Media amnesia and reactions

[Cycle Chic]

Daniel Benson's fluff journalism is apparently the new norm.

good questions? the questions weren't anything special.
perhaps frankie's apologizing for sky at the end was worth tweeting this otherwise fluffy interview?

I agree Sniper. Athough Andreu has shown he is truly up Omerta's backside. He hasn't taken a stance on any of the drama of this Tour. When Kimmage interviewed him it was absolutely shocking. He even got a bit annoyed with Kimmage asking the questions about Froomes performance after Ax3.

And this interview he says nothing again...apart from having a dig at Contador saying he isn't the Contador of 'old'. He was insuating drugs weren't working now for Contador and said NOTHING about Froome or Sky.

 

[sniper]

I agree Sniper. Athough Andreu has shown he is truly up Omerta's backside. He hasn't taken a stance on any of the drama of this Tour. When Kimmage interviewed him it was absolutely shocking. He even got a bit annoyed with Kimmage asking the questions about Froomes performance after Ax3.

And this interview he says nothing again...apart from having a dig at Contador saying he isn't the Contador of 'old'. He was insuating drugs weren't working now for Contador and said NOTHING about Froome or Sky.

yap.
and the other question is why Race Radio feels a need to tweet such a mediocre interview.
I suspect it's because the interview shows one of the anti-Lance guys (Frankie) saying how Sky are different from USPS.
RR really seems to have jumped on board the Sky PR bandwagon.
In the olden days, he used to tweet links to Kimmage interviews. Not anymore.

 

[barn yard]

RR is on the sky hush hush list without a doubt

little richie wouldnt go on a 1 on 1 leisurely ride with him for any other reason

 

[Benotti69]

RR is on the sky hush hush list without a doubt

little richie wouldnt go on a 1 on 1 leisurely ride with him for any other reason

Was it not lunch?

I still dont understand why people believe in Sky when the anti doping is still being run by McQuaid. Has McQuaid changed since he let Armstrong back into the sport in 2009?

All I see is the UCI/ASO now has an agreement with Sky rather like the USPS one.

 

[thehog]

Was it not lunch?

I still dont understand why people believe in Sky when the anti doping is still being run by McQuaid. Has McQuaid changed since he let Armstrong back into the sport in 2009?

All I see is the UCI/ASO now has an agreement with Sky rather like the USPS one.

Things have changed.

McQuaid has shown in the past two weeks that ethics and morality is the very foundation he stands upon

 

[Fortyninefourteen]

Things have changed.

McQuaid has shown in the past two weeks that ethics and morality is the very foundation he stands upon

Just because he's sporting a fake Malaysian passport, you attack with sarcasm and irony. What is wrong with the world.....

 

[sniper]

Things have changed.

McQuaid has shown in the past two weeks that ethics and morality is the very foundation he stands upon

what McQuaid stands upon, it seems, is a ****load of uncut evidence of how he facilitated the pharmstrong-legacy.
Why else these acts of pure desperation?

Think about it. He's putting shame and disgrace on his entire family. He's become a complete joke in Ireland.
Even his fraudulent buddies at the IOC and FIFA must be thinking "what a complete loser".

 

[Cycle Chic]

Interviews

So when Wiggins gave his interview about putting on weight to win the Worlds Time Trial - why didn't ANY journalist ask him that that just didn't 'add up' ?? Why hasn't Cycling News pressed him on this ? I can understand the Telegraph not knowing their **** from their elbow but why hasn't Velonews or Cycling News asked him to explain his rationale ??

 

[86TDFWinner]

Even his fraudulent buddies at the IOC and FIFA must be thinking "what a complete loser".

Aren't they still backing him though as UCI president, or no?

 

[sniper]

So when Wiggins gave his interview about putting on weight to win the Worlds Time Trial - why didn't ANY journalist ask him that that just didn't 'add up' ?? Why hasn't Cycling News pressed him on this ? I can understand the Telegraph not knowing their **** from their elbow but why hasn't Velonews or Cycling News asked him to explain his rationale ??

yep, there's bad cycling journalism.
but then the uncritical reporting on bartoli is even more astonishing.

 

[sniper]

Aren't they still backing him though as UCI president, or no?

most probably.
but i bet they laugh at him behind his back.

