proffate said:
so basically this interview is JV saying the only way to a clean sport is to not look under the rug, ask too many hard questions, or hold anyone accountable for their actions, because these *** hats will never own up or grow a moral compass but just continue lying till the day they die unless a confession is completely painless and free of repercussions. That's the "way to a clean sport". Forget all about preferentially hiring riders who wouldn't/didn't dope in the first place, because booting the dopers on your team will just cause them to go somewhere else to dope.
The sickening part is when he's asked why he let the whole world hold up Ryder as a clean GT winner when he knew otherwise. "Well no one ever asked me directly..." Does some journalist need to go down the roster and ask JV directly "Did rider X ever dope" for every rider? Paging Mr Benson.
Hasn't JV's line always been "Garmin is a safe haven where you don't *have* to dope"? Has he ever claimed "Garmin is a place where you have to not dope"?
I posted this in another thread a few days ago. I admit it's a little over the top in terms of crankiness, but JV's quote of "making sure they don't" was enough to set me off. Maybe his ex-dopers aren't so regretful after all...
JV's quote from Wiggo's post:
"I don't tell my team not to dope.
I spend over $500,000 annually to make sure they don't. I set up a truth and reward policy to make sure there is clarity as to what is going on AND I allow any journalist any access they desire.
In addition Ive worked actively with WADA and USADA since 2004 to help improve their testing methods and execution and volunteered my team to try new testing methods."
For some reason, this just struck me, and it is as sad a commentary as you can find regarding the state of pro cycling.
JV is, ostensibly, running The Clean Team. How clean? Guaranteed, 100%. JV would even bet his life that a past doper is now clean. That's pretty f*cking serious.
Even with this level of belief, even with he himself running the cleanest of teams, even with his 'get out of jail free' disclosure meetings with riders, and even with all the support he can give repentant dopers, he
STILL HAS TO SPEND HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR "to make sure they don't".
That blows my mind, and really makes me feel disappointed in what cycling has become.
FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR!
Is that to make sure they're not doping, or to make sure they're not positive?