Jörg Jaksche: Doping, hypocrisy and a dog called Bella

[Don't be late Pedro]

Jörg Jaksche: Doping, hypocrisy and a dog called Bella

Great article in features about (eventually) coming clean.

As usual it sounds like the UCI tried to sweep things under the carpet.

There were no further questions and to Jaksche’s knowledge, no further investigations were made by the UCI into any of the individuals or teams that he’d implicated.

“This is how you have to deal with the UCI. They try and protect their sport but they don’t know how to do that. They think that a sport without scandal is a clean sport and they have so many misleading people in their federation. There are so many cadavers. It’s like having a dead body in your basement festering away and going bad. That’s how the UCI treat doping. They gave me no hope and I felt worse treated by the UCI than if I hadn’t confessed and told them my story. It wasn’t the reaction I was hoping to get."

“McQuaid said this and that but they would have liked me to have handled things differently. I don’t really know what they meant by that.”

 

[sniper]

why Millar, Dekker and not Jaksche?

HTC and Slipstream were among the teams he tried to approach but for whatever reason, whether it was his doping past, his confession or his talent, they chose to ignore him.

And recall JV lauding Riis in the recent bicycling interview as one of the anti-doping crusaders of this era at the same level as Kimmage?
Me thinks Daniel Benson is more on the mark:

Hypocrisy was rife in cycling in the wake of Puerto. Bjarne Riis, Alexandre Vinokourov and an endless list of individuals vilified Jaksche claims.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

why Millar, Dekker and not Jaksche?

Doesn't Millar part own Garmin? Not sure about Dekker.

It is interesting that he says

But I wouldn’t be happy if I’d lied and then confessed something that wasn’t the whole truth and say I’m an anti-doping crusader.

Wonder if that is aimed at Millar or just a generalisation?

 

[sniper]

absolutely baffling stuff regarding UCI 'welcoming' Jaksche's confession.
Not that we didn't know, but great to read about it on the CN frontpage.
bravo Daniel Benson (and JJ of course)

 

[sniper]

...
It is interesting that he says
Wonder if that is aimed at Millar or just a generalisation?

sounds like Millar alright.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

or Vaughters, or Riis.

 

[RichWalk]

This article, coupled with various riders (Arvesen & Sastre) commenting on Riis, is the start of pro cyclings current 'cover our ar**'s' campaign.

I'd like to feel sorry for any clean riders involved, I'd be even more interested to know if there were any.............. Sastre maybe? 'tarred with the same brush' comes to mind.

 

[hrotha]

why Millar, Dekker and not Jaksche?


And recall JV lauding Riis in the recent bicycling interview as one of the anti-doping crusaders of this era at the same level as Kimmage?
Me thinks Daniel Benson is more on the mark:

JV didn't really laud Riis as an anti-doping crusader. He mentioned him as one of the ex-pros who, by confessing, had paved the road he was walking on with his own confession.

Anyway, massive respect for Jaksche. He was one of my favourite riders, and I was glad to see he had more of a moral compass than most in the sport.

 

[sniper]

JV didn't really laud Riis as an anti-doping crusader. He mentioned him as one of the ex-pros who, by confessing, had paved the road he was walking on with his own confession.

Anyway, massive respect for Jaksche. He was one of my favourite riders, and I was glad to see he had more of a moral compass than most in the sport.

you're right, but it shows poor analytical skills if you name Riis in one breath with Kimmage, Landis and Jaksche, like JV did.
There are oceans between Riis and the other three and JV knows it but prefers to abide by the omerta.

 

[roundabout]

JV didn't really laud Riis as an anti-doping crusader. He mentioned him as one of the ex-pros who, by confessing, had paved the road he was walking on with his own confession.

Anyway, massive respect for Jaksche. He was one of my favourite riders, and I was glad to see he had more of a moral compass than most in the sport.

IIRC, somewhere circa 2007 Vaughters praised Riis' anti-doping program.

Never mind that CSC still ended up as the best PT team.

 

[Walkman]

Maybe we should ask Vaughters (if he has the guts to come hear) why he didn't hire a guy like Jörg Jaksche but did Dekker and Millar?

 

[roundabout]

Good luck with that. We've already touched upon that in the "JV talks" thread.

But I do remember the word talent being used. Maybe not in that thread, but in one of the zillion interviews Vaughters likes to give.

 

[RichWalk]

Maybe we should ask Vaughters (if he has the guts to come hear) why he didn't hire a guy like Jörg Jaksche but did Dekker and Millar?

'Red Flagged by the UCI' and a risk to the political status quo at the time, same as most things professional, you play the game, if you stick your head over the parapet, you risk it being shot off..........

 

[Walkman]

Good luck with that. We've already touched upon that in the "JV talks" thread.

But I do remember the word talent being used. Maybe not in that thread, but in one of the zillion interviews Vaughters likes to give.

In a sport like cycling, I'd like to ask JV how you determine such a thing.

 

[roundabout]

There was supposedly a certain amount of physiological testing that Dekker had to do.

