Contador and Spanish cycling

[No_Balls]

Wow, projecting much?

Not really. It is clear as a day. How many of the national heroes hasnt flown under the radar during these couple of days since we have spoken about spanish cycling? Staying silent isnt exactly flattering either.

Hello? anyone seen Bernard Hinault? Hello? You there?

“I couldn’t give a damn,” said Bernard Hinault, himself a five-time Tour de France champion.

The French cycling icon, who won the Tour in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985, told a French website. “It’s his problem, not mine. This is a problem that should have been sorted out 10 or 15 years ago but which never was.”

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/08/news/cycling-world-reacts-to-lance-armstrong-decision_235762

Ohhh....there he was. I can swear he....sounds just like spaniards.

 

[rhubroma]

Mcquaid for one. All the journos who until 3 months ago would hype Lance at the greatest. His friends in the peloton who said he was their idol and that they loved him.

Agreed, but lets not call LA "betrayed." In the conventional sense, he was merely exposed.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

A bit harsh, I'm sure there are clean Spanish riders out there. Maybe Luis Leon Sanchez has never developed into a GC contender because he refuses to dope. Ridiculous to put a whole nation in the same bracket.

I'm not sure there any clean riders out there. How can you be sure there are any clean Spanish riders?

 

[hrotha]

Not really. It is clear as a day. How many of the national heroes hasnt flown under the radar during these couple of days since we have spoken about spanish cycling? Staying silent isnt exactly flattering either.

Hello? anyone seen Bernard Hinault? Hello? You there?



http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/08/news/cycling-world-reacts-to-lance-armstrong-decision_235762

Ohhh....there he was. I can swear he....sounds just like spaniards.

Look, the difference is that what Hinault said is counterbalanced by what Engoulvent, Pinot or Roy said. Hinault and Jalabert have been called out on their BS statements, but they don't represent the majority opinion we're getting from France.

It's different with Spain. Not a single current pro (NOT A SINGLE ONE) has welcomed the suspension. No one has condemned Armstrong. Not one. If you can't see the difference, you're blind.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

I never thought I would see so many people bag on Contador.

Even now some people fail to see what is going on. These guys all see it as fair because they are dirty with PED abuse in some way or another.

There will be more who follow along the same as Contador has done.

Cycling is in a giant big mess and most of it has to do with Lance Armstrong. Of course the DaHawg and the rest of the players, con-artist are right up there but as it appears the orchestration was done by Lance.

Somehow there is more dirt and some of the current peloton members do not want that to come out.

 

[Duartista]

That was last year. In August, when Armstrong decided not to contest the charges against him, Purito said he was a great champion who had never tested positive or something along those lines.

Yeah. I just had a look for that interview, and instead found some more omerta-ish stuff from this year.

 

[Gnossos7]

Any rider who still defends and supports Armstrong, the greatest fraud in sports history, adds to the problem.

This, exactly.

 

[airstream]

I'm wondering what makes spanish riders express in so moronic way. Perhaps, there are 2 options. Either doping in Spain actually presents well arranged conspiratorial industry which gives so much money to GTB that no one touches this. It's quite plausible. Tyler rattled something about Fuentes whose activity was implemented undercover and with the consent of sport federations. So riders must keep silent being a part of this rotten system. Or, which is a lot worse, Contador, Valverde and Sanchez got cranky utterly from their doping impunity... I tend to the 1st variant anyway.

Some Contador fan called Armstrong crazy 'cos Lance tried to know who rides on what stuff and was overly observant. I think Contador is the same. It may be expressed a bit differently, but gist is the same

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

All the evidence out there points to a remarkable similarity between unicorns and clean Spanish pro cyclists.

On another note. People who keep saying "Who do you root for? How do you know they're clean?" are assuming, incorrectly, that everyone shares their view. They confuse being a cycling fan with being the fan of a particular cyclist.

Many of us here are fans of the sport, not fans of a particular rider. I like riders who make the sport interesting, who attack, who provide drama, because, ultimately, I love this sport.

However, I don't want the cost of that drama and that spectacle to be paid in blood bags and syringes. I'd rather see a 25mph race with one or two climbs raced cleanly than a 40 mph race over 7 cols raced on drugs.

 

[sartoris]

Contador again comes out to bootlick Armstrong and the doping culture. I have been a big fan of Spanish cycling over the years, from Heras to Mayo to Contador, but I am disgusted with them and Spanish sports in general. I've defended and praised Contador here, time and time again. No longer.

They've all shown themselves to be complete frauds, fully invested in the culture of doping and omerta.

I didn't like the heading of this thread, but since you haven't been banned, I guess I'm also entitled to say :

F U McKnuckles

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Can't wait for somebody to call Hrotha "a traitor" again

 

[No_Balls]

Look, the difference is that what Hinault said is counterbalanced by what Engoulvent, Pinot or Roy said. Hinault and Jalabert have been called out on their BS statements, but they don't represent the majority opinion we're getting from France.

