Merckx says he hopes he can trust Contador

[miloman]

Merckx says he hopes he can trust Contador

Really? It never ceases to amaze me that so many former champions continue to act shocked and surprised – at least in front of the media -- by another reported doping case. If I recall correctly, Lance was shocked and surprised when it was announced that Floyd had tested positive; and went on to say, and I am paraphrasing, that he (Floyd) never showed any signs of doping when he was with Postal. The Omerta seems to be alive and well in and out of the peloton! Lest we not forget that even Eddy had his brush with the “doping cops” during his storied career.

It seems like riders and ex-riders alike who have voiced opinions on the current situation are talking out of both sides of their mouths. Only Bernhard Kohl seems willing to admit what most of us have suspected for some time, and that is that there has been and still is a large contingent of riders who are willing to dope and take the chance of getting caught. For the most part, it seems that the peloton is still messing with the “hot sauce,” as J. Vaughters called it. I only wish those in the sport would give us a break and quit feigning surprise when another case hits the papers. They of all people know what’s going on. I t would be refreshing to have someone go on the record as being surprised that there aren’t more cases and surprised that Contador didn’t return a “non-negative” before now. Now that’s someone I may be able to trust!

 

[Polish]

Merckx says he hopes he can trust Contador

Really? It never ceases to amaze me that so many former champions continue to act shocked and surprised – at least in front of the media -- by another reported doping case. !

Eddy is a Lance Fanboy - what do you expect him to say?

Ooops, meant to say "Eddy is a FanMan" sorry

 

[Oldman]

Eddy is a Lance Fanboy - what do you expect him to say?

Ooops, meant to say "Eddy is a FanMan" sorry

Has he had anything at all to say about Lance's current predicament?

 

[thehog]

Eddie was there the night before Floyd got pinged. He knew what happened as did Axel.

 

[miloman]

Has he had anything at all to say about Lance's current predicament?

Funny, but he has been conspicuously silent on that front. It probably wouldn’t be good form to criticize your son’s employer, would it! What’s your take?

 

[Altitude]

They all have an obligation to protect the sports image. Or at least they feel they do.

 

[Polish]

Merckx says he hopes he can trust Contador

Really? It never ceases to amaze me that so many former champions continue to act shocked and surprised !

miloman, where does Eddy say he is "shocked and suprised".

Eddy does seem to hint at a "coverup" however....

Eddy "did admit that he was confused by the timeline of the case.
“The control was in July, the test was found to be positive in August, then the news came out at the end of September, over two months after the control. It seems very strange to me,” Merckx said.

 

[Polish]

Has he had anything at all to say about Lance's current predicament?

I have not read any comments from Eddy regarding the GJ proceedings..

But it would not suprise me at all if Eddy volunteered to be a character witness for the defense if Lance ever ends up on trial.

Eddy would explain Lance's relationship with Dr Ferarri a bit differently than Lemond's version.

 

[miloman]

miloman, where does Eddy say he is "shocked and suprised".

Eddy does seem to hint at a "coverup" however....

Eddy "did admit that he was confused by the timeline of the case.
“The control was in July, the test was found to be positive in August, then the news came out at the end of September, over two months after the control. It seems very strange to me,” Merckx said.

That's not a quote, those are my words used to sum up what I perceive as disingenuous remarks by a cadre of insiders and what I find is a feigned attempt to act surprised by reported events. In my opinion, it seems that everyone who goes on record says something about their "surprise", "...confused" or "shocked" when hearing the news about yet again another doper or doping case. Pull out your thesaurus and you can replace the words with any you like better, but the sentiment is the same. It seems to me that it's all a big sham and a lot of "lip service" for nothing. They are just protecting the status quo!

 

[L'arriviste]

This is like English football's relationship with 1966. They have to ask Meise's finest for comment every time someone in today's pellington farts.

And every time he knits his worldly brows and plops out a chunky nugget of fuzzy floss like a wise old owl.

When he's dead and buried in a massive mausoleum in the shape of a chainring, who will they ask then? A spirit medium in contact with the great bergs in the sky or Geriatric Lance?

