Astana: Vino vs. JB

[lostintime]

I don't know what the UCI can or will do, but ASO won't be inviting Vino or "his baby" team to the TDF or any of their owned events.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

I don't know what the UCI can or will do, but ASO won't be inviting Vino or "his baby" team to the TDF or any of their owned events.

Actually the UCI & ASO have remained very quiet on the return of Vino.

I had originally thought that the UCI would try and make things very difficult for him to return by going through the Astana (Kazakh Federation) Pro Tour licence with a fine tooth comb and if there was anything amiss it would be bye bye... but with the continued silence I am not so confident.

 

[BroDeal]

Actually the UCI & ASO have remained very quiet on the return of Vino.

I had originally thought that the UCI would try and make things very difficult for him to return by going through the Astana (Kazakh Federation) Pro Tour licence with a fine tooth comb and if there was anything amiss it would be bye bye... but with the continued silence I am not so confident.

The Kazakhs probably told the UCI that they would sue if there was any funny stuff, and the UCI knows that they do not have a leg to stand on. Or maybe the Kazakhs just paid McQuaid and Verbruggen under the table like a certain Texan.

 

[Clemson Cycling]

Or maybe the Kazakhs just paid McQuaid and Verbruggen under the table like a certain Texan.

I am sorry when did Lance do this and do you have a link or something.

 

[BroDeal]

I am sorry when did Lance do this and do you have a link or something.

Google is your friend. Armstrong paid half a million dollars under the table to the UCI. It was only revealed when Sylvia Schenk ran for UCI president against Verbruggen's hand picked successor, Pat McQuaid. During the SCA arbitration, Armstrong gave evasive answers in his deposition. He claimed to not remember how much and how many times he had given money to the UCI. The whole thing smells really bad no matter what explanation is given by the UCI or Armstrong.

 

[ladyvader]

I think the Astana team will go back to how it was a year and a bit ago, before JB got involved. and good luck to them. They'll need it.

Would Astana be around right now if it wasn't for JB?

 

[TourLeTour]

I was a huge fan of Vino. I loved his agressive style and the way he just didn't quit. He had some terrible conditions and still shone through as a brilliant rider. He made cycling glorious for me. And then he stabbed me in the back. It turned out he had been lying to me. He was cheating, and was not what he claimed to be (every time he agreed to abide by the no doping rules). I was deeply hurt. As badly as I had been by those other heros of mine, guys like Jan and Eric. They all lied and cheated me.

I have made mistakes in my life. I have made bad decisions, and done the wrong thing. It is easy to do. People should be given a chance to come back from doing so. Eric made mistakes. He doped. Not for long, and it was a long time ago, but he doped. And by doing so he also lied and cheated. Then he realised that his actions were going to have consequences (not a ban, it was too long ago for that, but consequences). The disappointment of millions of fans would be huge. The damage to cycling would be huge. Eric could see that what he had done was bad. He held a press conference. He said he was sorry, he crawled back, acknowledged that he had done wrong, and asked for forgiveness. Of course I gave it to him, people deserve a chance to right their wrongs.

Vino made mistakes. Now he is demanding that I accept him back. He isn't sorry. He isn't sad about what he has done to cycling, about the small children whose world he made a little bit darker. He is just demanding his team.

If I had an Astana jersey, I would burn it. I do not want to see Vino. I do not want to hear of Vino. Vino should go away, and leave the sport I love alone until he can acknowledge and apologise for the damage he has done to it, and ask for forgiveness. Then, of course, I will give it to him.

 

[Jonathan]

I was a huge fan of Vino. I loved his agressive style and the way he just didn't quit. He had some terrible conditions and still shone through as a brilliant rider. He made cycling glorious for me. And then he stabbed me in the back. It turned out he had been lying to me. He was cheating, and was not what he claimed to be (every time he agreed to abide by the no doping rules). I was deeply hurt. As badly as I had been by those other heros of mine, guys like Jan and Eric. They all lied and cheated me.

I wouldn't take it so bad. Without the ' cheating' , Vinokourov would probably not have been able to do the things you admired him for, and there would have been nobody in his place. As this board's member Beroepsrenner has pointed out, any victory is still hard-won and deserves admiration. Any rider would've liked to have done what Vinokourov did, but even the doped ones couldn't.

If we believe everything cyclists say, we are being lied to and cheated at this very moment. Rather than feel disappointment, I'd admire the good parts and just take note of the bad ones as they are, without strong emotions.