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Chad Gerlach

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Offtheback

Offtheback

Mar 6, 2009
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I enjoyed the story about Greg Gerlach's amazing come back after five years of alcohol and drug addiction.:eek: After all the bad news over the years about illegal performance enhancing doping, it was great to hear of someone getting back on the bike and cleaning up his life. I wish him well.:)
 
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Greg Johnson

Mar 3, 2009
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His is truly an amazing story. When Laura first asked me to read the feature, I wasn't aware of Chad Gerlach's story - in part because I'm based in Australia. When she started telling me some of the background, I thought she was having me on!

I join you in wishing him all the best. I hope he fully embraces the new opportunity he's been given with Amore e Vita.

Cheers
Greg Johnson
 
SteveMedcroft

SteveMedcroft

Mar 5, 2009
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Ditto on your comments Greg. It's an almost unbelievable story. From a sporting perspective (and a testament to the durability of the human body), isn't it amazing that he can have ravaged his body with drugs and cigarettes and by simply putting it all aside and returning to active training, be able to get back enough form to sit in a professional peloton? It reinforces the idea that natural ability is such a big component of success in cycling - that you can do all the right training and nutrition but your highest level of achievement is more determined by the numbers you drew in the genetic lottery.
 
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Anonymous

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What an incredible story! Like Offtheback said, it's a great story after all the bad news coming from cycling.

He's an inspiration to us all and I hope he continues to get his life back on track and keep it there.

But it makes you think... how much do cyclists get addicted to using performance enahcning drugs? I bet it's close to the same mental state of mind as a drug addict where you feel you "have to do it". And as the body begins to get used to the doses you need to up the ante and get into the more hard core stuff.

It's a viscous cycle and at some point I wonder if they feel that if they don't use they can't compete?

Should we be looking at doping as an addiction? Because what seems like common sense to us may not be to someone addicted to EPO or the designer drug at the time. Hence, the risks an addict is willing to take to maintain that "high"... Just a thought.

(sorry, I hope I didn't just hi-jack this thread! I am just thinking out loud.)
 
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yonatan11

Mar 10, 2009
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Agreed.. A great story. Enjoyed reading so much that I made everyone in my house read it, after I had told them the whole story anyways :) Really cool stuff.. especially riding 3 hours before his 9o'clock shift. That's how it's done :D
 
tifosa

tifosa

Mar 10, 2009
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Gerlach is a certainly a phoenix. His candor is refreshing amidst the cycling zeitgeist of silence, half-thruths and denials. And he's back on his bike doing what he loves! I wish him well, and many miles on the road.
 
Alfred E. Neuman

Alfred E. Neuman

Mar 10, 2009
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I remember catching the episode of "Intervention" with Greg on it last year. I don't ever watch the show, but the description mentioned him being an ex-cyclist so I tuned it.

If you ever get a chance to see the show, you won't believe how for gone Gred was. I never gave the show a second thought until I saw the article on Cycingnews. I was shocked to see how far he's come in such a short time.

Congrats to Gred for getting his life straight, and here's hoping he stays on the path.
 
suipedali

suipedali

Mar 10, 2009
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Great story. Only Ivan Fannini could find a rider like Greg Gerlach and give him another chance. Another Fannini masterstroke which always put a smile on my face. I hope it all works out well for Greg. :)
 
laura.weislo

laura.weislo

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Mar 4, 2009
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Not that I condone the violation of A&E's copyrights, but I believe if you search YouTube for "Chad" and "Intervention" you will find a multi-part rip of the show.

Thanks all for the positive comments on the feature. It's pretty amazing to see his transformation and it just goes to show it is never too late to change. It was also nice to hear from several of his former teammates who always liked him a lot and were glad to see him back.
 
53x11 in DC

53x11 in DC

Mar 10, 2009
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Watched the youtube series - wow.

Hey, anyone know what results he's had this year?

(I mean, besides the result of saving his own life.... really, all else pales)
 
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bikenrunnwt

Mar 14, 2009
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He raced at the Giro della Provincia di Grosseto (1st stage 86th at 1'02, 2nd stage 128th at 15'46, 3rd stage dnf) and at the Giro di Sardegna (1st Stage 88th at 4'42, 2nd 103rd at 10'56 , 3rd stage 90th at 19'00, 4th stage 90th at 7'12, 5th stage dnf). Pretty good quality fields at both events.

Not all that bad considering his recent past! Most North American pros who first head to Europe are lucky to even finish their first race, so Chad's efforts are pretty amazing after only a few months of serious training.
 
53x11 in DC

53x11 in DC

Mar 10, 2009
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bikenrunnwt said:
He raced at the Giro della Provincia di Grosseto (1st stage 86th at 1'02, 2nd stage 128th at 15'46, 3rd stage dnf) and at the Giro di Sardegna (1st Stage 88th at 4'42, 2nd 103rd at 10'56 , 3rd stage 90th at 19'00, 4th stage 90th at 7'12, 5th stage dnf). Pretty good quality fields at both events.

Not all that bad considering his recent past! Most North American pros who first head to Europe are lucky to even finish their first race, so Chad's efforts are pretty amazing after only a few months of serious training.
Click to expand...

Agreed - thanks for the updates
 
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WD-40.

Mar 17, 2009
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I was delighted to see Chad making a comeback to the pro peloton.

I thought he was doomed to life on the streets and it goes to show that it's not always too late.
 
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