 

[miloman]

Eddy Merckx has refused to make a definitive pronouncement on Alberto Contador’s recent adverse analytical finding for Clenbuterol but said that he hopes he can trust in the Spaniard’s innocence.

“I hope I can trust him,” Merckx told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It would be very serious for cycling if Contador did not show himself worthy of this faith.”

The five-time Tour de France winner measured his words carefully when discussing the matter but did admit that he was confused by the timeline of the case.

“The control was in July, the test was found to be positive in August, then the news came out at the end of September, over two months after the control. It seems very strange to me,” Merckx said.

“I’m not a doctor, I don’t understand. You’d need to be a specialist to pass judgment on the matter.”

Really? You need to be a specialist to pass judgement?

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Eddy Merckx has refused to make a definitive pronouncement on Alberto Contador’s recent adverse analytical finding for Clenbuterol but said that he hopes he can trust in the Spaniard’s innocence.

“I hope I can trust him,” Merckx told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It would be very serious for cycling if Contador did not show himself worthy of this faith.”

The five-time Tour de France winner measured his words carefully when discussing the matter but did admit that he was confused by the timeline of the case.

“The control was in July, the test was found to be positive in August, then the news came out at the end of September, over two months after the control. It seems very strange to me,” Merckx said.

“I’m not a doctor, I don’t understand. You’d need to be a specialist to pass judgment on the matter.”

Really? You need to be a specialist to pass judgement?

Is it judgment on the case or judgment on the timeline of the case?

 

[miloman]

Is it judgment on the case or judgment on the timeline of the case?

That’s anyone’s guess I suppose. If I were to hazard a guess, I would think that the delay was due to the UCI and whoever else was in on this, making sure that they had all their corroborating evidence in place in anticipation of the media firestorm that would ensue.
If nothing else, Contador learned to work the media with calm efficiency like his former teammate, Lance. And I would bet that the UCI and testing labs anticipated noting less than a full on assault like Lance Armstrong would have initiated. I don’t think this is going to go away anytime soon. If anything Lance may be rooting for a prolonged process – it keeps him out of the papers

 

[hfer07]

Mercxx knows what it takes to be a champion-so therefore he can neither condone or condemn what Contador has done to get there--but I find very hypocritical his views on how "trust worthy" the Spaniard is when his friend LA &
-yes-his very son were couched by Ferrari...
the best way out of this? Let the scientist figure it out..

 

[scribe]

I am not sure what responsiblity these guys have toward cleaning up cycling. They all have skeletons in their closets, which makes it difficult to cast stones if they wanted to.

 

[flicker]

I think if you are a champion you want to be polite and be positive about the outcome at this time. Eddy as always did the right thing.

 

[forty four]

Eddy is a Lance Fanboy - what do you expect him to say?

Ooops, meant to say "Eddy is a FanMan" sorry

oh you hate eddy to wow your bitter and full of hate i feel sorry for types like you. why you follow cycling? go away really why watch or involve yourself if you hate it so much. i love cycling seems plenty on here don't or are confused.

 

[flicker]

Eddy recognizes Lance as the great champion Lance is. Yep I guess that makes Eddy a Lance fan-man. Eddy shows his class once again!

 

[Polish]

oh you hate eddy to wow your bitter and full of hate i feel sorry for types like you. why you follow cycling? go away really why watch or involve yourself if you hate it so much. i love cycling seems plenty on here don't or are confused.

Hey, Eddy is one of my favorite riders! Calling someone a Lance fanboy/man is a compliment in my book.

I am not sure what responsiblity these guys have toward cleaning up cycling. They all have skeletons in their closets, which makes it difficult to cast stones if they wanted to.

I would think the skeletons in Eddy's Closet do not have much meat left on the bones. Burp.

