Bassons: The most eloquent perspective...

[Granville57]

In this new interivew, Christophe Bassons offers some truly profound and insightful thoughts about doping:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bassons-wont-judge-landis-and-armstrong

“To me, courage is all about overcoming fear, and I was never scared. I was just lucky - I’d had a balanced upbringing, lots of love in my life, and no void which made me want to dope. Refusing to take drugs was easy for me, whereas other people have things missing in their lives which mean that’s not the case. Doping is always a response to a void, a need – whether it’s for money, or success, or love, or something else. That’s why it’s a mistake to fight the war on doping in terms of health – because, if you actually analyse it, doping responds to a need there too, because you can be healthier doing the Tour de France on drugs than without anything.”

He continued: “The one thing I would add about Armstrong is that I’m not sure he’s as proud of the person he is today as I am of myself. Whatever you do in life, you have to accept the consequences of your actions, like I accepted the consequences of my decision to get out of cycling, without looking back. So I hope that he has the mental resources and the money to deal with the consequences of what he’s done all these years, I really do. But I also hope that truth comes out. And I don’t envy Armstrong, that’s for sure…”

 

[MacRoadie]

“Everyone has their own sense of legitimate and illegitimate, which is different from what is licit and illicit. For example, I might think it’s legitimate to drive my car at 90kph in an 80kph zone, if me being late means that my son will walk out into the school playground and not see his dad. For Richard Virenque, doping was legitimate because, for some reason, he needed the love and admiration of the public. For some riders from Eastern Europe it’s legitimate because they need money for their families – which is hard to condemn. Or a teenager might take steroids and go to the gym to pump iron because he’s uncomfortable with his body. In that case, doping serves his need – it perpetuates it too, but as far as the kid is concerned it solves his particular problem…”

Boy, they're really going to have to work overtime to paint THAT guy as bitter....

 

[Bronstein]

Boy, they're really going to have to work overtime to paint THAT guy as bitter....

No need to worry, they can always play the French card.

 

[Ecowarrior18]

I think that is a great viewpoint.

Bassons has it nailed down, Armstrong and he are poles apart. But if you ask me Bassons is the richest by far.

More power to his elbow/legs.

 

[BotanyBay]

In this new interivew, Christophe Bassons offers some truly profound and insightful thoughts about doping:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bassons-wont-judge-landis-and-armstrong

Clearly a bitter, demented liar with an axe to grind.

 

[Balabar]

Christophe Bassons is a class act through and through.

Cycling needs more people like him. Actually I take that back, society as a whole needs more people like him.

 

[TexPat]

This supports my generalization developed from living in France, that on the whole, they are much deeper thinkers who possess remarkable reasoning skills as well as eloquence.

 

[peloton]

Christophe Bassons is a class act through and through.

Cycling needs more people like him. Actually I take that back, society as a whole needs more people like him.

+1
agreed.

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

Everyone has their own sense of legitimate and illegitimate'...'

I can't imagine anyone articulating this concept better than Bassons. Great comments and a great article.

 

[eatyourvitamins]

Born philosopher by the sounds of it.

I was impressed by his standpoint too. It is very simple and very sound. He is obviously happier for it. All power to him. Unfortunately, human nature and the reality/inconsistency of life will never allow for anymore than a small percentage of people to truly hold such a viewpoint and take such an approach. Bassons represents what always has been and always will be the exception and not the rule. Not just in doping either... a philosophical thread such as he argues holds for nearly all walks and industries of life.

Doping will not go away until the incentive to dope itself goes away... How does that happen in professional sport?

 

[Granville57]

This supports my generalization developed from living in France, that on the whole, they are much deeper thinkers who possess remarkable reasoning skills as well as eloquence.

Yes, it's a truly moving account. His depth of thought is so beyond any sort of reproach on the subject. I hope this interview is read far and wide by every rider, director, coach and "doctor." This one really is worth framing.
----------------

As an aside TexPat, I regret not starting a new thread entirely for your VN interview. You really deserve some extra recognition for that. Very important to have people such as yourself in the midst of all this.