 

[thehog]

So when Wiggins gave his interview about putting on weight to win the Worlds Time Trial - why didn't ANY journalist ask him that that just didn't 'add up' ?? Why hasn't Cycling News pressed him on this ? I can understand the Telegraph not knowing their **** from their elbow but why hasn't Velonews or Cycling News asked him to explain his rationale ??

For the most part journalism is an issueing of statements which look like interviews.

Media outlet send out statements to the journalists they like and they print the story appearing if it was an actual interview. If you don't write largely flattering pieces then you get cut off. You no longer get the press releases. Then you have to write "according to AP" 10 hours after the embargo is lifted on certified releases.

It works in sports like cycling for Anglo riders very well. Hard to do for sports like football. You may reveal Wayne Rooney pays old aged prostitues but if cut that publication off they'll write about another team.

Not so in cycling. If you're not writing about Wiggins or Froome then you're out of the game. Cycling weekly and other such local publications have no choice but to appeal to the masses of Sky fans.

It's called business sense not journalism.

This is why Twitter (was) is hated so much. Controlling the message was difficult.

 

[Bannockburn]

So when Wiggins gave his interview about putting on weight to win the Worlds Time Trial - why didn't ANY journalist ask him that that just didn't 'add up' ??

That's a great question. Why the need to put on weight? Just show up with the 2012 physique and blow the doors off everyone again, no?

 

[leon7766]

That's a great question. Why the need to put on weight? Just show up with the 2012 physique and blow the doors off everyone again, no?

The answer is simple to anyone who isn't blinded by their hatred of Wiggins and Sky

 

[Cycle Chic]

Lightweights v Heavyweights

The answer is simple to anyone who isn't blinded by their hatred of Wiggins and Sky

go on then.....

 

[Bannockburn]

The answer is simple to anyone who isn't blinded by their hatred of Wiggins and Sky

I have no hatred of Wiggins and/or Sky. I don't invest myself in these things emotionally.

I'd explain that in detail and explain why it makes little sense to deviate from protocol that makes one the best in the world at his endeavor, but I won't bother because you're a painfully obvious poorly executed troll/alias/both.

 

[TheBean]

And yet people believe that today's winners of the races are clean!

Some people believe the races are clean.

Others believe that a culture of doping still exists.

To make a blanket statement such as the one you did is pointless.

I don't think anyone believed DiLuca was clean this year after he tested positive and was banned.

 

[Benotti69]

Some people believe the races are clean.

Others believe that a culture of doping still exists.

To make a blanket statement such as the one you did is pointless.

I don't think anyone believed DiLuca was clean this year after he tested positive and was banned.

I dont think so, hence why i said it. McQuaid is still running the sport and I doubt he changed after Armstrong left, in fact he probably moved onto Contador and then when he got popped by a German journalist, not UCI who were trying to hide it, McQuaid dida deal with Sky.

Doping still exists, big time, why? because i have not seen where it might have changed or when. Ashenden dismissed the biopassport as not working, so how can riders be caught? oh yeah because they get desperate and stupid like Di Luca, Sayer, Santambrogio and others or McQuaid wants to hang someone out to dry for whatever reason, probably the bloodtesting machine donation never arrived, so bang there goes a rider for 2 years!

The testing is a joke.

Dopers are still winning the big races and the small ones too. It aint hard to see for those who can see.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

I dont think so, hence why i said it. McQuaid is still running the sport and I doubt he changed after Armstrong left, in fact he probably moved onto Contador and then when he got popped by a German journalist, not UCI who were trying to hide it, McQuaid dida deal with Sky.

Doping still exists, big time, why? because i have not seen where it might have changed or when. Ashenden dismissed the biopassport as not working, so how can riders be caught? oh yeah because they get desperate and stupid like Di Luca, Sayer, Santambrogio and others or McQuaid wants to hang someone out to dry for whatever reason, probably the bloodtesting machine donation never arrived, so bang there goes a rider for 2 years!

The testing is a joke.

Dopers are still winning the big races and the small ones too. It aint hard to see for those who can see.

Someone accused you of making blanket statements, then you appear to answer with blanket statements.

That McQuaid is corrupt is not in dispute - but what "deal" was done with Sky?
And where has Ashenden "dismissed the biopassport as not working"?

 

[sniper]

Some people believe the races are clean.

Others believe that a culture of doping still exists.

To make a blanket statement such as the one you did is pointless.

