Boonen on coke - again!?

[Juan Pelota]

Funny Lance quote about Boonen...Pun intended?


“It’s not a good situation. I feel for him. I know Tom because he was on this team. This is more of a social issue than a sporting issue. We have to address from a social standpoint. It’s a blow for him, a blow for Quick Step, a blow for their sponsors and Belgian cycling. I think that socially we have to address something there, or Tom has to look inside and say, ‘hey, I have an issue and how do I deal with it.’ Tom Boonen isn’t the only guy in the world who has that temptation. I wish him my best and I hope he rights the ship.”

 

[Steel4Ever]

I feel like the prohibitionists want people to believe doing recreational drugs will screw up a person’s body. So, “why he would want to **** it (his body) up with drugs and illegal actions.???” –doesn’t apply. Using cannabis or coke or wine or whiskey or coffee, ecstasy etc. responsibly doesn’t “**** it up.”

Perhaps I should have worded that more detailed. Boonen puts years of effort and sacrifice (as well as a lot of other people's time, effort, and money) into being a professional athlete -- his body = his job. His professional contract is to race for and REPRESENT his sponsor(s).

He screws it up in two ways: 1) he puts a substance into his body that deteriorates the health of his body, 2) because the substance is illegal, he cannot use his body for what he has trained it for (i.e. not riding the Tour). Thus, by his criminal actions he cannot fulfill his contractual obligations.

I an not a prohibitionist and really have a hard time connecting "using coke" and "responsibly" through any stretch of the imagination. If he wanted to be responsible, he would have thought like a responsible person! Part of his job and contract is to be tested for drugs, so again, why would he screw it up? Guess the 'thrill of victory' just isn't enough for him.

"Hmmm, do I snort this coke, even though it's illegal? Yeah, sure! Why not! I'm snorting responsibly!"

Cocaine use is ILLEGAL. Period.
Scream and shout all you want, won't change the fact. Mail a letter to the Belgium gov't if you want it to be a legal drug.

Lastly, I'll ask this: Boony got busted for speeding and had his license taken away from him. He committed a criminal crime (vs. a civil crime) and was given a punishment for it. Boony gets busted for having taken cocaine, an illegal drug and a criminal crime, and he receives NO punishment.

As I've said before, let Boonen do what he wants, it's the people around him that also have to make the correct decisions -- and thus far they have not.

 

[Anonymous]

If you're a politician and you have a go at your intern you're attempted to be impeached.
If you're a regular Joe taken coke twice, you do jail time.
If you're pretty boy who genetically can ride a bike faster than others, having a tailwind in all your life and then still screwing it up by knowinglytaking the one drug which wars are fought over, you just get away with it.

what if your a screwed up loser with no musical talent, no personality and even less manners like Pete Doherty...?

Good job he wasnt a cyclist.. we would all have carried him up Alpe D'huez on our shoulders tied him to a stake, flogged him, burnt him, chopped him up, and then blamed it on the french..

 

[BigBoat]

The man has boatloads of MONEY! What do you expect him to do? Be an upstanding mom that supports the community? I tell you what, dont test them anymore and there would be no more positives. No positives = NO DRUGS!

The French pros liked to do Darvon (dextropropoxyphene) and run naked through hotel hallways. They were never called on this BS because their French! They jack heavier recreational **** all the time!

 

[Anonymous]

He screws it up in two ways:
2) because the substance is illegal, he cannot use his body for what he has trained it for (i.e. not riding the Tour). Thus, by his criminal actions he cannot fulfill his contractual obligations.

mind you.. racing after taking a performance reducing drug.. makes ya wonder what he'd be like on something decent like CERA

Boony gets busted for having taken cocaine, an illegal drug and a criminal crime, and he receives NO punishment.
t.

Im not sure there are many places outside of some weird, messed up countries in asia where they still endorse the death penalty, that lock people up for taking cocaine.. crikey.. they prisons would have more people im them than the supermarkets on saturday afternoon..

Over here its only a bit of a telling off for about the first ten times..

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Wow, what an idiot. And after he won P-R he looked like he was trying to be congenial and friendly. Now this.

As to official suspension, that's not really necessary when you think about it. Koldo Gil was named in OP, but never implicated. He said he had nothing to do with it and would give DNA tests to the UCI or anyone that would ask. No dice, and no one will sign him. Then take a look at Roberto Heras. His suspension long over, the UCI put full muscle to make sure he wouldn't get signed, still can't.

We all know the UCI is corrupt and does not play with a level deck. The only reason to think they'd say "this is not a sporting violation" is if they thought it would somehow not hurt them, but help them, having him racing again. My guess is that he'll be out the rest of the season, minimum.

This sure is burning up the cycling world. This thread alone is moving very quickly.

 

[elapid]

Funny Lance quote about Boonen...Pun intended?


