Alexi Grewel in training for comeback at 50! Inspiring or Unwelcome?

[slowoldman]

Best victory salute ever.

Not much to add to this thread beside stating that this is the race and the moment I decided to take up road cycling.

I wish Alexi luck in his comeback.

 

[Neworld]

Not much to add to this thread beside stating that this is the race and the moment I decided to take up road cycling.

I wish Alexi luck in his comeback.

Awesome photo. I love the look of the Moto driver's Moustache.

NW

 

[ricara]

No I think it's more that he shouldn't have really been there at all. But for the USCF conveniently clearing him in order to allow him to ride the race would have been totally different. I can imagine that it must have been galling that a rider suspended just before the Olympics is exonerated by his own federation so he can line up at the start of the Olympic Road Race in his own country and then goes on to win!!

Odd coincidence, but I was talking to a friend today. I didn't even know he was a bike racer, but it turns out he did the Coors five times in support of Bauer and rode on the old GS Mengoni team with Steve for about five years. (These are his words. I didn't grill him on the years except he did say that the final Coors was one of the ones he rode.)

So I asked him if Steve was ever ****ed or resentful or suspected Alexi of doping. He said, "Nope, he never said anything at all to that effect." My friend was like 5th alternate for the Olympic team, so he was out there training with the big dogs. He said both Alexi and Steve were absolutely meticulous in their preparation, that it was fascinating to see them train.

Afterward, when SB and AG were both pro, he said that Steve and Alexi were good friends. He might have even said they raced on the same team at some point, although I sure don't remember that. Maybe he meant they raced at some of the same races together.

Anyway, bottom line is that according to a guy that was racing with Steve at the time, Steve never held any kind of hard feelings against Alexi.

 

[tubularglue]

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=8731&status=True&catname=Latest

 

[MarkvW]

Moral Relativism?

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Welcome to the cesspool that is moral relativism.
Cheating is cheating. I'm sure Steve Bauer agrees.

Yeah. A tautology is a tautology. VERY convincing.

Moral absolutism--what you advocate--won't get you where you want to go. To enforce YOUR moral absolutes on others you must apply compulsion. You are never going to do that (unless you want to be a hitler or a pat robertson). Your only other avenue is through negotiation and compromise--where your acts must needs diverge from your rigid absolute moral path.

Or, you can be an ineffectual babbler. That's cool (it's what I do). But I can't see how your ineffectual babbling is any more constructive or useful than the babblings of the poster you insult.

 

[TexPat]

Yeah. A tautology is a tautology. VERY convincing.

Moral absolutism--what you advocate--won't get you where you want to go. To enforce YOUR moral absolutes on others you must apply compulsion. You are never going to do that (unless you want to be a hitler or a pat robertson). Your only other avenue is through negotiation and compromise--where your acts must needs diverge from your rigid absolute moral path.

Or, you can be an ineffectual babbler. That's cool (it's what I do). But I can't see how your ineffectual babbling is any more constructive or useful than the babblings of the poster you insult.

I'm the furthest thing from Pat Robertson or ol' Adolph.
Surely, there are grey areas in arguments. My contention is that cheaters look for those grey areas after the fact.
Alexi can go hog wild with his comeback. It matters little to me, and PED's will do little good to him now.
The past, however, is still worth pondering. Why would you want to glorify what he did then with complete disregard for the facts?
I think what you're after is called libertarianism. Good luck with that completely amoral fustercluck.

 

[andy1234]

A quote from Grewal in 1985

"I will go to Europe for one reason--to break their legs," the Olympian said with fire in his eyes. "I think an American can go there (Europe) and race with the best as an American and not try to adopt their life style. Europeans don't accept Americans as being good cyclists. That is going to change."

He wasn't wrong, It just wasn't going to be him...

 

[redtreviso]

A quote from Grewal in 1985

"I will go to Europe for one reason--to break their legs," the Olympian said with fire in his eyes. "I think an American can go there (Europe) and race with the best as an American and not try to adopt their life style. Europeans don't accept Americans as being good cyclists. That is going to change."

He wasn't wrong, It just wasn't going to be him...

He was wrong..The american that finally broke their legs lived in Flanders, the other one lived with EPO.

 

[andy1234]

He was wrong..The american that finally broke their legs lived in Flanders, the other one lived with EPO.

When you say the other ONE, you mean the other TEN right?

 

[redtreviso]

When you say the other ONE, you mean the other TEN right?

no one comes to mind..

 

[Oldman]

Late to the discussion but having raced with him before:
Everyone deserves a second chance. If he comes back as the same personality and seeking publicity for profit he should stay home; he would not have learned a thing.
As for his physical credentials-there are plenty of guys that were at this level, even when he doped. He's not that special, fellas.

 

[Boeing]

It is his call really and my opinion is his personal goals means nothing

By all means let the old folk represent is so desired

How is it bad for the sport? at any level?

