Kimmage interview on CN

[buckwheat]

Well I Myself am not into camp divisions like Lance haters, or Lemond haters. I think that stuff is well passed it's sell by date by now. And frankly a little childish.
It breed's mob culture. There is a huge difference between kimmage and armstrong though. I mean what had kimmage got to loose by his own omission to using drugs. He had no victories in his career. He certainly did not make much money out of it. On the other hand If I were in armstrongs shoes I would not hold up My hand and say " hey I did it, I doped " either would You or anyone else. He has large vested interests, and is worth a reputed $100.
Any one would strenuously deny any wrong doing in his case to preserve his fortune and hold a legacy. A legacy that will come and is crashing around him. But hey the dude will still be worth a fortune. And that is what it all boils down to at the end of the day is Money.

Well, you are the devil!

 

[buckwheat]

What i mean is he is a hypocrite for ranting against doper's when he himself was a doper.

In other word's he accuses with merit but he himself was no angel.

In his own word's " lance the cancer is back " meaning doping . Armstrong could of well turned around and said " listen Paul, I believe to my knowledge that You Yourself used amphetamines during Your career, did You not " Who are You to speak"

This sounds very similiar to Armstrong's tacit admission to LeMond that, 'your comeback was a miracle as was mine, everyone uses EPO.'

 

[The Devil]

Well, you are the devil!

Yep money is the root of all evil.

 

[The Devil]

This sounds very similiar to Armstrong's tacit admission to LeMond that, 'your comeback was a miracle as was mine, everyone uses EPO.'

The echos rebound,

 

[hrotha]

The Devil, who can talk then? If Kimmage, Jaksche, Manzano, Kohl and Landis shouldn't talk because they doped, who's left? Bassons? When he talked, people said he was a nobody trying to make a name for himself because he didn't have the talent.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Well I Myself am not into camp divisions like Lance haters, or Lemond haters. I think that stuff is well passed it's sell by date by now. And frankly a little childish.
It breed's mob culture. There is a huge difference between kimmage and armstrong though. I mean what had kimmage got to loose by his own omission to using drugs. He had no victories in his career. He certainly did not make much money out of it. On the other hand If I were in armstrongs shoes I would not hold up My hand and say " hey I did it, I doped " either would You or anyone else. He has large vested interests, and is worth a reputed $100.
Any one would strenuously deny any wrong doing in his case to preserve his fortune and hold a legacy. A legacy that will come and is crashing around him. But hey the dude will still be worth a fortune. And that is what it all boils down to at the end of the day is Money.

Holy Sh*t! After all this action, he's only worth a measly hundred bucks? H*ll, I was clean my whole career and I'm worth more than that. Sure glad I didn't dope. What a headache...

 

[The Devil]

The Devil, who can talk then? If Kimmage, Jaksche, Manzano, Kohl and Landis shouldn't talk because they doped, who's left? Bassons? When he talked, people said he was a nobody trying to make a name for himself because he didn't have the talent.

Christopher Basson's was a heroic figure in My eyes. He had more guts than all these cheats put together. He was brave to speak out in a time of the enforced omerta. Knowing the consequences of his actions he chose to speak. Kimmage is a mouthpiece trying to put bread on the table. Is Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery ( Jaildude ) and Marion Jones ( former Gaol Dame) questioning the merits of the likes of Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell ( who are obviously doped to the gills) Absolutely not.

 

[The Devil]

Holy Sh*t! After all this action, he's only worth a measly hundred bucks? H*ll, I was clean my whole career and I'm worth more than that. Sure glad I didn't dope. What a headache...

Well excuse ME and thanks for pointing that out. I meant to type $100 million.

It sure would be a hard earned $100. LOL

 

[Hugh Januss]

Holy Sh*t! After all this action, he's only worth a measly hundred bucks? H*ll, I was clean my whole career and I'm worth more than that. Sure glad I didn't dope. What a headache...

Ha, I'm worth at least 50X that and I never doped either and I own a bike shop which is generally recognized to be one of the best ways to go broke. Oh wait, Lance "owns a bike shop" as well, and his is much bigger. Maybe that's what happened to all his money?

 

[The Devil]

Ha, I'm worth at least 50X that and I never doped either and I own a bike shop which is generally recognized to be one of the best ways to go broke. Oh wait, Lance "owns a bike shop" as well, and his is much bigger. Maybe that's what happened to all his money?

You own a bike shop. Have You any special deals going on at the minute.?

How often would You recommend changing integrated headset bearings?

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Well excuse ME and thanks for pointing that out. I meant to type $100 million.

It sure would be a hard earned $100. LOL

Toughest hundred bucks of his life... Apart from trying to save a hundred through low-balling those 'professional ladies'. Sorry, couldn't resist...

 

[Hugh Januss]

You own a bike shop. Have You any special deals going on at the minute.?

How often would You recommend changing integrated headset bearings?

