As someone brought up Bassons Book, I think it was time it was discussed as it seemed to receive very little attention and considering so many here hold Bassons up as clean hero, that seems sad. I can understand people refusing to read the dopers books but why not Bassons?
Some of the bits that stood out to me personally:
Bassons would have left the sport without having said a word about doping if it had not been for his Festina team-mates naming him as a clean rider. He even gives an example of himself promoting the ometra to a journalist which he admits was very ironic considering the figure he became.
He was adverse to any form of assistance(including legal recovery) but saw no issue with artificially boosting his blood levels by sleeping in an altitude chamber. He says this only worked the one time in 98 after which he had his best run of results, though this was as likely to have been because of a cleaner sport immediately post Festina.
He did give into using recovery products a few times but it seems to have been more his partner that kept him from doping than himself. He usually consulted her when he was having doubts. Perhaps reinforcing the idea you need good people around you.
Bassons was in the top 5 riders(stats wise on capabilities) at Festina during the winter but then ranked near the bottom later in the year.
Not all the people at Festina were pro-doping, Antoine Vayer, Michael Gros and two of the soigneurs, one of whom was Laurent Gros' son were some of the exceptions. It also seemed that some of the riders.management were resigned to doping rather than being willing participants.
Bassons said there were other clean riders post Festina but it was up to them to come forward themselves, even though it was other riders who had brought Bassons to attention and without whom we would never have heard of him. Seems a bit hypocritical.
The closest he gets to naming another clean rider is his friend Patrice Halgand who was also named as a clean cyclist(along with Laurent Lefevre) by a Festina team-mate in the Festina trial. Basson's says Halgand was the closest to him in mindset and would also have benefited greatly from a cleaner peloton but chose to remain quiet. He never states outright that Halgand was definitely clean but that was the impression given.
Basson's quotes his high VO2 and similar physiology to Hinault a few times implying the obvious. However he never mentions the fact that his friend Halgand won 16 races during Basson's time in the peloton. Was Halgand just more talented or was there something else?
Basson's actually had a good relationship with Philipe Gaumont, regarded as the craziest of all the dopers. They both disliked the hypocrisy of cycling even though they were on the extreme sides of the fence.
Probably more to come but as always, it was not as black as white as many make out. It is clear that Basson's was tempted to dope on more than one occasion but with the right support, chose the right path due to those around him inclduing some on the Festina team which would seem unlikely to most.
Good read, everyone should give it a go.
Some of the bits that stood out to me personally:
Bassons would have left the sport without having said a word about doping if it had not been for his Festina team-mates naming him as a clean rider. He even gives an example of himself promoting the ometra to a journalist which he admits was very ironic considering the figure he became.
He was adverse to any form of assistance(including legal recovery) but saw no issue with artificially boosting his blood levels by sleeping in an altitude chamber. He says this only worked the one time in 98 after which he had his best run of results, though this was as likely to have been because of a cleaner sport immediately post Festina.
He did give into using recovery products a few times but it seems to have been more his partner that kept him from doping than himself. He usually consulted her when he was having doubts. Perhaps reinforcing the idea you need good people around you.
Bassons was in the top 5 riders(stats wise on capabilities) at Festina during the winter but then ranked near the bottom later in the year.
Not all the people at Festina were pro-doping, Antoine Vayer, Michael Gros and two of the soigneurs, one of whom was Laurent Gros' son were some of the exceptions. It also seemed that some of the riders.management were resigned to doping rather than being willing participants.
Bassons said there were other clean riders post Festina but it was up to them to come forward themselves, even though it was other riders who had brought Bassons to attention and without whom we would never have heard of him. Seems a bit hypocritical.
The closest he gets to naming another clean rider is his friend Patrice Halgand who was also named as a clean cyclist(along with Laurent Lefevre) by a Festina team-mate in the Festina trial. Basson's says Halgand was the closest to him in mindset and would also have benefited greatly from a cleaner peloton but chose to remain quiet. He never states outright that Halgand was definitely clean but that was the impression given.
Basson's quotes his high VO2 and similar physiology to Hinault a few times implying the obvious. However he never mentions the fact that his friend Halgand won 16 races during Basson's time in the peloton. Was Halgand just more talented or was there something else?
Basson's actually had a good relationship with Philipe Gaumont, regarded as the craziest of all the dopers. They both disliked the hypocrisy of cycling even though they were on the extreme sides of the fence.
Probably more to come but as always, it was not as black as white as many make out. It is clear that Basson's was tempted to dope on more than one occasion but with the right support, chose the right path due to those around him inclduing some on the Festina team which would seem unlikely to most.
Good read, everyone should give it a go.
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