“It’s not a good situation. I feel for him. I know Tom because he was on this team. This is more of a social issue than a sporting issue. We have to address from a social standpoint. It’s a blow for him, a blow for Quick Step, a blow for their sponsors and Belgian cycling. I think that socially we have to address something there, or Tom has to look inside and say, ‘hey, I have an issue and how do I deal with it.’ Tom Boonen isn’t the only guy in the world who has that temptation. I wish him my best and I hope he rights the ship.”

Wow, I wouldn't have believed it, but I agree with LA 100%. He needs rehab and should be punished through the criminal system. But he shouldn't be punished in the cycling world for a recreational out-of-competition drug.

 

[ingsve]

crack cocaine smoked by american drop outs in back alleys for $5 a pipe, can in no way be compared with the sophisticated, socialite party drug we have over here in the UK ta very much..

Wow what a load of bull****. Crack is more common among poorer cast aside addicts because it's cheaper and gives a quicker high because it's smoked. The quick and easy high from smoking means that crack might be slightly more addictive than snorted cocaine. That doesn't mean powder cocain is safe and harmless. You seem to think that snorting cocaine is no worse than occasionally smoking pot which could be no further from the truth.

Comparing crack and powder cocaine is like comparing CERA with EPO with pot being equivalent of caffine in comparison.

 

[Anonymous]

Wow what a load of bull****. Crack is more common among poorer cast aside addicts because it's cheaper and gives a quicker high because it's smoked. The quick and easy high from smoking means that crack might be slightly more addictive than snorted cocaine. That doesn't mean powder cocain is safe and harmless. You seem to think that snorting cocaine is no worse than occasionally smoking pot which could be no further from the truth.

Comparing crack and powder cocaine is like comparing CERA with EPO with pot being equivalent of caffine in comparison.

it was meant to be more an amusing dig using a comparison between ghetto crack heads v the british coke snorting aristocracy... but i think the humour got lost somewhere..

 

[Anonymous]

as usual, the fools come out...

Let's get it straight...tons of folks snort coke...hell, oh my god, I have a few times...if he were doing so much it would destroy his abilities...was it an intelligent thing to do in his public position? Of course not, but the stone throwing here, as usual, is pretty obvious. Pull the panties from your crotches folks. A super athlete with tons of cash and huge pressures upon him does a line! Welcome to the world of sports...welcome, frankly, to the damn world. This was in no way performance related and frankly none of our business...what is next? Tossing guys off teams because they cheat on their wives? Again, the pigpile goes on...

 

[franciep10]

Funny Lance quote about Boonen...Pun intended?


“It’s not a good situation. I feel for him. I know Tom because he was on this team. This is more of a social issue than a sporting issue. We have to address from a social standpoint. It’s a blow for him, a blow for Quick Step, a blow for their sponsors and Belgian cycling. I think that socially we have to address something there, or Tom has to look inside and say, ‘hey, I have an issue and how do I deal with it.’ Tom Boonen isn’t the only guy in the world who has that temptation. I wish him my best and I hope he rights the ship.”

sadly I agree with Lance here, Tom needs to accept what what he did was wrong check into a drug rehab clinic then go to the courts pay a fine and do some community service around Belgium and become a voice against drug use if he does so maybe ASO could give the guy a break and let him race it has nothing to do with what he does on the road he shouldn't be banned from competition.

 

[franciep10]

Let's get it straight...tons of folks snort coke...hell, oh my god, I have a few times...if he were doing so much it would destroy his abilities...was it an intelligent thing to do in his public position? Of course not, but the stone throwing here, as usual, is pretty obvious. Pull the panties from your crotches folks. A super athlete with tons of cash and huge pressures upon him does a line! Welcome to the world of sports...welcome, frankly, to the damn world. This was in no way performance related and frankly none of our business...what is next? Tossing guys off teams because they cheat on their wives? Again, the pigpile goes on...

that is hilarious pull the panties from your crotches that's classic, as I have said it is not sport related again LMAO, thank u for that

 

[elapid]

So Boonen blames alcohol-induced amnesia for his cocaine hit, but admits he has a problem (with alcohol) and that he needs help. According to CN:

Tom Boonen says he may have used cocaine on an afternoon when he had too much to drink. However, he claims to have had a black-out and does not know what happened.

"I do not think I have a problem with cocaine, I have problems when I drink too much. 364 days per year I am good. But if I drink too much, it's exactly like I change in my head," Boonen told Belgian Radio1.

The Quick Step sprinter was suspended by his team Saturday after it was announced that he had tested positive a second time for cocaine.

"I need help," he told sporza.be. "Someone should teach me to understand what happens when I drink too much."

Looking to the future, he said, "Whether I will continue to be a cyclist? That is the least of my concerns."

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

that is hilarious pull the panties from your crotches that's classic, as I have said it is not sport related again LMAO, thank u for that

LOL! Post of the week!

