First year pros

[TheGreenMonkey]

Why don't we have young riders signing there first contracts quitting after a few months and complaining about the doping in the sport?
Is doping so rife in juniors and under 23s that no clean rider even gets to the a contract?
Are teams so good at choosing riders that they leave any rider who they feel might complain aside?

 

[momotaro]

Why don't we have young riders signing there first contracts quitting after a few months and complaining about the doping in the sport?
Is doping so rife in juniors and under 23s that no clean rider even gets to the a contract?
Are teams so good at choosing riders that they leave any rider who they feel might complain aside?

Because young guys are just happy to get a contract. Yes there is doping in espoirs; not all, but at least some. Yes, DS will not choose someone who is going to create a headache for them.

Actually lots of young riders quit because of doping (or ride at a lower level). You just have never talked to them, and they don't have much of a stage to talk.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

You know a large portion of riders are effectively riding for free yeah? As in. They get paid, but then have to pay their own airfares to races, accommodation, etc?

Despite the continual dope busts.

The guys who quit because it is doped - and they do quit - go quietly into the night. They have friends, relatives, etc working in the sport, and let's face it, they're quitting. How easily would it be to go down the "they are just bitter and jealous", etc route? There is really not much point in saying anything unless you had enough proof to stop the practice across the board.

 

[Nederick]

Bit more background just came out in this case...
http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TeamTalk/how-to-win-cyclings-war-on-drugs-toby-atkins.html

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Bit more background just came out in this case...
http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TeamTalk/how-to-win-cyclings-war-on-drugs-toby-atkins.html

Thank you. That was gripping.

And an indictment of the whole game.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Bit more background just came out in this case...
http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TeamTalk/how-to-win-cyclings-war-on-drugs-toby-atkins.html

Exactly the kind of thing I was refering to in my open post although at a lower level.
Why don't we see this happening with bigger teams?
Are they just so much smarter than this team manager was with Toby Atkins?

Thank you for posting the story

 

[hrotha]

Bigger teams have been documented to slowly nurse their young riders into doping. Partly to assess their true potential, partly not to scare them away (or have inconvenient leaks).

 

[sniper]

Bit more background just came out in this case...
http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TeamTalk/how-to-win-cyclings-war-on-drugs-toby-atkins.html

Thank you. That was gripping.

And an indictment of the whole game.

atkins' story goes to show why brainlessness prevails in cycling (or topsport in general of course).
i bet 'die-hards' like brailsfraud, wiggins, talanski, Ms. Cound and the likes have one thought to spare for toby atkins: "what a loser".

 

[More Strides than Rides]

That's a great article. I love seeing integrity in action, but it can't happen unless something was *** up to begin with.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

It's probably better to wait 1000 days and be ready to oblige when the rider asks you for the magic potion.

 

[Irondan]

It's amazing how the manager completely ignored the fact that Toby had enough talent to beat the climbers on the team over the mountain while being predominately a sprinter, and still trying to force PED's down his throat. It's shocking actually...

 

[hrotha]

Re:

It's amazing how the manager completely ignored the fact that Toby had enough talent to beat the climbers on the team over the mountain while being predominately a sprinter, and still trying to force PED's down his throat. It's shocking actually...

Ignore it? He probably thought "if he can do this clean, imagine if I got him on PEDs".

That story is as old as the concept of doping.

 

[doperhopper]

Re: Re:

It's amazing how the manager completely ignored the fact that Toby had enough talent to beat the climbers on the team over the mountain while being predominately a sprinter, and still trying to force PED's down his throat. It's shocking actually...

Ignore it? He probably thought "if he can do this clean, imagine if I got him on PEDs".

That story is as old as the concept of doping.

Absolutely! I can imagine basically anyone who's good at e.g. climbing came across this: "how good he can be with PEDs". Anyway, we have new Bassons and a challenge for journos to find few more and build a case upon them.

 

[orangerider]

Good story. One has to remember though, a lot of emerging cyclists don't have much to fallback on financially. They want to make a lot of money doing the only thing they have any skill in. It can tough to walk away if you have very little to go back to.