Oh yeah, everything is on perma-sale. I figure the less I sell everything for the sooner I can retire.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Oh yeah, everything is on perma-sale. I figure the less I sell everything for the sooner I can retire.

There's a business model I can live with. With the HUGE mark-ups in cycling, I'm sure you'll retire by the time you're around three thousand years old.

Got a flyer?

 

[The Devil]

Oh yeah, everything is on perma-sale. I figure the less I sell everything for the sooner I can retire.

The recession sure is a bummer hey!!

 

[buckwheat]

Oh yeah, everything is on perma-sale. I figure the less I sell everything for the sooner I can retire.

I'll be out there pretty soon to buy a bike.

I won't even haggle at all.

I'll behave. I promise.

 

[flicker]

The echos rebound,

Are you really Lance? You widows peak ,forked tail and cloven hoof betray you.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Are you really Lance? You widows peak ,forked tail and cloven hoof betray you.

I think you mean 'hooves'. The Golden One may have only one nut, but I'm pretty sure he's still got two feet. Just sayin...

 

[Maxiton]

Are you really Lance? You widows peak ,forked tail and cloven hoof betray you.

Some days you're the hammer, and some days you're The Devil. Flicker hits the nail on the head?

EDIT: Nah, The Devil isn't Lance. I just read some of his other posts and he knows bikes better than Lance probably does. And also he doesn't speak/write like Lance.
Now BPC, on the other hand . . . .

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

Now BPC, on the other hand . . . .

where is publicus when we need him

edit: Devil, have you by some chance been lurking on this forum long enough to know who we are talking about?

 

[Benotti69]

Christopher Basson's was a heroic figure in My eyes. He had more guts than all these cheats put together. He was brave to speak out in a time of the enforced omerta. Knowing the consequences of his actions he chose to speak. Kimmage is a mouthpiece trying to put bread on the table. Is Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery ( Jaildude ) and Marion Jones ( former Gaol Dame) questioning the merits of the likes of Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell ( who are obviously doped to the gills) Absolutely not.

how did one come to that conclusion?

I see Kimmage as a passionate former pro, whose career as a journalist and a bloody good one at that has had the integrity to write it as he sees it.

I applaud Bassons for his stance, but i also applaud Kimmage for his, to take PEDs and not test positive yet admit to it and write about it and what is wrong with your chosen sport that you love deeply in the hope that it will change. Kimmage was not caught and looking to make a killing with a spill the dirt style story that lots have done and do. He wrote a passionate autobiography of his time as a pro and did not name names....

He is no mouthpiece and nor is he, as a ward winning journalist with a top newspaper, 'trying' to put bread on the table.

 

[ultimobici]

Christopher Basson's was a heroic figure in My eyes. He had more guts than all these cheats put together. He was brave to speak out in a time of the enforced omerta. Knowing the consequences of his actions he chose to speak. Kimmage is a mouthpiece trying to put bread on the table. Is Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery ( Jaildude ) and Marion Jones ( former Gaol Dame) questioning the merits of the likes of Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell ( who are obviously doped to the gills) Absolutely not.

I don't disagree with your analysis of Bassons but on Kimmage we do.

Kimmage not only alienated cycling in general by publishing his book. He also suffered the public vilification in Ireland for slurring Kelly and Roche despite them not being mentioned in the book. Roche went as far as threatening legal action.

Read Bob Roll's blog post from 2007 regarding the book - I was surprised at its fairness in light of Bobke's pro Lance

http://www.bobkestrut.com/2007/05/

I don’t know if Paul Kimmage is laughing or crying these days. But he just took a huge, steaming dump on Sean Kelly’s legacy.

A couple of months ago I re-read Kimmage’s book Rough Ride, and it struck me as being even more depressingly bleak than I remember from my initial ingestion some 15 years ago. Talk about living the 12k dreamer’s life…Kimmage probably made about that much in salary each year, yet he was expected to ride a full calendar of Grand Tours and Classics. Kimmage only fessed up to taking amphetamines on 3 occasions in post-Tour criteriums, and I’m inclined to believe that was the extent of his doping. What he did expose to the world, however, was the spectre of drugs among his teammates and peers. The proliferation of personal “medicine” suitcases; the compact, modified syringes which came out mid-stage for a quick amphetamine shot in the *** on the peloton’s way to the Champs-Élysées; the “wink wink” about the ease of beating doping controls. Kimmage was simply trying to survive, and for most pros that was the impetus to juice. Random testing was virtually non-existent…you could dope up to your eyeballs in service of your team leader and then just make sure you didn’t win the stage or a jersey. Or die.

