Bradley McGee says he didn't dope!

[Nilsson]

Found one -

https://twitter.com/marcelkittel

You mean this one? http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ard-link-kittel-to-german-blood-doping-investigation

I'm not judging, but he shouldn't overdo it...

 

[red_flanders]

His performances and statements are credible to me. I believe him, he sounds like what I'd expect a clean rider from that era to sound like.

I like what he has to say.

 

[laughingcavalier]

The part of McGee's article I liked best was where he talked about preventing doping:

"The three most important points I see in preventing doping are:

1. Knowing the rules and difference between right and wrong. Never knowingly or unknowingly crossing the line. Sports institutes and federations like the Australian Institute of Sport or Cycling Australia have the resources to provide education, but there are holes in that process outside these systems, for instance in smaller teams. I see national-based big budget teams like Sky and Orica-GreenEDGE playing an important role.

2. Know your capabilities and set achievable targets.

Bravado and headline-seeking lofty ambitions can create, in my mind, a trigger for bad decisions further down the road.

3. Know the people around you. Be sure they will support you in success or failure and will never support unethical choices."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/how-dopers-stole-the-best-years-of-my-career-20121026-28aif.html#ixzz2APTwy46R

 

[Benotti69]

The part of McGee's article I liked best was where he talked about preventing doping:

"The three most important points I see in preventing doping are:

1. Knowing the rules and difference between right and wrong. Never knowingly or unknowingly crossing the line. Sports institutes and federations like the Australian Institute of Sport or Cycling Australia have the resources to provide education, but there are holes in that process outside these systems, for instance in smaller teams. I see national-based big budget teams like Sky and Orica-GreenEDGE playing an important role.

2. Know your capabilities and set achievable targets.

Bravado and headline-seeking lofty ambitions can create, in my mind, a trigger for bad decisions further down the road.

3. Know the people around you. Be sure they will support you in success or failure and will never support unethical choices."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/how-dopers-stole-the-best-years-of-my-career-20121026-28aif.html#ixzz2APTwy46R

Does their exist 1 DS in the pro peloton that #3 would be applicable ?

 

[Von Mises]

The part of McGee's article I liked best was where he talked about preventing doping:

"The three most important points I see in preventing doping are:

1. Knowing the rules and difference between right and wrong. Never knowingly or unknowingly crossing the line. Sports institutes and federations like the Australian Institute of Sport or Cycling Australia have the resources to provide education, but there are holes in that process outside these systems, for instance in smaller teams. I see national-based big budget teams like Sky and Orica-GreenEDGE playing an important role.

2. Know your capabilities and set achievable targets.

Bravado and headline-seeking lofty ambitions can create, in my mind, a trigger for bad decisions further down the road.

3. Know the people around you. Be sure they will support you in success or failure and will never support unethical choices."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/how-dopers-stole-the-best-years-of-my-career-20121026-28aif.html#ixzz2APTwy46R

I actually thought that this was one of the weakest part of the article. Not that these suggestions are wrong, but for me it sounds "be strong and be honest blablabla".

 

[Fidolix]

Brad is actually one of the few riders I believe was clean. Can understand his frustration, but also seems a bit naive, he must have already then have known what was going on.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, "Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson." You remember that? "This ain't your night"! My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors in the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money......You don't understand. I could'a had class. I could'a been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.

 

[skidmark]

We all would love a revolution - the dopers named, shamed - the clean lauded, - the omerta shattered - all in one neat media friendly eruption.

But real life doesn't work like that - it's a chipping away; attrition; trickle becomes a stream becomes a river. Not as cathartic, sadly, but it doesn't ean it dosn't lead, eventually, to a better place

A few years ago, contador's 'protection' of Armstrong would hardly be noteworthy; they all did that. Tody, his defence of Armstrong, along with other Spanish dopers is treated with contempt, and teams, rightly or wrongly, are tripping over thmesleves to prove, or improve, clean credentials.

You have journalists not afraid to say that the presence of Riis, Vino and Ekimov among the directors is bad news. You have Paul Kimmage defended by the cycling public to the hilt - 10 years ago many, if not most, would have dismissed him as a troublemaker.

This McGee Article, the Kittel comments, even the Hamilton book would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

The arc of moral universe is long. but it bends towards justice.

I hope this doesn't come across as a backhanded compliment, but this is definitely the most coherent comment I've read from someone who joined the board in Oct 2012.

I want to believe McGee. I don't think I have a reason not to, other than the lies I've been fed year after year by cyclists. I don't really see a huge conflict in his working for Riis, to be honest. After all, even if there was a 'teamwide' program, from what I understand of the non-Postal stories I've heard (and confirmed by the Postal stories), those were done in 'cells', so to speak, like the 'A' team got doped together. It seems like there was a 'don't ask don't tell' kind of understanding for those on the outside, including many team members.