I don't think anyone believed DiLuca was clean this year after he tested positive and was banned.

cycling's doping in the 80s and especially 90s and 2000s is formidably well documented.
cycling's alleged cleanliness at present is fully undocumented.
a blanket statement would thus be to say, for instance, that present-day cycling is clean.
and to believe it would be, well, a blanket believe, i guess.

 

[Benotti69]

Someone accused you of making blanket statements, then you appear to answer with blanket statements.

That McQuaid is corrupt is not in dispute - but what "deal" was done with Sky?
And where has Ashenden "dismissed the biopassport as not working"?

I said McQuaid 'probably'.

Ashenden resigned from biopassport.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

I said McQuaid 'probably'.

Ashenden resigned from biopassport.

The 'probably' was to do with Contador not Sky. But lets pretend its about Sky,
what deal do you believe McQuaid would do for Sky? And why only Sky?


Ashenden left because he was being forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement, nothing to do with the Bio Passport and how it works.

 

[Benotti69]

The 'probably' was to do with Contador not Sky. But lets pretend its about Sky,
what deal do you believe McQuaid would do for Sky? And why only Sky?

Lets pretend McQuaid and his predecessor made positives disappear, well that is a lucrative business. Join the dots from there.......

Ashenden left because he was being forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement, nothing to do with the Bio Passport and how it works.

Which means, to me at least, it doesn't work. But we know it doesn't work. It didn't 'catch' Armstrong.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Lets pretend McQuaid and his predecessor made positives disappear, well that is a lucrative business. Join the dots from there.......

No, let's not pretend.
I believe HV hid positives & McQ backs him in that and other corrupt actions.
But the ability to "hide positives" since WADA in 04 is almost impossible.

But more to the point YOU mentioned Sky, why only them?

L
Which means, to me at least, it doesn't work. But we know it doesn't work. It didn't 'catch' Armstrong.

I am not interested in what you think, you said Ashenden "dismissed the bio passport as not working".
I am asking where he said that.

 

[Beech Mtn]

<snipped>

I am not interested in what you think, you said Ashenden "dismissed the bio passport as not working".
I am asking where he said that.

Because I think the holes in the biopassport system are a massively important issue for clean cycling, I'll post a couple articles here.

“The UCI have continued to mislead cycling fans and the public by attempting to pretend that a cut in the number of passport tests at the end of season does not impair the passport programme,” he told VeloNation today. “In fact, that out of season testing is absolutely vital, perhaps the most valuable data of all, because it is during that period that the highly sophisticated dopers are most vulnerable. To cut back testing during that crucial period does, without question, limit the effectiveness of the passport.”

Source

“Cyclists have learned how to mask their blood during the race season. For example, to mask doping they know how to dilute blood levels with saline and stimulate the bone marrow with microdoses of EPO,” he told VeloNation. “However, once the season is over they take blood out to store in readiness for the following year. But there is simply no way to mask that you've withdrawn blood. The blood levels are already abnormally low so dilution makes it worse. The bone marrow is already hyper-activated so EPO would make that worse too.

“Quite simply, it is the one time of the year where we know what riders are doing, we know the blood signature to look for, and we know they cannot hide that signature. So for the UCI to pretend that a cut back of testing during out of season does not impede the passport is bordering on delusional.”

Source

Ashenden told Cyclingnews that he had "noticed a significant gap between tests in some of the profiles" that he had reviewed. "It's definitely not in every single profile, but enough to have left an impression on me," he told Cyclingnews.

"What I can’t answer is why those gaps are present," Ashenden continued. "Perhaps the UCI are pursuing a targeting strategy that I'm not aware of, but leaving big gaps doesn’t make any sense to me."

Source

If the UCI failed to examine Armstrong’s raw data when he placed third at the 2009 Tour de France, the UCI were derelict in their obligations to faithfully run the passport on behalf of the riders, teams and race organizers who contribute 85 percent of the costs of running the passport program. Those stakeholders deserve to know that their program is being run by competent and diligent managers,” Ashenden wrote. “If, on the other hand, the UCI did examine Armstrong’s raw data but failed to recognize that flat line blood values in tandem with suppressed bone marrow activity in the third place getter of a major tour was consistent with the possible use of blood transfusion, they have proven themselves to be biologically illiterate

Source

edit-
To be fair, Ashenden has said some positive things about the passport. It's not that it is useless. But it's also hardly the silver bullet the UCI likes us to think it is. The system could be improved.

A nice Ashenden piece on how the biopassport system works is here