Kimmage walked away from the sport and his 4 year career as a professional cyclist when he quit the 12th stage of the 1989 Tour. As a pro is highlights were relatively few: Kimmage finished 2 Grand Tours (1986 Tour, 1989 Giro) and played a role in Stephen Roche’s 1987 world championship. As an amateur, Kimmage was an Olympian at the ‘84 Los Angeles Games and finished 6th in the road worlds. Since Kimmage hung up his wheels in disgust he embarked on a career as a journalist, an occupation he dabbled in as a pro (Kimmage supplied a weekly diary to the Dublin Sunday Times). These days he’s employed at the London Times, and if you plug “Kimmage” into the search box you’ll unearth Kimmage’s body of work over the past 5 years. There are approximately 65 interviews, all worth reading. It’s an enlightening view into a world of sports for the most part totally foreign to Americans. The bulk of his subjects are either either Brits or foreigners taking place in the world of British professional sports. Sports such as soccer, rugby, cricket, Formula 1 racing, snooker…Articles about cycling do appear, but always through the lens of doping. You can almost sense Kimmage’s gritted teeth permeating his cycling prose. To say he was a persona non grata among pro cyclists for publishing Rough Ride is quite an understatement, but who better to hurl a brick into cycling’s glass house than an angry Irishman wracked with Catholic guilt. And Ireland is ground zero for Catholic guilt…I lived in Ireland for approximately 6 months as a foreign exchange student, and there was a creepy placard on the dining room wall of my house which said, “Jesus Christ is the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener of every conversation”. Kimmage cracked…and his very public confession was his means of coming to terms with the farce of professional cycling.

“Nothing to see here…move along, please…it’s just Paul Kimmage”
Graham Watson photo

That image sums up the impression I got of the Irish riders in the peleton. They may have all been on different teams at the time but they were mates. Imagine the fallout of lifting the lid on their closed world to the wider public. I doubt Kimmage is on the Christmas Card list of Roche, Kelly & Earley to this day.

 

[L'arriviste]

I don't disagree with your analysis of Bassons but on Kimmage we do.

Kimmage not only alienated cycling in general by publishing his book. He also suffered the public vilification in Ireland for slurring Kelly and Roche despite them not being mentioned in the book. Roche went as far as threatening legal action.

Read Bob Roll's blog post from 2007 regarding the book - I was surprised at its fairness in light of Bobke's pro Lance

http://www.bobkestrut.com/2007/05/

“Nothing to see here…move along, please…it’s just Paul Kimmage”
Graham Watson photo

That image sums up the impression I got of the Irish riders in the peleton. They may have all been on different teams at the time but they were mates. Imagine the fallout of lifting the lid on their closed world to the wider public. I doubt Kimmage is on the Christmas Card list of Roche, Kelly & Earley to this day.

That looks like a youthful Indurain hovering on the wing of that photo next to Earley.

I agree with this and the general thrust that Kimmage did not and does not seek to profit from doping hubris. After cycling, Kimmage made a living and a name for himself as a journalist on other sports (memorably covering horse racing, that other sport so beloved of the Irish and dope dealers. ). Indeed, for years he avoided cycling out of necessity and by choice but, in a Sunday Times article I remember, he admitted that he couldn't say no when asked to cover the Tour.

 

[The Devil]

"Damn these Amphetamines are KILLIN Me. Readin this paper is giving Me new ideas. Damn this Sport is hard. I think I shall become a Journalist. Ah I will blow the lid on this whole sorry episode in My life. I can never win without drugs. I am not makin much Money. Ah I will become a snitch and write about My Fellow professional's and the dirty deed's that they do. And I have done. Really I don't give a cr*p about, Kelly, Roche, ect. I can make a living out of snitching . Ah I will write a book " Rough Ride " It will be a big seller. I know I am going to make enemies but what the hell. I will earn Money."

"I am proud to say that I am the original Mr. Clean. I am totally against doping. I was exiled from the Pro scene. But My conscience is clear. I will find something else to do. But i will not earn a living out of snitching" I am a better Man than that. I made a stance against Doping. I am proud of that."

Mr. Bassons You were a brave man indeed. It is a pity that there were not more like You.

 

[hrotha]

Look, I respect Bassons a lot, and he had the right to go quietly, but ultimately, what did he do to help the sport? He just became a martyr we can bring up here in The Clinic every now and then, but his story didn't change anything. Bassons may be a better man than Kimmage or whatever, but regardless, what the sport needs is less martyrs and more snitches.

edit: although Bassons did contribute his own way. He wrote about doping in a newspaper. He broke omerta. He didn't name names, but then very few people do.

 

[Maxiton]

<snip>

Read Bob Roll's blog post from 2007 regarding the book - I was surprised at its fairness in light of Bobke's pro Lance

http://www.bobkestrut.com/2007/05/

“Nothing to see here…move along, please…it’s just Paul Kimmage”
Graham Watson photo

That image sums up the impression I got of the Irish riders in the peleton. They may have all been on different teams at the time but they were mates. Imagine the fallout of lifting the lid on their closed world to the wider public. I doubt Kimmage is on the Christmas Card list of Roche, Kelly & Earley to this day.

Only thing is, this jerk who has been happy to allow us all to believe for years that he is Bob Roll, has admitted he isn't Bob Roll.