I´m not that "into" the argument of "counterbalance". I mean, either you speak out or you dont. It is that easy. And with a rider and Tour de France-involved character like Hinault you just cant have a situation where he says "i dont care" and then we are expected to be ok with this being "counterbalanced" by some other, far lesser, characters then himself.

It's different with Spain. Not a single current pro (NOT A SINGLE ONE) has welcomed the suspension. No one has condemned Armstrong. Not one. If you can't see the difference, you're blind.

Which is of course is a problem and should be condemned. I must admit i am disappointed and slightly surprised by the overall attitude since Armstrong is not overly popular in Spain. The pros attitude towards Armstrong doesnt reflect the overall feelings about him. But at the end of the day it leads nowhere trying to isolate the doping problem to just spanish cycling (even if we have a huge problem).

 

[No_Balls]

Can't wait for somebody to call Hrotha "a traitor" again

I must admit i have stopped myself many times. But i think he has pure intentions and wishes cycling the best.

 

[airstream]

His comments show a complete lack of awareness of the current situation.

Do you admit he can not know something we know? He knows waaay more but it doesn't interfere him to lie inspiringly

 

[hrotha]

Even now some people fail to see what is going on. These guys all see it as fair because they are dirty with PED abuse in some way or another.

Of course we understand this. But we (or at least I) are frustrated because they still think coming out with this crap is a good idea, which has some very ugly implications: 1) doping culture in the Spanish peloton hasn't moved one inch since 1998, so they don't feel even the tiniest bit of guilt about doping and lying; 2) the Spanish media are still totally complicit, because the riders don't even have to sugarcoat or hide their true feelings in public, as they know no one who matters to them will call them out; 3) they keep feeding us the same BS about the new era, when they're proud of being at least 2 or 3 eras behind.

 

[hrotha]

I´m not that "into" the argument of "counterbalance". I mean, either you speak out or you dont. It is that easy. And with a rider and Tour de France-involved character like Hinault you just cant have a situation where he says "i dont care" and then we are expected to be ok with this being "counterbalanced" by some other, far lesser, characters then himself.

It's not that Hinault gets a pass because there are more sensible riders behind him. It's that French cycling as a whole gets a pass because it is, overall, on a completely different page, which the likes of Hinault and Jalabert are not representative of.

 

[dlwssonic]

So you prefer dopers?

If so why not remain in lala land aka road racing forum where no one really dopes

Lol that is actually the place where people discuss about cycling itself.
Unlike the clinic where people enjoy talking about doping and speculating on who is doping and who is not.

 

[dlwssonic]

Just like LA, no?

Erm.... LA Is hated everywhere

 

[dlwssonic]

In the clinic everybody hates everbody unless the rider is Moncoutie or something close to him and everybody accuses everyone

IIRC, few guys here were suspicious about Moncoutie too

Pretty spot on
Add Kimmage also to the gods of the clinic

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

It's not that Hinault gets a pass because there are more sensible riders behind him. It's that French cycling as a whole gets a pass because it is, overall, on a completely different page, which the likes of Hinault and Jalabert are not representative of.

Media statements don't equate to similar views behind closed doors. It's just that the French public won't accept that as readily. Younger riders in countries like France know what they can and cannot say. It doesn't mean that attitudes toward doping are on a completely different page.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I must admit i have stopped myself many times. But i think he has pure intentions and wishes cycling the best.

It was funny when he was called a traitor because he goes after Contador but in another thread he was accused of being a contador fanboy

 

[the asian]

The French cleaned up after the Festina affair, and certainly the way most French riders speak out against Armstrong reflect their genuine anger at being robbed by a cheater.

The Spanish neither cleaned up when they had some opportunity to do so, after OP and are neither good at PR, of which the Anglo Saxons are masters of.

 

[LaFlorecita]

It was funny when he was called a traitor because he goes after Contador but in another thread he was accused of being a contador fanboy

Lol very funny

 

[Hugh Januss]

Of course we understand this. But we (or at least I) are frustrated because they still think coming out with this crap is a good idea, which has some very ugly implications: 1) doping culture in the Spanish peloton hasn't moved one inch since 1998, so they don't feel even the tiniest bit of guilt about doping and lying; 2) the Spanish media are still totally complicit, because the riders don't even have to sugarcoat or hide their true feelings in public, as they know no one who matters to them will call them out; 3) they keep feeding us the same BS about the new era, when they're proud of being at least 2 or 3 eras behind.

It's like they are all happy with the current arrangement and afraid that if the peloton was clean(er) that it would be their own performance that would suffer the most.

 

[hrotha]

Media statements don't equate to similar views behind closed doors. It's just that the French public won't accept that as readily. Younger riders in countries like France know what they can and cannot say. It doesn't mean that attitudes toward doping are on a completely different page.

See my reply to Glenn Wilson.