 

[ElChingon]

So Boonen blames alcohol-induced amnesia for his cocaine hit, but admits he has a problem (with alcohol) and that he needs help. According to CN:

Wow! I'm going on a drinking binge!

(Story warp ala sit-coms)

Sorry Oscifer, I have no idea what I did as I drank so much, hic-up, that I blacked out and have no idea how this cocaine got in my car, house, nose? Oh well, lets chalk it up to the blackout all's fine, see ya!

 

[Steel4Ever]

Im not sure there are many places outside of some weird, messed up countries in asia where they still endorse the death penalty, that lock people up for taking cocaine.. crikey.. they prisons would have more people im them than the supermarkets on saturday afternoon.

Yeah, except for that one weird messed up country...oh, which one is it...oh right! The United States of America! They throw people in jail for 25 YEARS for possessing pot! And...oh yeah, that's right...the prison population in America is 2.3 million (more than 1 in 100 adults in the United States are in prison) with 1 in every 31 adults (7.3 million) in prison, on parole or probation = almost 25% of the WORLD'S entire prison population! The highest documented per capita rate of incarceration of any country in the world, quadrupling since 1980, partially as a result of mandated sentences that came about during the "War on Drugs" (approx. 24% of American inmates [348,000] are incarcerated for drug offenses). Hey, someone had to go to jail for snorting coke!

America is #1!
And Belgium is...#141...with 9,950 inmates in TOTAL!
Even factoring in the population differential would only give Belgium around 284,000 total inmates. And if all 100% of those were incarcerated on drug related charges, they would still have LESS drug criminals than America!

America:
Weird, messed up country? Check!
Still endorse the death penalty? Check!
Lock people up for taking cocaine? Check!
Prisons have more people in them than the supermarkets on saturday afternoon? Check!

Basically, what I'm getting at is that it pays to do your blow in the Big B.

Whatever! I've said my peace.
It's screwed up on both sides of the fence.

 

[Steel4Ever]

...what is next? Tossing guys off teams because they cheat on their wives?

Adultery isn't a criminal offense.
Or maybe it is...in Belgium.

 

[franciep10]

What would you do

Let me try and put this in perspective if you're Tom's age in Belgium as a young rich superstar and you're at a party and two hot young twenty something model types come up to you and say they want to do wild crazy and wonderful things to you and themselves but to get in the mood they ask you to snort a line of coke and a hit of ecstacy, I don;t know about some of you but the line would be gone the hit of ex gone and I will be already on the bed. now who's gonna turn that down

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

America is #1!.

Those are some ugly, but true facts Steel4ever. What's most ironic is that the states with probably the toughest stances on incarceration are the "conservative" states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Georgia. While the so called "liberal" or soft on crime states of Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire, states that emphasize education spending over penal enforcement, with the least crime problems. Very telling article.

Sorry, didn't want to make this go political.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Sorry, didn't want to make this go political.

And American politics really have nothing to do with this story, so let's get back to cycling, Belgium and Boonen, please.

 

[180mmCrank]

And American politics really have nothing to do with this story, so let's get back to cycling, Belgium and Boonen, please.

Ok Susan as requested...

Cycling = love it

Belgium = great beer

Boonen = twit!

 

[ingsve]

And American politics really have nothing to do with this story, so let's get back to cycling, Belgium and Boonen, please.

Agains with these police posts that try to kill any discussion that slides a little off the main topic of the thread. I'm all for keeping a discussion focused but these constant posts that pop up as soon someone goes a little of topic. To me it boarders cencorship.

What are you afraid of? That this is going to overflow with non cycling discussions? That's never gonna happen since people here are interested in cycling and discussing cycling but when a topic broaches another subject it's a natural part of a discussion to wander off a bit. It's not the end of the world.

 

[180mmCrank]

Agains with these police posts that try to kill any discussion that slides a little off the main topic of the thread. I'm all for keeping a discussion focused but these constant posts that pop up as soon someone goes a little of topic. To me it boarders cencorship.

What are you afraid of? That this is going to overflow with non cycling discussions? That's never gonna happen since people here are interested in cycling and discussing cycling but when a topic broaches another subject it's a natural part of a discussion to wander off a bit. It's not the end of the world.

I tend to agree and actually find them quite quaint especially given they are almost always ignored

...and I think it's mainly Susan that makes posts like these.

 

[Leopejo]

Really, does anybody know what is the legal status of cocaine use in Belgium? Is it a criminal offence there (to use it as opposed to sell it)?

 

[Anonymous]

Wow! I'm going on a drinking binge!

(Story warp ala sit-coms)

Sorry Oscifer, I have no idea what I did as I drank so much, hic-up, that I blacked out and have no idea how this cocaine got in my car, house, nose? Oh well, lets chalk it up to the blackout all's fine, see ya!

youve obviously never been that drunk then... or am i the only one here whos done really stupid things drunk