André Greipel: "How to stop omerta" 101

[TheEnoculator]

André Greipel: "How to stop omerta" 101

This is exactly how every cyclist should confront the doping issue: acknowledge doping is still a problem, no punches held back, condemn the cheats, full committment to clean cycling.

Good on you, André!

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...and-ill-gotten-success-must-be-continued.aspx

 

[happychappy]

That freak was grown in a test tube. Ridiculous.

 

[Caruut]

Chapeau André.

 

[TheEnoculator]

That freak was grown in a test tube. Ridiculous.

That's why he's called "Gorilla".

 

[Love the Scenery]

Yes. Being a Cav fan, I have never liked André Greipel, but this may change my mind. The peloton is proving to be a pathetic bunch of omertà-loving ostriches (heads in the sand). I really don't think Greipel went far enough, but it's a step in the right direction. Chapeau André. And it's very difficult for me to say that.

 

[Big Daddy]

Yes. Being a Cav fan, I have never liked André Greipel, but this may change my mind. The peloton is proving to be a pathetic bunch of omertà-loving ostriches (heads in the sand). I really don't think Greipel went far enough, but it's a step in the right direction. Chapeau André. And it's very difficult for me to say that.

Yeah, me too. I'm going to have to actively cheer for Greipel and the other riders taking a hard stance against doping. And at the same time, not support any rider turning a blind eye.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

The original (in english) on his website: http://www.andregreipel.com/index.php?lang=english

 

[Merckx index]

Not to belittle the importance of Andre's statement, but as a sprinting specialist, he is considerably less dependent on PEDs for success than a GT rider, a TT specialist, or even a bumpy classic specialist. The name of the game continues to be oxygen vector enhancement, and while that can help a sprinter in training, and also ensure he's fresher at the end of the race, it is not as vital as it is for racers who win on endurance. Tyler's book and many other sources make it pretty clear that without EPO or transfusions you simply can't be an elite rider in stage races, and AFAIK, all the riders who have confessed to date were either GC riders or domestiques for GC riders. I don't think this is a coincidence.

 

[Franklin]

Not to belittle the importance of Andre's statement, but as a sprinting specialist, he is considerably less dependent on PEDs for success than a GT rider, a TT specialist, or even a bumpy classic specialist. The name of the game continues to be oxygen vector enhancement, and while that can help a sprinter in training, and also ensure he's fresher at the end of the race, it is not as vital as it is for racers who win on endurance. Tyler's book and many other sources make it pretty clear that without EPO or transfusions you simply can't be an elite rider in stage races, and AFAIK, all the riders who have confessed to date were either GC riders or domestiques for GC riders. I don't think this is a coincidence.

It might shock you, but a sprinter is actually also focussing on stageraces

And explosive power has a long history of peds.

Not saying that they are as chemically enhanced as say an Armstrong, but there is a long history of cycling sprinters on sauce.

 

[TheEnoculator]

Not to belittle the importance of Andre's statement, but as a sprinting specialist, he is considerably less dependent on PEDs for success than a GT rider, a TT specialist, or even a bumpy classic specialist. The name of the game continues to be oxygen vector enhancement, and while that can help a sprinter in training, and also ensure he's fresher at the end of the race, it is not as vital as it is for racers who win on endurance. Tyler's book and many other sources make it pretty clear that without EPO or transfusions you simply can't be an elite rider in stage races, and AFAIK, all the riders who have confessed to date were either GC riders or domestiques for GC riders. I don't think this is a coincidence.

Regardless of what type of rider he is, to have the courage to speak out like he did is important. Remember, he still shares the road with the GC and TT riders and climbers in the peloton. He could very well be targeted for talking like that. If Armstrong was still riding, he could be giving Greipel the "zip it" gesture. Besides, sprinters like Zabel and Pettachi were known dopers, so your statement is already invalid.

So it doesn't matter whether he's a sprinter or just the guy working in the feed zones, this type of speaking out has to be encouraged.

Or cycling is doomed for good.

 

[Carols]

Good on You Andrea!!!! Chapeau!

 

[el hipopotamo]

Wow, an active rider condemning cheating! Isn't this pretty much what we want to hear from everyone? Yet those who even bother commenting on this scandal at all just want to focus on the future and are either 'shocked' or just don't care because it's 'in the past and things are different now'. Oh, and my personal favorite: 'These allegations are bad for cycling'.

You know what else is bad for cycling: Cheaters being allowed to prosper. Thanks, Andre Greipel, for giving me a little hope that at least one person in the peloton thinks dopers = cheaters. Something tells me that very few will echo his sentiments.

