produced mortgage statement, the challenges involved will be minimal. Surely all that is needed is to ensure the loan is repaid properly at the correct time?

But nothing could be further from the truth.

It is vital to guard against such attitudes to ensure that you can point to noticeable improve-ments in how well informed your consumers are - an area formerly cited for development in the FSA’s Finance in and at retirement’ review, published in 2007.

The news that, as a result of the Mortgage Market Review, sales of equity-release products from April 2014 will be conducted on an advised-only basis must be seen as eminently sensible.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the servicing of existing lifetime mortgages, it is important to bear in mind the unique needs of the customer base.

This is a group who are likely to be actively involved in analysing, digesting and questioning the product they have chosen. It is therefore critical that when they bring those queries, you provide comprehensive and, more importantly, comprehensible answers to them.

Your borrower may not be financially astute enough to navigate their mortgage without patient assistance. It is important we put aside enough time to help and understand the varying levels of comfort that clients may have with the topic.

High-quality customer inter-action, coupled with a commitment to ensuring staff dealing with these products are achieving recognised qualifications - such as the IFS Level 3 Certificate in Regulated Equity Release - is crucial to any mortgage servicer who aspires to deliver excellent results.

This is especially true when other issues complicate matters, such as requests for partial releases of security, family involvement, failing health, press coverage or the desire to raise further finance.

The path we need to tread is clear. Let’s make sure we are wearing the right shoes for the journey.