But as it had been mentioned, it's quite likely that Vaughters is a bit of fan of Dekker, so "talent" may not count for as much as it would with other riders.

It also remains to be seen how Dekker would next year and whether his "talent" level was worth it.

 

[Walkman]

'Red Flagged by the UCI' and a risk to the political status quo at the time, same as most things professional, you play the game, if you stick your head over the parapet, you risk it being shot off..........

In other words...JV is a coward who doesn't want to be in the front line, even if it is regarding a matter he himself says is of great importance: To give the right signal to younger riders.

 

[L'Etranger]

Anyway, massive respect for Jaksche. He was one of my favourite riders, and I was glad to see he had more of a moral compass than most in the sport.

+1 on the massive respect for Jaksche. Especially juxtaposed with the piece on Wiggins in which all he had to say on the Armstrong/USADA affair is the standard omerta line that it is bad for the sport. Of course, that is half true: cheating your way to 7 TdF wins with the support of the UCI is bad for the sport, but having that exposed by the USADA isn't.

 

[thehog]

I like Jorg. Good guy. Super smart. Extremely intelligent.

The reason he wasn’t hired because he was told by (PM) not to say anything and he wouldn’t ride again if he kept talking. It was the same for Patrick. He was told not to speak to the media otherwise no one would hire him. Being Germanic its within their nature to tell all. They’re not so good and saying “a little truth”.

Jaksche rode for Tinkoff as did Hamilton but one might remember that the team’s Giro invite was going to be pulled if either one rode the race. McQuaid was telling the team directors not to hire them and once they rode for Tinkoff he told the team they’d be no (ProTour) invites if either one rode.

Jaksche ended doing some small races for the team as did Hamilton.

Hamilton was dropped from the team and from memory ended up suing Tinkoff for loss of wages.

 

[RichWalk]

In other words...JV is a coward who doesn't want to be in the front line, even if it is regarding a matter he himself says is of great importance: To give the right signal to younger riders.

Yep, pretty much covers it, these guys are salesmen and marketing lead, take anyone in business and see how much of the full truth they tell..........

 

[Benotti69]

you're right, but it shows poor analytical skills if you name Riis in one breath with Kimmage, Landis and Jaksche, like JV did.
There are oceans between Riis and the other three and JV knows it but prefers to abide by the omerta.

i dont think it was poor analytical skill. I dont think JV is fond of Kimmage and lumped him in with others who are far below Kimmage's level. Riis is on a level below Bruyneel.

JV twisting and turning alng the road of omerta.

Good to see Jaksche talking candidly. But again he is out of the sport.

We do need to see hard questions asked in a long interview with winners in the current sport.

 

[Lanark]

Maybe we should ask Vaughters (if he has the guts to come hear) why he didn't hire a guy like Jörg Jaksche but did Dekker and Millar?

Sometimes there could be just a benign explanation that doesn't involve blacklisting and massive conspiracies. Dekker was trained in the past and during his comeback by Adrie van Diemen, a trainer employed by Garmin. Apart from that, he regularly trains with guys like Vansummeren, and his (Dekker's) managers also represent the Kreder brothers, Dan Martin, Maaskant, Vanmarcke and others. Having good contacts and being well connected is the easiest way to get a job (in any area of life).

 

[Walkman]

Sometimes there could be just a benign explanation that doesn't involve blacklisting and massive conspiracies. Dekker was trained in the past and during his comeback by Adrie van Diemen, a trainer employed by Garmin. Apart from that, he regularly trains with guys like Vansummeren, and his (Dekker's) managers also represent the Kreder brothers, Dan Martin, Maaskant, Vanmarcke and others. Having good contacts and being well connected is the easiest way to get a job (in any area of life).

Of course, you are absolutely right. Heck, it could even have been personal differences between JV and JJ for all we know, but that's why it would be so interesting to ask him.

 

[Kwibus]

'Red Flagged by the UCI' and a risk to the political status quo at the time, same as most things professional, you play the game, if you stick your head over the parapet, you risk it being shot off..........

This. He told everything he knew at the UCI office so the UCI knew that Jaksche was a problem.

UCI is such a rotten organisation. Well it totally fits into the cycling world that's for sure.

Great stuff from Jorg. I want more riders to open up like this.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Of course, you are absolutely right. Heck, it could even have been personal differences between JV and JJ for all we know, but that's why it would be so interesting to ask him.

JV responds on twitter

 

[hrotha]

Of course, you are absolutely right. Heck, it could even have been personal differences between JV and JJ for all we know, but that's why it would be so interesting to ask him.

He's spent the last hour talking about this piece on Twitter:

@nyvelocity well, to start, the suggestion that we refused Jackshe because of his confession is wrong. I just didn't think he'd fit in.

@nyvelocity my boss, Doug, actually pushed pretty hard for me to take Jackshe. They are friends. But it just wasn't a fit.

@steff631 just personality wise. Not more. Our team tends to be relaxed and goofy. You need teammates to get along.

edit: beaten like Rojas.