 

[masking_agent]

I commend his hunger for the sport after such a long absence. But thinking he can compete at his former level is absurd. There is no way his body will recover to become a professional again. Maybe he's simply trying to grab some headlines ? Hiking boots ? c'mon really ? He's in for some embarrassment and I hope he's grown thicker skin since his pro days. Regardless, a nice find by the poster, and more fodder for us to discuss on this forum

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

I'm the furthest thing from Pat Robertson or ol' Adolph.
Surely, there are grey areas in arguments. My contention is that cheaters look for those grey areas after the fact.
Alexi can go hog wild with his comeback. It matters little to me, and PED's will do little good to him now.
The past, however, is still worth pondering. Why would you want to glorify what he did then with complete disregard for the facts?
I think what you're after is called libertarianism. Good luck with that completely amoral fustercluck.

Yup, that's what makes them arguments and not statements of fact... Chin up, Tex!

 

[MarkvW]

Pragmatism.

I'm the furthest thing from Pat Robertson or ol' Adolph.
Surely, there are grey areas in arguments. My contention is that cheaters look for those grey areas after the fact.
Alexi can go hog wild with his comeback. It matters little to me, and PED's will do little good to him now.
The past, however, is still worth pondering. Why would you want to glorify what he did then with complete disregard for the facts?
I think what you're after is called libertarianism. Good luck with that completely amoral fustercluck.

I'm not advocating libertarianism. To me that boils down to selfish dungheads fouling where they live. Cooperation and compromise is the only sensible way to improve our lot.

I note you probed for an "ism" that I might adhere to. Isms are tools that aid understanding that should be dropped or picked up as the moment suggests (but that's not for everybody).

Pragmatism. That's where I'm at. I see nothing inherently wrong with doping itself. Doping is vile to me for two reasons: (1) the destructive effect on health; and (2) the unfair advantage that dope provides to the rich and unscrupulous.

Grewahl did what he did. No way is he going to shatter anybody any more. I doubt that he is motivated by crush-kill-destroy now. I also doubt that he is into fame or prizes. He is also old, and pushing himself with dope is fairly stupid medically. All in all, I see him as an unlikely doper now. I'm rooting for him.

The smegma he deposited in the past is sporting history. Tainted history. But hey! Bike racing is all about the moment for me. Enjoy the race now (and enjoy the merciless hunt for the cheating geeks (in the original sense of the term)) later!

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

I'm not advocating libertarianism. To me that boils down to selfish dungheads fouling where they live. Cooperation and compromise is the only sensible way to improve our lot.

I note you probed for an "ism" that I might adhere to. Isms are tools that aid understanding that should be dropped or picked up as the moment suggests (but that's not for everybody).

Pragmatism. That's where I'm at. I see nothing inherently wrong with doping itself. Doping is vile to me for two reasons: (1) the destructive effect on health; and (2) the unfair advantage that dope provides to the rich and unscrupulous.

Grewahl did what he did. No way is he going to shatter anybody any more. I doubt that he is motivated by crush-kill-destroy now. I also doubt that he is into fame or prizes. He is also old, and pushing himself with dope is fairly stupid medically. All in all, I see him as an unlikely doper now. I'm rooting for him.

The smegma he deposited in the past is sporting history. Tainted history. But hey! Bike racing is all about the moment for me. Enjoy the race now (and enjoy the merciless hunt for the cheating geeks (in the original sense of the term)) later!

Well, now you're just confusing me...

 

[redtreviso]

If lance and his former team mates were able to feel the kind of guilt Grewal has spoken of they would roll up in a ball and die..

 

[MarkvW]

even playing field

Well, now you're just confusing me...

If dope did no harm and if it was equally available, with full disclosure, to all competitors, I'd have no problem with it.

 

[yourwelcome]

Stressing about this guy returning to cycling at 50 sending the wrong message seems silly while we have Bjarne running one of the most successful teams in the world.

 

[kielbasa]

If dope did no harm and if it was equally available, with full disclosure, to all competitors, I'd have no problem with it.

Then it wouldn't be dope. Even if eating or injecting poisons may not be inherently wrong, cheating always is. If eating sausage was banned by WADA, it would be inherently wrong for an athlete to consume it. Woe me!

 

[BotanyBay]

Late to the discussion but having raced with him before:
Everyone deserves a second chance. If he comes back as the same personality and seeking publicity for profit he should stay home; he would not have learned a thing.
As for his physical credentials-there are plenty of guys that were at this level, even when he doped. He's not that special, fellas.

Alexi had some of the best lab numbers ever. He held the ergometer record at OTC for many years (I forget his time, but it was unreal). I'm not even sure if Lance was ever able to break it.

 

[Oldman]

Alexi had some of the best lab numbers ever. He held the ergometer record at OTC for many years (I forget his time, but it was unreal). I'm not even sure if Lance was ever able to break it.

Here's two OTC former Lance teammates whose numbers were probably better: Dave Nicholson, Greg Randolph. Clean numbers.

 

[Darryl Webster]

Stressing about this guy returning to cycling at 50 sending the wrong message seems silly while we have Bjarne running one of the most successful teams in the world.

Spot on! Distingusish between a "good story" ( Grewel racing after years of troubled living) and the reality of that " come back"..it`l be for fun if its anything and most likely it`l fizzle out fast.
Riis on the other hand is Now and relevant....and a cheeting scum bag.

 

[tubularglue]

http://www.alexigrewal.com/index.php/blog

 

[Race Radio]

http://www.alexigrewal.com/index.php/blog

What the hell is he talking about?