pedaling squares said:Ha. Great post Granville. I don't like seeing this guy win at all, to me it's just rubbing it in our noses. But at the same time, everything you said was accurate.
Granville57 said:So much despair over Pistolero!
Personally, I hope Contador gets a pass from the CAS and goes on to sweep all three Grand Tours. What's the alternative? Someone ELSE wins any of those three races, and I'm supposed to assume that THEY are riding clean?
Mrs John Murphy said:I agree. The other point is I wonder what the reaction would have been if it had been one of the 'uber bad guys' like Vino, DDL or Ricco riding like this. All riders who ride with 'panache'. Contrast Harmon's attitude towards Vino with his attitude towards Dertie and you get some idea of the double standards.
I'm not sure I want panache if it has to come from a syringe.
roundabout said:I think you've just broken my hypocrisy meter.
Bang bang to you too, good sir.
Granville57 said:So much despair over Pistolero!
Personally, I hope Contador gets a pass from the CAS and goes on to sweep all three Grand Tours. What's the alternative? Someone ELSE wins any of those three races, and I'm supposed to assume that THEY are riding clean?
The UCI is a complete and total joke at this point.
They got what they deserved today at the ToC. Although it must be such a crushing blow to what Bruyneel says is the "most important race" on the calendar, second only to the TdF. Given the current circumstances, who am I supposed to feel sorry for in the wake of Contador's success so far at the Giro?
Contador rides to win.
The guy has put with up with more BS than one should have to face: politics, backstabbing, treachery, crying competitors (and their fans)...no need to rehash any of it. Yet he still rides to win.
Until the entire governing body of cycling is decimated and rebuilt, why should I have faith in ANY GT winner? In the meantime, I am more than happy to watch a total badass on the bike lay waste to his withering opponents. If the UCI can't sort this ongoing mess out yet, and AC goes on to win the Giro only to have it stripped away later? Oh well. The race is happening now, in the present. If he gets to ride it, he gets to win it. Mr. 2nd place is going to be assuredly clean...why, exactly?
Some were apparently shocked and repulsed at Contador's stage win today. What, you didn't think he was going to win a stage at some point? Are you surprised that he's still riding...the way he rides? I love watching Contador attack. Isn't that what we want? Champions with panache? He's a great bike handler and he rides with style. PLUS, I find him to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing riders to watch. And yes, that DOES matter. If I'm going to watch these guys pedal around Europe for two to three hours at a time on TV, I prefer the ones that actually look like they belong on a bike and know what to do with it.
I also reap tremendous satisfaction from the massive F-You that AC is currently delivering to the Schlecklets and all the others that fled Saxo in a most unceremonious way. Oh gee, what's Bjarne going to do without all his superstars? Bang bang!
The current situation, with all it's complexities, is exactly what the organizers, directors and riders have brought on themselves. The more explosive, unsettling and disruptive this season turns out to be—all the better.
Having Contador leading a Grand Tour is the best way to magnify the madness.
His presence there can only help to force the many issues, that must ultimately be confronted, to the forefront if this sport is to maintian any integrity in the long run.
If it doesn't? Oh well. It's only entertainment to me, and I find Alberto to be the most entertaining rider in the world. If professional cycling disappeared tomorrow, it would actually have zero impact on my life. I still get to ride one way or the other.
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the show.
Bang bang!
+1Granville57 said:So much despair over Pistolero!
Personally, I hope Contador gets a pass from the CAS and goes on to sweep all three Grand Tours. What's the alternative? Someone ELSE wins any of those three races, and I'm supposed to assume that THEY are riding clean?
...
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the show.
Bang bang!
Man, that was splendidly articulated, and covered just about every topic now on the table. Great post!Granville57 said:So much despair over Pistolero!
Personally, I hope Contador gets a pass from the CAS and goes on to sweep all three Grand Tours. What's the alternative? Someone ELSE wins any of those three races, and I'm supposed to assume that THEY are riding clean?
The UCI is a complete and total joke at this point.
They got what they deserved today at the ToC. Although it must be such a crushing blow to what Bruyneel says is the "most important race" on the calendar, second only to the TdF. Given the current circumstances, who am I supposed to feel sorry for in the wake of Contador's success so far at the Giro?
Contador rides to win.
The guy has put with up with more BS than one should have to face: politics, backstabbing, treachery, crying competitors (and their fans)...no need to rehash any of it. Yet he still rides to win.
Until the entire governing body of cycling is decimated and rebuilt, why should I have faith in ANY GT winner? In the meantime, I am more than happy to watch a total badass on the bike lay waste to his withering opponents. If the UCI can't sort this ongoing mess out yet, and AC goes on to win the Giro only to have it stripped away later? Oh well. The race is happening now, in the present. If he gets to ride it, he gets to win it. Mr. 2nd place is going to be assuredly clean...why, exactly?
Some were apparently shocked and repulsed at Contador's stage win today. What, you didn't think he was going to win a stage at some point? Are you surprised that he's still riding...the way he rides? I love watching Contador attack. Isn't that what we want? Champions with panache? He's a great bike handler and he rides with style. PLUS, I find him to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing riders to watch. And yes, that DOES matter. If I'm going to watch these guys pedal around Europe for two to three hours at a time on TV, I prefer the ones that actually look like they belong on a bike and know what to do with it.
I also reap tremendous satisfaction from the massive F-You that AC is currently delivering to the Schlecklets and all the others that fled Saxo in a most unceremonious way. Oh gee, what's Bjarne going to do without all his superstars? Bang bang!
The current situation, with all it's complexities, is exactly what the organizers, directors and riders have brought on themselves. The more explosive, unsettling and disruptive this season turns out to be—all the better.
Having Contador leading a Grand Tour is the best way to magnify the madness.
His presence there can only help to force the many issues, that must ultimately be confronted, to the forefront if this sport is to maintian any integrity in the long run.
If it doesn't? Oh well. It's only entertainment to me, and I find Alberto to be the most entertaining rider in the world. If professional cycling disappeared tomorrow, it would actually have zero impact on my life. I still get to ride one way or the other.
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the show.
Bang bang!
nowhereman said:Man, that was splendidly articulated, and covered just about every topic now on the table. Great post!
Chemainiac said:It should not be celebrated. If so, give Floyd his TDF title back. That was the best cheating win I ever did see.
I think you give Frick & