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Franklin said:Actually refreshing to see that the organisation doesn't just cut him loose.
Franklin said:Actually refreshing to see that the organisation doesn't just cut him loose.
fatandfast said:It's a shame that the samples could not be divided a couple more times and send them to labs from the court system and maybe a major univ to show who screwed up cycling mafia labs are or not. The guy should be able to get some of his own blood or urine to defend himself.
Arnout said:Topicstarter would impress me if he could, besides his cursing, also spell correctly.
Señor_Contador said:Did anyone here see his press conference? That was the most absurd event I've ever seen in my life. It started with him telling everyone that he had never seen EPO or even heard about it in his life and yada, yada, yada.
At the end, in a very bizarre manner, the event turned into one of the most pathetic pseudo-communist/nationalist episodes I've ever seen in my life. Fists up in the air and all.
I mean, the reason Astarloza is enraged with the entire situation has as much to do with the positive result as the fact that the tests were done in a Madrid laboratory. So, in the end, the press conference turned out to be a carefully planned public display of disgust for performance enhancing drugs and, being that he is Basque, to announce that he was being "set up" by someone and that he was going to spend the last ounce of pride in his body trying to find that person, or persons, that set him up.
Needless to say that Euskaltel-Euskadi is a team created for and by Basques. Due to lack of good results they eventually had to "lower the bar" and bring in talent from the rest of Spain. But this is obviously not working, so I presume they went the usual, easy, route of doping.
Señor_Contador said:Did anyone here see his press conference? That was the most absurd event I've ever seen in my life. It started with him telling everyone that he had never seen EPO or even heard about it in his life and yada, yada, yada.
At the end, in a very bizarre manner, the event turned into one of the most pathetic pseudo-communist/nationalist episodes I've ever seen in my life. Fists up in the air and all.
I mean, the reason Astarloza is enraged with the entire situation has as much to do with the positive result as the fact that the tests were done in a Madrid laboratory. So, in the end, the press conference turned out to be a carefully planned public display of disgust for performance enhancing drugs and, being that he is Basque, to announce that he was being "set up" by someone and that he was going to spend the last ounce of pride in his body trying to find that person, or persons, that set him up.
Needless to say that Euskaltel-Euskadi is a team created for and by Basques. Due to lack of good results they eventually had to "lower the bar" and bring in talent from the rest of Spain. But this is obviously not working, so I presume they went the usual, easy, route of doping.
Do we really doubt it was a team program?I Watch Cycling In July said:If it wasn't a team program, the team could make a PR worthy contribution to cleaner cycling...
Jonathan said:Do we really doubt it was a team program?
Arnout said:I know the ETA is leftwing, but I don't know about Astarloza. I only know he is a very nice and honest person (look for example at the twitterreactings directly after his victory from different cyclists, they all said it is a very nice guy). Now this doesn't tell anything about doping usage of course, but it is not that this guy is some kind of stupid lad. If he lied on the press conference, he is a very good liar in my opinion (one of the best tries in recent years). If he didn't, its no more than logical that he says everything he can come up with to prove his innocence. So in both cases the way he did this was the best way possible.
And about Euskaltel - Euskadi, they never ever lowered the bar for Spanish people. Only Basques were, are and will ever be allowed on the team so I don't have a clue why you said this... And even if Astarloza used doping, this doesn't mean directly that the whole team did (and don't come up with Landaluze please, because he was suspended by the team before anyone else knew about his positive test, because of internal testing).
Arnout said:Topicstarter would impress me if he could, besides his cursing, also spell correctly.
Señor_Contador said:I'm just saying he politicized something that is purely sports-related.
Also, Samuel Sánchez is from Asturias. Asturians are not Basques.
Astarloza doped up and that's all there is to it. There is no need to get all huffy and puffy about it. All non-dopers are asking is that when you get busted for EPO all you have to do is shut up and leave the sport.
craig1985 said:I fail to see what I got wrong. But then again something can be straight in front of me, and I will still miss it.
Dr. Maserati said:You missed an L in Euskaltel!
Harsh - I know.... I would suggest not to blame spell check - admit the error and you can expect a low sentence, you may be allowed back on the board within a year or so
Also - I have checked AWS -what has Astarloza got to do with the "American Welding Society"
craig1985 said:AWS - As We Speak.
I would go cycling, but my bike is getting fixed ATM.
pedaling squares said:I don't take issue with them standing behind their rider. Innocent until proven guilty and all. So long as they act appropriately when the B sample has been analyzed.
ignore thisEuskaltel continue to back Mikel Astarloza despite B-sample positive for EPO