Antoine Vayer

[macbindle]

He's a PE teacher.

They aren't renowned for their brains

 

[fmk_RoI]

He's a PE teacher.

Pat McQuaid was a PE teacher.

 

[macbindle]

Brian Cookson was a gardener.

I'm seeing a pattern.

 

[fmk_RoI]

I'm seeing a pattern.

Clinic's gotta do what Clinic's gotta do. The patterns man, look at the patterns. Join up the dots. The truth is out there. Way out.

 

[Parker]

Brian Cookson was a gardener.

I'm seeing a pattern.

He was a town planner specialising in urban regeneration. I believe his son spent some time as landscape gardener

As I've said previously, he's a failed coach who desperately wants to be part of the sport and will say anything to get the attention he craves. He's the Nigel Farage of cycling, apart for Farage sadly actually made an impact.

 

[fmk_RoI]

He was a town planner specialising in urban regeneration.

Is funny, I Googled Cookson as a gardener cause, like you, I had the town planning thing in my head. Only two times did I find him called a landscape gardener. I wonder if I should be seeing a pattern there. Whadaya say @macbindle?

 

[macbindle]

Well, one of the two times was me. If I say it a third time it becomes true

 

[fmk_RoI]

If I say it a third time it becomes true

Say it in enough of your alternate identities and you've triple sourced it.

 

[Parker]

Well, one of the two times was me. If I say it a third time it becomes true

That's pretty much how social media works

 

[L'arriviste]

likeable? wtf his twitter feed is 24/7 accusations, finger ponting, hints, mocking. he´s off his head. it´s a continous stream of tweets and hints and free accusation and jokes and mocking. ffs, he even has a jouno pass. but finally serves him well that L´Humanité ended its collaboration with him after the Marion Rousse awful drawings and his comments on that.

Yep, likeable, but evidently not too bright. His whole persona depended on the perception of proximity to events and as his relevance diminished he had to reach to stay in the game. He reached way too far.

 

[macbindle]

Say it in enough of your alternate identities and you've triple sourced it.

Ooh interesting. Who do you think is also me, then?

Do you have any alternate identities? Any whose entire posting is not just in the Clinic? Any who are actually interested in...you know...cycling?

 

[macbindle]

Yep, likeable, but evidently not too bright. His whole persona depended on the perception of proximity to events and as his relevance diminished he had to reach to stay in the game. He reached way too far.

^Pretty much my take on him too. Last time I checked he was babbling nonsense wearing stupid glasses.

I read his "Je suis le cycliste masqué". So obviously penned by him.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Ooh interesting. Who do you think is also me, then?

Uh, the one of the two you said was you.

Do you have any alternate identities? Any whose entire posting is not just in the Clinic? Any who are actually interested in...you know...cycling?

"I love cycling more than you do. Ya boo sux." FFS, really?

 

[pastronef]

I had a chat with him last year in person. He was a bit tired with all the travelling but he did give me the impression that, although he didn't like what he was seeing, he had no clear explanation for it and it frustrated him. Same for any of us, really. Whatever his online output, and a lot of that is beyond the pale, I found him quite likeable.

I get what you mean. but sincerely, and I mean it, I can't get to be frustrated. I think one either is or not. I've read years of Clinic and twitter and I don't feel that itch many feel while watching the races. very subjective I know. I wouldnt follow the racing if I constantly felt like that. or if I constantly thought about PEDs like a dozen people on twitter, that's mindblowing.

 

[@NL_LeMondFans]

I'm not necessarily a fan of Antoine Vayer. He's weird but weirdness can go both ways : good and bad.

I think he's not very good at PR since he is annoying so many people. That said, who else puts a spotlight on "suspicious" performances ? I don't really see anyone else in the press or social media question the speeds and performances of the peloton (except for the clinic, obv.). And the data shows that 2020 has quite few ascents records up its sleeve. Maybe it's not that bad to have people look into that.

Also, I find the way people complain about him very close to some sort of bashing, which is very typical of... Omerta. And IMO everything i better than Omerta.

 

[fmk_RoI]

I don't really see anyone else in the press or social media question the speeds and performances of the peloton (except for the clinic, obv.).

You see nothing on Twitter? For reals?

