Re:
The Dutch media are very strange. In the last couple of years at least in any preview before a big race they made some remarks about 'the D-word', every single newspaper was involved in a quite laughable battle about who could dig the best in the past. That lead to some horribly naive interviews with some doctors from centuries ago who pointed their fingers to some big shots from the past, without very specific proof.
And when Mollema and Ten Dam in 2013 created a mini-hype with their low top ten GC placings, it was suddenly all about 'riding top ten GC is possible on bread and peanut butter, here's your proof!' and now with Sunweb taking it to another level with Dumoulin all those formerly known as extremely critical journalists only echo the words of the directors about their severe anti-doping policy etcetera.
Hypocritical next level 3.0
Now I think about it, even Froome and Sky weren't questioned that much. Apparently the fact that the Brits suddenly could blow away the Spaniards and Italians was enough proof in Dutchieland that 'the times have changed for the good'.
Another strange thing: the little shrimps, Italians from Proconti teams, Russians or Kazakhs who've never been remarkably competitive, are almost always suddenly suspect when they're showing some results, but the likes of Sagan or other WT stars who simply ALLWAYS show up when it matters are hardly put to the sword. So crazy naive, I almost got to believe there has to be some conspiracy behind it. No one can be that stupid.
Roninho said:I find it even more remarkable that nobody in the Dutch media even dares to bring up the subject of doping. So many legitimate reasons to at least mention it:
* The whole Rabobank drama that basically implicated everybody in dutch cycling
* Basically all GT contenders have been implicated with doping in the past 2-3 decades. The last GT guy to do a podium double Giro-Tour was Pantani. And now Dumoulin does a double?
* At the start of sunweb (the shimano/argos years) they focused on sprinters with a line that this was a better way to compete compared to going for a GC. That story has slowly dissapeared
etc.
The Dutch media are very strange. In the last couple of years at least in any preview before a big race they made some remarks about 'the D-word', every single newspaper was involved in a quite laughable battle about who could dig the best in the past. That lead to some horribly naive interviews with some doctors from centuries ago who pointed their fingers to some big shots from the past, without very specific proof.
And when Mollema and Ten Dam in 2013 created a mini-hype with their low top ten GC placings, it was suddenly all about 'riding top ten GC is possible on bread and peanut butter, here's your proof!' and now with Sunweb taking it to another level with Dumoulin all those formerly known as extremely critical journalists only echo the words of the directors about their severe anti-doping policy etcetera.
Hypocritical next level 3.0
Now I think about it, even Froome and Sky weren't questioned that much. Apparently the fact that the Brits suddenly could blow away the Spaniards and Italians was enough proof in Dutchieland that 'the times have changed for the good'.
Another strange thing: the little shrimps, Italians from Proconti teams, Russians or Kazakhs who've never been remarkably competitive, are almost always suddenly suspect when they're showing some results, but the likes of Sagan or other WT stars who simply ALLWAYS show up when it matters are hardly put to the sword. So crazy naive, I almost got to believe there has to be some conspiracy behind it. No one can be that stupid.