Interesting blog by Anthony Tan:
http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/blog-article/122237/Don-t-give-in-now
(Remember it's geared for an Australian audience)
I thought I was reading something good when he started well, played neutral on Ricco, and acknowledged that there could be a wider problem.
Unfortunately from there he pointed the blame at "two-year bans" where in my mind, he could have chosen the sports administrators to point the finger at. He could have even looked at the recent WADA statements. The ban length argument is an easy target but overlooks some equally significant issues.
This sentence is good though:
"that certain team personnel in positions of mentoring and influence, with chequered pasts they haven’t owned up to and who remain unrepentant, continue to demand results above all else, and ask their riders to race more than is humanly capable on a doping-free diet"
Not sure about the part in bold however, do Andersen, Hog, Riis etc really ask their riders to ride on a doping-free diet?
But it all goes massively downhill from here:
"UCI president Pat McQuaid was right: there is a problem with Spanish cycling; there exists more doping cases than any other major cycling nation, and from the way they’ve handled each, it’s abundantly clear there is no consistency."
For no real reason, decides to point the finger at Spain, before going on to say that Australian (and British) cycling is the pinnacle of clean sport.
"Thankfully, the overwhelming proportion of Australian cyclists have gone through this era largely unscathed and unblemished [Does that mean clean?]. Our reputation for producing clean machines – and winning ones – is second-to-none and matched only by Great Britain, except on the road, we’ve been infinitely more successful. We just can’t seem to do it when it comes to the bat and ball and something called ‘The Ashes’.
The creation of the GreenEDGE project, with its multi-tiered approach that, in harmonious marriage with the Australian Institute of Sport, provides a clear pathway from aspiring junior to elite amateur to Continental pro to ProTeam rider, I’m most excited about.
Sure, they’ll still be those Aussies who will ride for other teams and as we’ve seen at the Tour Down Under and Tour of Qatar there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s in one’s formative years where eggs can turn bad, and I believe the GreenEDGE ethos, at least on paper, provides a route so, in the future, we can guarantee our guys are home-grown, organic, and in no way are PED-inclined.
So what I’m saying is this: don’t expect some seminal moment to occur where all you see can be believed – but do expect to see a day where you see an Australian on the Tour de France podium, in Australian livery, and because it’s Australian made, you know it was made clean."
Yes, all have faith in GreenEDGE to lead the future of clean cycling, afterall, Stephens, Bannan and White have spotless reputations!
http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/blog-article/122237/Don-t-give-in-now
(Remember it's geared for an Australian audience)
I thought I was reading something good when he started well, played neutral on Ricco, and acknowledged that there could be a wider problem.
Unfortunately from there he pointed the blame at "two-year bans" where in my mind, he could have chosen the sports administrators to point the finger at. He could have even looked at the recent WADA statements. The ban length argument is an easy target but overlooks some equally significant issues.
This sentence is good though:
"that certain team personnel in positions of mentoring and influence, with chequered pasts they haven’t owned up to and who remain unrepentant, continue to demand results above all else, and ask their riders to race more than is humanly capable on a doping-free diet"
Not sure about the part in bold however, do Andersen, Hog, Riis etc really ask their riders to ride on a doping-free diet?
But it all goes massively downhill from here:
"UCI president Pat McQuaid was right: there is a problem with Spanish cycling; there exists more doping cases than any other major cycling nation, and from the way they’ve handled each, it’s abundantly clear there is no consistency."
For no real reason, decides to point the finger at Spain, before going on to say that Australian (and British) cycling is the pinnacle of clean sport.
"Thankfully, the overwhelming proportion of Australian cyclists have gone through this era largely unscathed and unblemished [Does that mean clean?]. Our reputation for producing clean machines – and winning ones – is second-to-none and matched only by Great Britain, except on the road, we’ve been infinitely more successful. We just can’t seem to do it when it comes to the bat and ball and something called ‘The Ashes’.
The creation of the GreenEDGE project, with its multi-tiered approach that, in harmonious marriage with the Australian Institute of Sport, provides a clear pathway from aspiring junior to elite amateur to Continental pro to ProTeam rider, I’m most excited about.
Sure, they’ll still be those Aussies who will ride for other teams and as we’ve seen at the Tour Down Under and Tour of Qatar there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s in one’s formative years where eggs can turn bad, and I believe the GreenEDGE ethos, at least on paper, provides a route so, in the future, we can guarantee our guys are home-grown, organic, and in no way are PED-inclined.
So what I’m saying is this: don’t expect some seminal moment to occur where all you see can be believed – but do expect to see a day where you see an Australian on the Tour de France podium, in Australian livery, and because it’s Australian made, you know it was made clean."
Yes, all have faith in GreenEDGE to lead the future of clean cycling, afterall, Stephens, Bannan and White have spotless reputations!