 

[miloman]

My point is, why do these reporters even bother getting quotes from ex-riders and insiders when it seems obvious to me that the doping problem still exists and most everyone is in on it? No one ever goes on record saying anything that can come back to haunt them unless they have a dog in the fight like Landis or LeMond; and you can argue whatever their true motives are. Once I got past the shock, I got a chuckle out of what Phil Ligget said at the Tour of California about Floyd and Lance. View it some time on you tube – what a joke! Let’s face it, the media is in on it too because they have their livelihood to protect every bit as much as the riders, ex-riders, industry executives etc. In my opinion the corruption begins with the UCI and is shared equally with nearly everyone in the sport willing to perpetuate the fraud.

 

[Alan D]

Eddy's Opinions

They'll ask someone who's been there and done it. Someone who's achievements rank as badges of courage and wisdom. Not some armchair goober on a blog thread who wouldn't know what a real race in Belgium or Italy or France actually feels like, far less 560 wins, 3 rainbow jerseys and 12 grand tour victories. Merckx's comments are valid and highly qualified and by and large pretty damned well though out. I saw an interview of his for Dutch TV when they broached the EU internal trade dilemma... he simply said "look mate, My comments on that would just be an opinion. Just ask me about something I know about.. like bikes" A) He's got a sense of humour... and B) He's humble; just remember he built his bike company into a 25million Euro operation, so he's no slouch and most certainly has qualified business opinons vis a vis the EU Trade border issues. Before you rubbish him "owlish " blah blah blah, ask yourself how big is your own cycling parcours and manufacturing business is!

 

[TyrellDirt]

Oh god!!!!
Will you people leave Eddy alone.
Let's face facts...Eddy always doped.
Everyone in his era doped.
In his time, it wasn't about stopping steroid use
as limiting it to a tolerable amount so it doesn't kill you.
If you didn't use the "stimulants" back then, then you
weren't serious about being a professional cyclist.

While we all have our favorite riders, it doesn't mean
that they have done no wrong, and now their word
is the word of god.
While I may love Indurain (he showed that big guys could
climb too) I have to admit that perhaps,...he might have
"had some help" to beat the tiny guys up the cols'.
I accept this, but I also accept the fact that his word on
steroid usage is probably tainted. I'm a big boy, I can handle
the truth.

So why the hell should whatever Eddy or Indurain
or Lance or anyone says about Contador actually matter.

 

[miloman]

They'll ask someone who's been there and done it. Someone who's achievements rank as badges of courage and wisdom. Not some armchair goober on a blog thread who wouldn't know what a real race in Belgium or Italy or France actually feels like, far less 560 wins, 3 rainbow jerseys and 12 grand tour victories. Merckx's comments are valid and highly qualified and by and large pretty damned well though out. I saw an interview of his for Dutch TV when they broached the EU internal trade dilemma... he simply said "look mate, My comments on that would just be an opinion. Just ask me about something I know about.. like bikes" A) He's got a sense of humour... and B) He's humble; just remember he built his bike company into a 25million Euro operation, so he's no slouch and most certainly has qualified business opinons vis a vis the EU Trade border issues. Before you rubbish him "owlish " blah blah blah, ask yourself how big is your own cycling parcours and manufacturing business is!

Problem is, they didn't ask him about those things, they asked him about Contador and doping and he has a personal stake in that discussion and he didn't and won't say anything to compromise his interests. His answer seemed a bit weak from someone of his stature.

 

[TyrellDirt]

And just for full disclosure.
I hate Lance.

Not because of his probable steroid abuse.
I'm not one of those guys who believe that the peleton SHOULD be steroid free.
Professional athletes need to do professional things.
And hell, if Lance wants to compete against Pantani, and Voeckler(sp),
and Ulrich, and Basso, and, umm..ANY Spanish climber, and almost any Italian cyclist....and the whole T-Mobile team...and....
well let's just say that he had no choice but to use steroids.

The reason that I don't like him, is the same reason that I don't like EddyM
because they're both assholes who surround themselves with yes men.
The second that a teammate wants to be his own man, Lance and Eddy would make it their personal mission to destroy said rider.
I don't like Lance because in the peleton he is a little *****.

 

[Night Rider]

Merckx says he hopes he can trust Contador.

Merckx probably isn't one of the best examples to comment on whether riders can be trusted or not lol.