Memories of Festina 98

[Cogombre]

I suppose that I was too young, because I remeber that I was very very shocked, and even sided with the riders for a while. I just couldn't realize what was really happening.

Looking on that issue with a bit of perspective, I'd say that the thing which tells you more about the issue was the attitude of the other teams, specially those which left the race.

 

[podilato]

Verbruggen was an ex-Mars executive known for making pronouncements such as 'I can get any rider of yours tested positive if I want to' (to Bruno Roussell). He was trying to sell the TV rights to the Tour, even though he didn't own them and he took a substantial payment to allow the Keirin in the Olympics. He was heavily implicated in the Festina scandal for having bent the rules, allowed a backdated TUE for Brochard after his Worlds win etc. And this is the man who is still very much the power behind the throne at the UCI, speaking through his inept mouthpiece McQuaid. So forgive me if I don't take it seriously that the sport has cleaned up its act. Whilst riders like VDB are hung out to dry and left to die lonely deaths in farflung hotel rooms whilst teams like GeriShack and Columbia with their dirty DSes and dodgy doctors are allowed to do exactly as they please depending on the size of their 'donations' then the sport will never and can never be 'clean'.

Fantastic post. Absolute power corrupts and corruption will always continue for as much as they can get away with. It applies whether you are protesting against a war or conflict or a clean sport. We have to make the costs too high for any corrupt activity to continue.

 

[luckyboy]

I would definitely recommend anyone and everyone read Willy Voet's book, Breaking the Chain. It tells the whole story.

I just reread that since I started this thread. Probably the most surprising thing to me when I first read it was the drugs that Voet and the other drivers/soigneurs took to keep going. And the Pot Belge - it seemed weird that they could be so blasé about taking it.

 

[ChrisE]

I can't believe there was doping going on where Lance Armstrong wasn't involved. You guys must really be confused. *sarcasm off*

 

[asmkilgil]

I've recently been re-reading Matt Rendell's book on Pantani & a book called 'Conquests and Crises' and was just curious about how people felt as it all unfolded? Were you shocked/in denial/whatever? What was the press reaction and rider interviews?

I know the facts and dates and times etc.. but not really much reaction or opinion from the time. Just interested on how some of the posters here reacted or how much they knew about doping back then? (I was only 8 then, and yet to discover cycling for around another 4 years)

Cheers

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[red_flanders]

I just reread that since I started this thread. Probably the most surprising thing to me when I first read it was the drugs that Voet and the other drivers/soigneurs took to keep going. And the Pot Belge - it seemed weird that they could be so blasé about taking it.

Anyone have a link to "Breaking the Chain"? Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Anyone have a link to "Breaking the Chain"? Thanks.

Chain links sold at your local bike shop.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Actually for me the big shock in the Festina affair was that ONE rider was not on the programme.

When the Police opened the boot/trunk of Wilys Fiat they didn't just find an assortment of PED's - they found cycling's true credibility.
At the time I felt it was a vindication to those like Kimmage and Delion who had spoken out about what was really happening in Cycling.

Unfortunately the press were more interested in tracking the tears of Virenque than tracking the doping infrastructure that was exposed.
Rumors at the time said that the drugs found in Wilys Fiat were not just for Festina, but were also for TVM & Casino.

The lid had been lifted on what most observers already knew - and it looked as though Pro Cycling would have to confront its problems. But it quickly became apparent that those in charge were not interested and were content in letting Festina be the scapegoat for all Cycling's problem.

Heinz Verbruggen was in China at the time and refused to return even though the sport he had power over was being brought to its knees.

The real pity with the Festina Affair was that an opportunity was lost to clean up Pro Cycling. While the use of PED's cannot be stopped in its entirety proper management and a will to tackle the issues could have restored Cycling's battered credibility. Instead Cycling engaged in spin by proclaiming Pantani a clean winner and the 99 Tour as the Tour of Redemption.

In 2006 with Operation Puerto it proved that Pro Cycling has not changed much since 98 - and since then the UCI and the other stakeholders have hid behind the spin while not introducing any proper changes, so it is only a matter of time before another Wily Voet is pulled in to some lay-by and Cycling current secrets exposed.

 

[Laszlo]

TVM were a real wonderboy team; a buch of misfits together on a team suddenly taking stages in heroic fashion- on those junky frames to boot....nothing to lose there

 

[ChrisE]

Hey all
I am new in this forum
Bot I love game so much
I spend near 6 hours playing games and discovering new ones each day .
Games are so great !
Let 's enjoy our life with game !

asmkilgil,

Welcome to the forum. With this spirit you will fit right in.

Have you ever tried the game "bobbing for french fries"?

 

[Anonymous]

asmkilgil,

Welcome to the forum. With this spirit you will fit right in.

Have you ever tried the game "bobbing for french fries"?

dude I thought you was going to call azzmackigil if he was the nex facepipe.

 

[red_flanders]

Chain links sold at your local bike shop.

No kidding. Anyone with any helpful info?

 

[bianchigirl]

Interesting anecdote from 1994 Tour:

After the stage to Luz-Ardiden (won by Virenque), Jean-Paul Olliver asked Virenque's teammate Pascal Hervé "What's the Festina team's secret ?". The answer : "The secret is there is no secret, it's good humour, we do our job properly, we train better and we have a fantastic ambiance in the team, we devote ourselves completely to each other and that's how we are the team we are".

Doing their job properly, training better, having a great team ambiance 'all for one, and one for all' - doesn't that sound familiar? Seems someone learnt their lesson well from Festina...

 

[Hugh Januss]

Interesting anecdote from 1994 Tour:

After the stage to Luz-Ardiden (won by Virenque), Jean-Paul Olliver asked Virenque's teammate Pascal Hervé "What's the Festina team's secret ?". The answer : "The secret is there is no secret, it's good humour, we do our job properly, we train better and we have a fantastic ambiance in the team, we devote ourselves completely to each other and that's how we are the team we are".

Doing their job properly, training better, having a great team ambiance 'all for one, and one for all' - doesn't that sound familiar? Seems someone learnt their lesson well from Festina...

Imagine how much better they would have done if they had access to a wind tunnel and Carmicheal as a coach and if all the team riders were cancer survivors with huge hearts.

 

[ChrisE]

Imagine how much better they would have done if they had access to a wind tunnel and Carmicheal as a coach and if all the team riders were cancer survivors with huge hearts.

Never mind. Too much bud light.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The real pity with the Festina Affair was that an opportunity was lost to clean up Pro Cycling. While the use of PED's cannot be stopped in its entirety proper management and a will to tackle the issues could have restored Cycling's battered credibility. Instead Cycling engaged in spin by proclaiming Pantani a clean winner and the 99 Tour as the Tour of Redemption.

Great post Doc, I think you truly summed it up.

I'm reminded by a powerful quote from Aristotle:

"The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold"