Media amnesia and reactions

[ProfTournesol]

There will be a movie - the story is simply amazing and better than any scriptwriter could come up with. And what a bunch of characters!

I vote Charles (Pappy O'Daniel) Durning as Tim Herman

Ralph Fiennes to play LA, he's had good training for the role playing Lord Voldemort. Hang on that also qualifies him to play Verbruggen or McQuade as well...

 

[coinneach]

Brian Smith

I think Brian comes out of this with great credit, and very little bitterness

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ot...rian-Smith-told-cyclist-hed-drugs-sacked.html

 

[RichWalk]

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/video/2289856119/phil-anderson-on-lance-armstrong

Phil Anderson eats humble pie and doesn't look comfortable doing it.

a steady flow of 'born again' cyclists about in the last day or so, seriously how stupid do these cretins think cycling fans are

 

[argyllflyer]

Fairplay to David Harmon today, he said it when the story broke during the summer, but very critical of Armstrong for saying he was clean and boosting his charity persona on the back of that. Also alluded to the other disgraced charity worker of the week. He took time to praise Kimmage, Walsh and Birnie for their unwavering anti Lance stance and took a swipe at the unprincipled among the press who knew or suspected and said nothing. Whether he is a hypocrite is not for me to say. I've never heard DH particularly pro Armstrong, but that's not to say he wasn't. My criticism is of his fence-sitting which may be just a fear of litigation.

 

[Cloxxki]

Great article in the Guardian questioning UCI complicity. Need to see the media move from Lance doping to UCI complicity...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/oct/11/lance-armstrong-uci-doping-scandal?newsfeed=true

Good piece, thanks!

 

[ProfTournesol]

Uncomfortable for Phil, and uncomfortable to watch... But good to see they are starting to swing, personal motivation considerations aside...

Mike Tomalaris the Lance fanboy suddenly hides behind being a 'serious journalist'. I'd love to see him asked the same questions.

 

[Lukenwolf]

This whole thing caused unsurprisingly little uproar in the German press and media. Of course there is not much need for the journo's over here to turn coat, as cycling pretty much had it since 2000 in Germany and Lance has always been about as popular as the illness he once overcame.

The only thing that caused a bit of a stir is the sheer extent of criminal energy behind the USPS system, which makes the Freiburg scheme look like a weekend hobby operation.

 

[ProfTournesol]

I also recognised things could have been made clearer sooner, had I and others in the cycling media pursued allegations of doping against Armstrong more vigorously.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling...e-clean-too-20121011-27fr9.html#ixzz291qOjARF

It would be good to hear from the cycling journalists why they didn't pursue the rumours/evidence - it needs to be spelt out so it doesn't happen again

Cycling journalists are mainly either ex-cyclists or sports journalists, many of them also cycling fans, but not necessarily the same as investigative journalists. They didn't try very hard to support David Walsh who is an investigative journalist though, not Paul Kimmage who spoke with authority.

 

[Tinman]

Mike Tomalaris the Lance fanboy suddenly hides behind being a 'serious journalist'. I'd love to see him asked the same questions.

Mike's a simple guy in a complex field. He tries hard and often fails miserably. And he blows with the wind. Not sure if he's ever ridden a bike. I have always wondered what keeps him there. But it's easy to be critical sitting here in anonymity...

 

[No_Balls]

A disgusting piece: How Lance Armstrong transformed North American culture

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/10/11/f-lance-armstrong-culture-change.html

I´m speechless.

 

[stefank]

I quite liked the cartoon in today's Mercury (the local newspaper here in Hobart, Tasmania). A simple picture of a syringe, underneath which were written the words "It's not about the bike".

 

[Lukenwolf]

A disgusting piece: How Lance Armstrong transformed North American culture

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/10/11/f-lance-armstrong-culture-change.html

I´m speechless.

Whatever that author was smoking - it CAN't be legal

 

[FignonLeGrand]

No amnesty without disclosure and punishment. And it would be nice if Benson were to stop ripping off our work.

Sorry to be a pedant but you cant have amnesty with punishment

 

[frenchfry]

A disgusting piece: How Lance Armstrong transformed North American culture

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/10/11/f-lance-armstrong-culture-change.html

I´m speechless.

The CBC should be ashamed for running this crap, especially at this time when the worst we could have imagined about Armstrong is brought to light.

 

[thehog]

The CBC should be ashamed for running this crap, especially at this time when the worst we could have imagined about Armstrong is brought to light.

Nice photo. Think they could have used the video of him ignoring his children?

 

[sairyder]

Cycling journalists are mainly either ex-cyclists or sports journalists, many of them also cycling fans, but not necessarily the same as investigative journalists. They didn't try very hard to support David Walsh who is an investigative journalist though, not Paul Kimmage who spoke with authority.

Yes - but this is the biggest doping fraud in the history of any sport.

So it does bear investigation - Why did the cycling journalists agree to the Omertà? There is a passage from Tyler - its friday night and I am too relaxed to dig up the link - where he says the journalists were not really journalists - more like fans who just wanted to be on the bus with Lance. Anybody have that link?

When I looked at Phil Anderson (chin up as usual) - when the USADA report about Lance came out in August - on national television saying how great Lance was, never failed a test etc etc.. I knew then that Australian cycling was in for a catastrophic reckoning. Top to bottom. These guys like Phil Anderson must think that cycling fans are just cogs in a machine that make them rich - well hello.

I think the thing I hate about this the most is that assumption - dumb fans keep swallowing the rationalisations. Over that attitude really..

 

[python]

I would not be as skeptical as some in this thread re. the international media reactions to the usada report...

spiegel on line runs a sampling of the reaction under the heading ‘game over’

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/pressestimmen-zum-fall-armstrong-game-over-a-860799.html

it's no longer vacillating. the tide has turned.

 

[sairyder]

I would not be as skeptical as some in this thread re. the international media reactions to the usada report...

spiegel on line runs a sampling of the reaction under the heading ‘game over’

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/pressestimmen-zum-fall-armstrong-game-over-a-860799.html

it's no longer vacillating. the tide has turned.

thanks for that - a timely reminder

 

[Bala Verde]

Lol, late to the party head in the sand guy writes about LA:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/10/lance-armstrong-doping-charges.html

With any luck, this will be the last time I write about Lance Armstrong. But first, I want an apology. And I deserve one. Some readers will have followed my evolution from gullible fanboy to surprised reader to angry man.

Now, I am simply amazed. If you believe the mountain of documents released on Wednesday by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (and I can find no reason not to) Armstrong didn’t just dope: he was the king—better at doping than he was at pretending to win bicycle races through grit and determination.

He mentions this classic ad, which is now so farcical, it's basically "an SNL skit."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIl5RxhLZ5U

And he is still clueless:

The time has come for professional cycling to acknowledge reality: cyclists use drugs. Perhaps the best approach is simply to let them. That way everyone can, for the first time in years, compete at the same level.

and then this:

As for Lance Armstrong, he should do what a man who cared about the millions of people whom he inspired with seven straight victories in the Tour de France would do. He should stand up, in front of the same microphones and cameras that he has used to berate those people who challenged his honesty, and he should tell the world what he has done. And then he should ask our forgiveness. I am certain that I, and all those other fools who believed in him, have earned it.

Lol. Chamois sniffer feels like he is owed an apology by captain obvious. He deserves a kick in the balls for being blind as a mole.

 

[frenchfry]

Nice photo. Think they could have used the video of him ignoring his children?

He will be looking for maximum exploitation of his kids as a shield to the truth, along with the ever handy cancer shield.

Too late Lancey-poo, the jig is up!

 

[cineteq]

Lol. Chamois sniffer feels like he is owed an apology by captain obvious. He deserves a kick in the balls for being blind as a mole.

Do you have an idea who's addressing? If we follow your logic most people are blind moles.

Well done Michael, from fanboy to angry man!

 

[frenchfry]

Still waiting for Sally Jenkins to chime in with "that Lance, he is such a MAN".

 

[thehog]

Lol, late to the party head in the sand guy writes about LA:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/10/lance-armstrong-doping-charges.html



He mentions this classic ad, which is now so farcical, it's basically "an SNL skit."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIl5RxhLZ5U

And he is still clueless:



and then this:



Lol. Chamois sniffer feels like he is owed an apology by captain obvious. He deserves a kick in the balls for being blind as a mole.

The final line is good:

And speaking of apologies: sorry France, you were right all along. The guy’s a creep.

 

[pastronef]

Lance mail to Ferrari's son, savoldelli named too

by caley fretz

http://mobile.twitter.com/CaleyFretz/status/256192250214756353

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

Sorry to be a pedant but you cant have amnesty with punishment

In T & R associated with SA this was one of the key concepts. You punish people but less than you would do in return for truth. The argument was that with punishment alone you would not have people willing to come forward, without punishment of sorts amnesty would mean the ancien regime remaining untouched.

To refine it slightly, you can't have a blanket amnesty/amnesia as in Spain post-Franco.

Alternative, if they kick out every doper in the peloton then they could be so hard pressed to find a field that you and I could be lining up come next July.

TJ has requires a careful balance, and a great deal of skill and intelligence by those designing the process, which is why the UCI are the last people who should be trying to organize it for cycling.

Fairplay to David Harmon today, he said it when the story broke during the summer, but very critical of Armstrong for saying he was clean and boosting his charity persona on the back of that. Also alluded to the other disgraced charity worker of the week. He took time to praise Kimmage, Walsh and Birnie for their unwavering anti Lance stance and took a swipe at the unprincipled among the press who knew or suspected and said nothing. Whether he is a hypocrite is not for me to say. I've never heard DH particularly pro Armstrong, but that's not to say he wasn't. My criticism is of his fence-sitting which may be just a fear of litigation.

Harmon for years was Armstrong lead cheerleader - Lance, Lance, Lance. When anyone raised any questions about Armstrong he dismissed them, he was vicious in his attacks on Landis and Hamilton when they spoke out. He has absolutely no problem in putting the boot into dopers after they get busted and always ignores that he was cheerleading for them for years before.

Great article in the Guardian questioning UCI complicity. Need to see the media move from Lance doping to UCI complicity...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/oct/11/lance-armstrong-uci-doping-scandal?newsfeed=true

The Guardian can **** off. They spent years suppressing any criticism of Armstrong, banning anyone from their discussion boards if you so much as questioned Armstrong.