(And I only just noticed your modified avatar. Excellent work )

To those who missed it:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/news/interview-former-armstrong-assistant-ashamed-of-working-for-him_158382

 

[Sanitiser]

Christophe Bassons is a class act through and through.

Cycling needs more people like him. Actually I take that back, society as a whole needs more people like him.

Too bad society is a general cluster**** so you have a natural reflection of that in the peloton.

 

[andy1234]

This supports my generalization developed from living in France, that on the whole, they are much deeper thinkers who possess remarkable reasoning skills as well as eloquence.

I think its a European vs US thing.
Its one of the reasons that your average man in the street in Europe has a far less black and white view on doping.

 

[la.margna]

“I don’t like to judge or criticize anyone – not Landis, not Armstrong – because everyone has their own reasons for acting the way they do,” Bassons reasoned.

“I don’t care what anyone does, as long as they don’t try to stop me from living my life, or doing my job, which is what bothered me about Armstrong. But, again, I won’t judge. With him, I think it’s obvious there was a need for success.

Really like the guy. Not bitter at all. Fair. Respect.

 

[Speedzero]

You sometimes hear people talk about how there is analytical intelligence (what's measured by IQ tests) and there is "emotional intelligence." Bassons' comments are an outstanding example of the latter.

 

[Darryl Webster]

Excellent piece and well expressed perspective.

"There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties or you alter yourself meeting them."
Phyllis Bottome

 

[Skandar Akbar]

Really like the guy. Not bitter at all. Fair. Respect.

Yeah his calm approach is in direct contrast to his fans in the clinic.

 

[rhubroma]

I only found his position on Armstrong inconsistent.

First he says he has no intention of judging him, then he states: "So I hope that he has the mental resources and the money to deal with the consequences of what he’s done all these years, I really do. But I also hope that truth comes out."

For someone who claims to be without regrets, his passive-aggressiveness would seem to suggest that all is not as it would appear.

Not that he's not entitled to having the satisfaction of being vindicated.

 

[Sanitiser]

Yeah his calm approach is in direct contrast to his fans in the clinic.

lol so true

 

[Polish]

According to Wikipedia, Bassons "now works for the ministry of youth and sport at Bordeaux, in charge of drug tests"

*** edited by mod ***

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

I only found his position on Armstrong inconsistent.

First he says he has no intention of judging him, then he states: "So I hope that he has the mental resources and the money to deal with the consequences of what he’s done all these years, I really do. But I also hope that truth comes out."

For someone who claims to be without regrets, his passive-aggressiveness would seem to suggest that all is not as it would appear.

Not that he's not entitled to having the satisfaction of being vindicated.

You're rigt.

His supposed 'passive-aggressiveness' obviously means he loves cancer...

 

[Sanitiser]

I only found his position on Armstrong inconsistent.

First he says he has no intention of judging him, then he states: "So I hope that he has the mental resources and the money to deal with the consequences of what he’s done all these years, I really do. But I also hope that truth comes out."

For someone who claims to be without regrets, his passive-aggressiveness would seem to suggest that all is not as it would appear.

Not that he's not entitled to having the satisfaction of being vindicated.

It seems more like, 'I think he's going to defend himself tooth and nail but I hope he comes out with the truth in the end'.

 

[Benotti69]

Bassons has really come to terms with cycling. more than any of the pros we read about.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

...The one thing I would add about Armstrong is that I’m not sure he’s as proud of the person he is today as I am of myself....

M. Bassons obviously is unfamiliar with the clinical definition of "megalomania."

 

[Granville57]

First he says he has no intention of judging him, then he states: "So I hope that he has the mental resources and the money to deal with the consequences of what he’s done all these years, I really do. But I also hope that truth comes out."

For someone who claims to be without regrets, his passive-aggressiveness would seem to suggest that all is not as it would appear.

Far be it from me to put words in the mouth of someone as eloquent as Bassons, but my interpretation of those remarks is that he doesn't "judge" Armstrong in terms of why he behaves the way he does--upbringing, insecurities, etc (things that were beyond Armstrong's control)--but still acknowledges that he does, in fact, behave that way; and he will have to answer for it.