 

[Parker]

I'm not necessarily a fan of Antoine Vayer. He's weird but weirdness can go both ways : good and bad.

I think he's not very good at PR since he is annoying so many people. That said, who else puts a spotlight on "suspicious" performances ? I don't really see anyone else in the press or social media question the speeds and performances of the peloton (except for the clinic, obv.). And the data shows that 2020 has quite few ascents records up its sleeve. Maybe it's not that bad to have people look into that.

Also, I find the way people complain about him very close to some sort of bashing, which is very typical of... Omerta. And IMO everything i better than Omerta.

All he's good at is PR. He gets lots attention for himself despite having little talent for anything else.

It is fine for people to look at 'suspicious' performances, but it is also essential to critique those people too. If he spouts nonsense, as he frequently does, then he should be called out for it.

What he has worked out is that in cycling, as with many areas of social media, is there is an uncritical audience of scandal hounds who will believe any 'scandal' regardless. And he plays to that audience who have convinced themselves that throwing around unfounded accusations makes them anti-doping crusaders, and that any dissenting voice is 'Omerta'.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I'm not necessarily a fan of Antoine Vayer. He's weird but weirdness can go both ways : good and bad.

I think he's not very good at PR since he is annoying so many people. That said, who else puts a spotlight on "suspicious" performances ? I don't really see anyone else in the press or social media question the speeds and performances of the peloton (except for the clinic, obv.). And the data shows that 2020 has quite few ascents records up its sleeve. Maybe it's not that bad to have people look into that.

Also, I find the way people complain about him very close to some sort of bashing, which is very typical of... Omerta. And IMO everything i better than Omerta.

People are bashing him, because he is bashing riders without any evidence except 1/ "not being French" and 2/"riding harder than he deems normal". Thats. It.

The fact that he is weird is not an issue, the fact that he is an attention seeker however, is a huge issue. Because it shows he values clicks and likes and interviews much more over doing actual in-depth research. It's easy and inconsequential to point fingers and start smear campaigns. Throw enough sh*t against the wall and some of it will stick.

 

[RedheadDane]

People are bashing him, because he is bashing riders without any evidence except 1/ "not being French" and 2/"riding harder than he deems normal". Thats. It.

And an injured rider nonetheless!
Come on! Who looks at the footage of the aftermatch of a crash that, quite frankly could have been fatal, and decides to focus on so-called "suspect" behaviour?!

BTW, can someone please enlighten me? Who the *** is Antoine Vayer anyway?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

And an injured rider nonetheless!
Come on! Who looks at the footage of the aftermatch of a crash that, quite frankly could have been fatal, and decides to focus on so-called "suspect" behaviour?!

BTW, can someone please enlighten me? Who the *** is Antoine Vayer anyway?

He was part of the Festina team that got popped in the 90s.

 

[Parker]

He was part of the Festina team that got popped in the 90s.

It's amazing that he couldn't spot doping when supposedly a coach for several years at Festina, but now all he needs is a YouTube clip.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Looks like he found a henchman in Romain Feillu. Making accusations based on lies, and retweeting/quoting Vayer.

 

[fmk_RoI]

I love that Feillu is even against legal means of performance improvement:

Team Jumbo-Visma has publicly said that they are giving ketones to their riders ...

I saw that, yes. Is that what makes them work like this or is there something else besides? I don't know, but already, just ketones, it's not normal. Doctors tell us it's not good for the stomach, there are risks. The French teams do not take it, so that means that not everyone is on the same ethical footing. Me, I have known guys who took them, it was already five or six years, ketones. And apparently it worked really well, yes yes ... You didn't have a craving, you were very sharp ... For those who wanted to climb, it was fine, I think ...

Typical bloody French. If we're not careful they'll be calling for a 40-hour training week...

 

[samhocking]

ASO should just create a French-only Tour de France they can battle it out to find their ethical victor. Even then, the 2nd place in Paris will be considered the true winner!

 

[42x16ss]

It's amazing that he couldn't spot doping when supposedly a coach for several years at Festina, but now all he needs is a YouTube clip.

It was after Festina he started using his sports physiology background and knowledge to assess riders performance and willingly admits he was naive.