Benotti69 said:
Can you point to the change before calling posters ***?
Sorry but not going to believe the sport has gotten any cleaner.
I will do so again, but this clearly shows you have a very selective memory. But let's rattle just a few of the cold hard facts as that is the easiest way to close this one down.
1. Doping is nowadays criminal in many Euopean countries. That's a rather significant change.
2. There are all kinds of initiatives from the ground up (MPCC) to stop doping. That's rather new.
3. A guy called LA is actually being prosecuted without a positive on record. Now that's a big change.
4. Most unions are soul searching how to get rid of the history of the dark years. There are all kinds of truth commisions etc. We never had those before.
5. Teams like Belkin fired their management team due to Doping involvement, without being a huge scandal at the bottom of it (better said, the scandal was years ago). Yes, wish all teams did that, but that's pretty new.
So it's absolutely bizarre and undeniably false to say nothing changed in combattiing doping, the perception of doping and prosecution of doping.
And once again, let me destroy a few strawmen before anyone erects them:
1. I do not claim pro-cyclists are clean.
2. I do not claim certain teams are clean.
3. Though it's likely the sport is somewhat cleaner, there's no definitive proof either way. I personally would say it's still a huge and prevailing issue.
4. There is no reason to trust any of the riders, DS and doctors. But I do think that trust is a problem that needs to be solved or the sport will never clean up. The lynchmob mentality prevalent in the clinic is a sure-fire way to stiffle any discussion.
Things changed, the culture has changed (as many external things have changed the culture will have changed. It's impossible not to be the case). Now is this the right way? Did it change for the better?
I make no claims about that, in fact I'm very sceptical about it. But denying things have changed is simply ***.