Cassani being an attention seeker (+ side changes)

[Echoes]

Side changes (not to say hypocrisy):

In 1994, after the Brabantse Pijl, Edwig van Hooydonck was publicly suspecting Italian performances (Bartoli crossed the line first). Cassani, on behalf of the Italian riders, said he would then sue everyone (riders or journalists) who suspect "our" performances, without proof. "If van Hooydonck insists, he would have to tell it straight to us and before witness." (source: Gatelier JL., Le livre d'or du cyclisme 1994)

I may also add that, according to van Hooydonck, they threatened to ban him from every race in Italy and that in many races, they allied against him. (source: De Flandriens, published by Canvas).

Needless to add that history revealed van Hooydonck was right (Bartoli is linked with Puerto).

A dozen years later he seemed to be the one to tell us Rasmussen lied about his whereabouts.

Attention seeker:

He said that he tried the electric-assisted bike for only about a minute. In a minute, he can tell you what he could have done with it, in competition? Sure. By the way, anyone knows what an electric-assisted bike really is, you have it on the market and in many big cities (Paris or Brussels, for sure).

 

[theswordsman]

As I recall, he was an announcer during the Tour de France, the subject of Rasmussen and the missed test came up, and he said that he had seen him in Italy around that time (he had claimed to be in Mexico at the time). He was commentating, and he made the comment.

This year he was working for RAI Sports during the Giro. There had been rumors about electric bikes, with stories in two Italian publications. There was a CN article about it. Someone came to him and said he could hook him up with one from an anonymous bike builder who said they've been used in the pros.

He took it for a ride and got it up to fifty kilometers an hour with no problem. He demonstrated it as a part of a segment on a post-Giro stage. He would have been on Italian TV anyway. He had nothing to do with the youtube videos. Once those scattered through the cycling world, L'Equipe talked to him. The UCI will as well, a he's one of the few people willing to admit he's seen one.

I don't know why someone should want to question his motives. I don't get Italian post-stage shows, but I imagine he worked all 21 stages. Sometimes he gets on a bike and previews the course. This was just one more segment for his job. Hardly an attention seeker.

 

[Michele]

That's right, theswordsman.
Just wanna correct that his job is actually at Rai the whole year, for all the races (or almost all of them) showed on italian Rai.

@Echos, if you wanna call him hypocrit (sorry for mispelling), I might say you're right, but doesnt look as an "attention seeker", especially on the Ramussen and eletric bike cases.

 

[la.margna]

While you are right that Cassani rode the bike for 1km only and therefore there is really not much one can say about the bike's behaviour and improved chances for a win in a plus 200km race on cobbles, it must be said that Cassani did not mention the name Cancelllara at all. As swordsman already mentioned he is not related to this youtube video and he also did not mention particular races and/or riders in connection with the bici dopata.

 

[William H]

As I recall, he was an announcer during the Tour de France, the subject of Rasmussen and the missed test came up, and he said that he had seen him in Italy around that time (he had claimed to be in Mexico at the time). He was commentating, and he made the comment.

IIRC Cassani didn't make the connection to the whereabouts thing. He was just saying that he saw Rasmussen training on a mountain in horrible weather as a way of saying how hard working he was, and someone else who was listening realised that this was when he was supposed to be in Mexico. Cassani seemed to regret having got him in trouble actually.

 

[Echoes]

IIRC Cassani didn't make the connection to the whereabouts thing. He was just saying that he saw Rasmussen training on a mountain in horrible weather as a way of saying how hard working he was, and someone else who was listening realised that this was when he was supposed to be in Mexico. Cassani seemed to regret having got him in trouble actually.

OK I take it. So that's no hypocrisy. But we are left with a guy who defended dopers.

[...] it must be said that Cassani did not mention the name Cancelllara at all. As swordsman already mentioned he is not related to this youtube video and he also did not mention particular races and/or riders in connection with the bici dopata.

But I did not talk about Cancellara and the Youtube clips either.