Botany,The last time I saw him was working for an aerospace contractor in San Diego, if I remember right. He was already done when I started. Lots of really talented track guys came from that dusty little ring
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BotanyBay said:Someone asked me how I knew what I knew about the '84 doping program. It's quite simple. Rolling Stone magazine did a bombshell of an article, but I think it used anonymous sources, and plenty of folks thought it was all lies. Needless to say, the racing community in the USA was abuzz following that article. Soon after, Dave Grylls showed up at my club's monthly meeting one night and (with at least 50-60 witnesses) told the story from top-to-bottom. He never asked us to keep quiet about it, and never asked us not to mention his name. He just knew that the real story needed to be told. Back then, I never thought my being a witness to this story would ever prove useful, but now I can see that it is. The cycling media tends to forget, and tends to fail to publish information that might prove unflattering to the icons they try and build / worship.
Grylls was called into a meeting of the entire US Olympic track team. Both short and long team members. They were briefed about the process and what they'd need to do. Grylls asked if it was mandatory, and more than a few did not like what they were hearing. Grylls was rather vocal that he was not going to do it. That was when everyone was told that if they wanted to ride, then they needed to be willing to blood-pack. As many of you know, meathead ended up very sick from the process and his (then) wife, Rebecca Twigg is reputed to have shown-up to race with less than stellar health. But since she silvered, no one really took another look at her.
And yes, Grylls also told us about how he pulled his foot out at the start of the final. For the record, he didn't pull his foot out. The strap broke off completely. In their almost insane drive to make everything light and streamlined, they forget to use common sense. Everyone in track racing at the time knows that the only toe-strap you could trust was an Alfredo Binda, and if you're doing track racing, that means a double-dose of Mr. Binda's straps. The USCF mechanics only outfitted the bikes with the most lightweight straps they could find. So lightweight that his broke immediately.
BotanyBay said:I just wanted to help educate those who have the misplaced view that Eddie B somehow came from the pre-doping "Good 'ol Days" generation. The facts are that he and his crew came from the "Win at all cost" generation, and helped to train the current generation. If anything, Eddie and his cohorts instilled the attitude that truly inspired American doping culture.
The fact that he and his team felt that "So long as it wasn't illegal, it wasn't cheating" was the appropriate way to go, is direct proof.
It might not have been Eddie B's idea, but he was certainly in a position to domestically kill it (for a while, at least).
Alpe d'Huez said:If Armstrong and those involved in the FAA investigation cooperate the way Papp cooperated, then I agree that Lance, and the others, should not serve any time at all. It's really quite that simple.
BotanyBay said:I just wanted to help educate those who have the misplaced view that Eddie B somehow came from the pre-doping "Good 'ol Days" generation.
Alpe d'Huez said:If Armstrong and those involved in the FAA investigation cooperate the way Papp cooperated, then I agree that Lance, and the others, should not serve any time at all. It's really quite that simple.
MacRoadie said:That's why, when he gave his little eulogy at Meat's memorial service at the San Diego vel back in July, I almost crawled out of my skin wanting to grab him by the throat and ask how he felt about Mark spending the last half of his life with hepatitis.
Eddie B. Biggest hypocrite to ever walk the face of the earth.
MarkvW said:He started from a pretty low economic baseline as a lower tier pro rider. His doping, paradoxically, gave him that career, then took it away. Then he started his career as a drug dealer. That didn't make him much. Then he was busted and had to deal with the aftermath.
I don't think that he was brought down financially by the consequences of his crime. He started pretty low to begin with.
I expect Papp to try to financially profit from his notoriety. I earnestly hope he fails in that endeavor.
zigmeister said:Do some of you have any perspective in life? By many hate filled posts, apparently not. So, some grown adults taking some drugs that enhance athletic performance is somehow equated with the level of much more dangerous and heinous crimes committed in this life on Earth?
Interesting. Sad to read how many feel that some EPO or HGH is somehow the root of all evil and should be placed on the same level and consequences of "real" crime.
zigmeister said:Do some of you have any perspective in life? By many hate filled posts, apparently not. So, some grown adults taking some drugs that enhance athletic performance is somehow equated with the level of much more dangerous and heinous crimes committed in this life on Earth?
Interesting. Sad to read how many feel that some EPO or HGH is somehow the root of all evil and should be placed on the same level and consequences of "real" crime.
DirtyWorks said:So, EPO related death isn't a real crime?
Giving kids a lifetime of medical complications because the team motto is 'dope or leave' isn't a real crime?
Selling controlled substances is not a real crime?
Get that evil government off my back so everyone (really just me) can be Free!!! What a glorious society. Kids dying of EPO induced heart attacks. Millions of dollars in medical procedures trying to keep your one doped-up body working right. Maybe a little rage-fueled family violence from the hormones. All of those things really happened to people using PED's. All of them. Oh, but we're Free... Right?
This freedom ends up costing the rest of us quite a bit more than what you paid for a couple of PED fueled racing years and maybe a few years of looking younger from anti-aging treatments.
DirtyWorks said:So, EPO related death isn't a real crime?
Giving kids a lifetime of medical complications because the team motto is 'dope or leave' isn't a real crime?
Selling controlled substances is not a real crime?
Get that evil government off my back so everyone (really just me) can be Free!!! What a glorious society. Kids dying of EPO induced heart attacks. Millions of dollars in medical procedures trying to keep your one doped-up body working right. Maybe a little rage-fueled family violence from the hormones. All of those things really happened to people using PED's. All of them. Oh, but we're Free... Right?
This freedom ends up costing the rest of us quite a bit more than what you paid for a couple of PED fueled racing years and maybe a few years of looking younger from anti-aging treatments.
thehog said:
andy1234 said:As much as your sentiment might be right, you sound like a 30's propaganda film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reefer_Madness