Drapac cycling boss says appointment of Gerry Ryan as Cycling Australia president is 'flawed' Cycling team owner Michael Drapac. The boss of Australia's steadily rising Drapac road team has questioned how Cycling Australia's new president, Gerry Ryan, will balance the interests of the national sporting body with those of the Orica-GreenEDGE team he owns. While at pains to stress his position was not personal but based on principle, Michael Drapac, who has made his fortune from the property industry in Australia and abroad, said the recent key development at CA was a "flawed appointment." With the endorsement of the Australian Sports Commission, headed by John Wylie, Ryan accepted the presidency last November. Ryan is Australian cycling's largest financier, with the businessman and sports fanatic having invested millions and also brought to life the dream of an Australian-owned professional team starting the Tour de France. I'll make it very clear, I think Gerry's got a great history in the sport. He's a very honourable fellow, there's no question about his integrity," Drapac said ahead of the men's national road race championships where GreenEDGE and the Drapac team will fight for the coveted crown. But I don't know how Gerry, with his hand on his heart, believes he can serve the best interests of Cycling Australia concomitantly with GreenEDGE. I believe there would many people in the sport who think that's not possible. There will be many occasions where the best interests of the sport and the best interests of GreenEDGE are congruous. But I can think of a number of examples ... where it's just not possible that the best interests of GreenEDGE and Cycling Australia will [align]. With Ryan currently overseas on business, Fairfax was unable to gain his response to Drapac's comments by the time of publication. But the new vice-president of cycling's international governing body, Tracey Gaudry, recently endorsed Ryan's appointment. In the same position, Drapac said he would have accepted the CA presidency - "I would have armed myself with a couple of good people I know and changed the culture of the sport" - but relinquished Drapac's UCI racing licence and reduced the team. He is convinced, however, that Ryan's appointment will in no way disadvantage the Drapac team - now 12 years old - which has won a Pro Continental racing licence for this year. In a broad-ranging interview about cycling and sport in Australia, Drapac also said he felt "very buoyed" by the installation of ex-AFL football operations boss Adrian Anderson as CA's interim chief executive.