And while, yes, keeping silent amidst that can be argued as tacitly supporting omerta, practically there was only so much a rider could do. To be surrounded by dope and people you know are doping, and resisting that temptation, must be frustrating enough. But I'm sure non-dopers became just as habituated to that reality as, say, Hamilton did to having his blood extracted and re-injected. So, living in that world, if I were in McGee's shoes I'd just want to do my own thing and find a DS that was supportive of me and good to work with on a personal level. Riis seems like he could be a good guy to work with on a personal level (unless you're the Schlecks), so that choice doesn't need to indicate anything fishy. And although the veil hasn't fully been pulled back at CSC, from the anecdotes I've seen (haven't read Tyler's book), it doesn't seem like Riis shoved doping down people's throats ala Brunyeel-Zabriskie.

Anyway, I guess I'm just defending his possible honesty because I'm reacting to a tendency I see too often in the Clinic, which is to lump general things in together for which we don't have anything more than a crude understanding. The 'he lived in Girona and lots of cyclists who lived in Girona doped so he must have doped' argument, or the 'trained in Tenerife and lots of dopers did that so he must be doping' argument, or the 'Riis doped and he worked for Riis so he must be hiding something' argument just tend to frustrate me, not because I don't think they're true, but rather that they don't admit that there's a possibility that they're not true.

 

[Surfdelux]

I like the moral arc comment too.
I've also always liked Brad McGee. Talented, hard-working rider who left his guts out on the tarmac each time.
He writes well, and convincingly. He's either a hero to be lauded for staying true to the cause through thick n thin, or he's a bloody stellar liar. I sure hope the former.
What's needed is for some of the crooks who offered him drugs to come out and say "yep, that was me, and I can verify that Brad was uncorruptable".
Verification and praise please, if you dare.
It's the least you can give right now, but oh so important.

 

[peloton]

His performances and statements are credible to me. I believe him, he sounds like what I'd expect a clean rider from that era to sound like.

I like what he has to say.

+1
Me too.

Of course the clinic attitude means that he's guilty by association

 

[observer]

I like the moral arc comment too.
I've also always liked Brad McGee. Talented, hard-working rider who left his guts out on the tarmac each time.
He writes well, and convincingly. He's either a hero to be lauded for staying true to the cause through thick n thin, or he's a bloody stellar liar. I sure hope the former.
What's needed is for some of the crooks who offered him drugs to come out and say "yep, that was me, and I can verify that Brad was uncorruptable".
Verification and praise please, if you dare.
It's the least you can give right now, but oh so important.

I think Millar retweeted his article, so I'm guessing that's some sort of endorsement of at least the part of the story including him.

 

[Sarcastic Wet Trout]

It's not my logic, it's reality. Even if he was not doping he was supporting omerta, the system, and that counts too as not being (completely) clean.

No, it's your logic.

 

[Martin318is]

I dont equate Bjarne Riis and clean cycling as being on the same planet!

So McGee is not telling us something.

Logic gap.
You are assuming that he was aware of whatever it is you think he coyld tell. If, for instance, Contador's doping was behind closed doors and/or in Spain, why is it certain that Brad would hear of it? If Bjarne hired uim partly for his clean reputation, he would of course ensure that Brad was somwhere else if dodgy things are discussed.

 

[Parker]

When he was riding he was generally seen as one of the lock sure clean riders. Right alongside the likes of Moncoutie.

Now he speaks and his experiences don't exactly tally with what some experts in the Clinic think happened and he's dirty or a liar in some way.

Some of you need to consider the possibilty that you are wrong once in a while.

 

[Sarcastic Wet Trout]

Logic gap.

Well, at least he is consistent. Benotti69 believes since Riis is on this planet, everyone is a doper.

 

[D-Queued]

Well, at least he is consistent. Benotti69 believes since Riis is on this planet, everyone is a doper.

Since Armstrong is on this planet, anyone that could finish a stage is suspect.

And my apologies and respect to anyone who survived a stage running on a naturally aspirated engine while Postal was running supercharged on nitro.

Dave.

 

[blackcat]

I think Millar retweeted his article, so I'm guessing that's some sort of endorsement of at least the part of the story including him.

somehow, I dont see this as an endorsement.

Its like a scarlet woman mark a retweet from the face of clean cycling

 

[blackcat]

Logic gap.
You are assuming that he was aware of whatever it is you think he coyld tell. If, for instance, Contador's doping was behind closed doors and/or in Spain, why is it certain that Brad would hear of it? If Bjarne hired uim partly for his clean reputation, he would of course ensure that Brad was somwhere else if dodgy things are discussed.

Mcgee should be able to be a DS on CSC / Saxo /Tinkoff without a major take-down. Dont have a problem here. I think he is a professional DS who steps into a major void Kim Andersen left

 

[DominicDecoco]

Not surprised. McGee has a "clean" reputation also he rode most of his career for FDJ which is not exactly a doping hothouse

Wait, what?

Then what about Jef?