 

[Sarcastic Wet Trout]

Not to belittle the importance of Andre's statement, but as a sprinting specialist, he is considerably less dependent on PEDs for success than a GT rider, a TT specialist, or even a bumpy classic specialist.

Ooooh. I guess that means there is absolutely no PED use in track sprinting.

Nope, no PEDs here.

 

[zigmeister]

Well now that Andre Greipel has spoken, we can all rest easy now.

 

[Don Quixote]

Chapeau Andre, time is the test of sincerity but I take you on your word.

Time indeed, to flex your ape-like physique and scare the living daylights out of those who remain contemptibly offensive.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Ooooh. I guess that means there is absolutely no PED use in track sprinting.

Nope, no PEDs here.

lol, this is your proove? I'm an mma fighter can can post photo's of similar physique. and I barely even train. not to mention of people I know who didn't take any that looked like absolute freaks

 

[taiwan]

I got to a point where I was super skeptical of anyone succeeding in the WT. However, this statement sort of bursts that bubble. I tended to like Greipel anyway. Not sure if all this is good or bad.

 

[Eshnar]

What is this thread about?
has he really said something meaningful?

Today we know that there are some cheats that have managed, and still manage, to race in cycling

wow that's a very strong statement! If I were him I would seriously worry for my life.

How low did we get

 

[roundabout]

I think what's unusual compared to your average pro, is that Greipel thinks that there are still cheats racing.

Edit: well not so much thinks, but comes out and says it

 

[Merckx index]

Ooooh. I guess that means there is absolutely no PED use in track sprinting.

Nope, no PEDs here.

Steroids and the like help track sprinters, but they are less helpful to road sprinters, because all of that extra muscle makes it harder to get over those hills and finish the stage. This is why the best sprinters in the road peloton are considerably slower than the fastest track sprinters. They have to balance power with weight, something track sprinters are far less concerned with.

Again, my point was not that someone like Greipel would not benefit from PEDs of any kind, but only that whatever PEDs help a road sprinter provide less of a benefit than oxygen vectors do to the GC men. I can conceive of a sprinter being competitive without PEDs in a way I can't conceive of a GC man being competitive naturally. Ale Jet was not busted for EPO, and though Zabel confessed to using it, and it would certainly have helped him win all those green jerseys, it's not clear how often he used it.

But maybe the best way to address this issue is the same way we did with LA? If road sprinters are so dependent on PEDs, how in the world can Greipel beat them so often if he's clean? Is Greipel lying? It seems to me that if one wants to make the claim that PEDs are as essential to sprinters as to the GC--and that is what everyone who is denying my original post is doing--then I think logically you have to conclude that Greipel is just another liar. Because by that logic, what Greipel is doing is almost as improbable as a clean LA dominating the peloton.

 

[Eshnar]

I think what's unusual compared to your average pro, is that Greipel thinks that there are still cheats racing.

Edit: well not so much thinks, but comes out and says it

And still no one is surprised that he avoids any name.
You know there are still cheats? Excellent. Tell us who!
If you don't call them, that's exactly what the term omerta is all about

 

[happychappy]

lol, this is your proove? I'm an mma fighter can can post photo's of similar physique. and I barely even train. not to mention of people I know who didn't take any that looked like absolute freaks

You don't train as a professional athlete though These sprinters spend all day training on the bike yet still find time enough to lift enough weights to look like bodybuilders and still be able to recover well enough from both. Ridiculous.

 

[taiwan]

You don't train as a professional athlete though These sprinters spend all day training on the bike yet still find time enough to lift enough weights to look like bodybuilders and still be able to recover well enough from both. Ridiculous.

I'd say no cyclist looks like a bodybuilder. Maybe Robert Foerstermann but that's it.

 

[TheEnoculator]

And still no one is surprised that he avoids any name.
You know there are still cheats? Excellent. Tell us who!
If you don't call them, that's exactly what the term omerta is all about

I don't think he was avoiding names. The purpose of his statement is to respond to the USADA report, not to name names. That are two different things.

Certainly no active rider is stupid enough to just name names on their websites without proof. However, he could very well go to the authorities and do so. That's the smarter way.

Besides, that's WAY better than most other resposes we have gotten so far: "shocked", "didn't see anything suspicious", "cycling has moved on", "it's better now", "people need to trust us", or some crap like that.

 

[roundabout]

And still no one is surprised that he avoids any name.
You know there are still cheats? Excellent. Tell us who!
If you don't call them, that's exactly what the term omerta is all about

In a way I agree and ultimately I hope that he told what he knows to the relevant authorities. But also, even if he didn't, at least it's a signal that not everything is perfect.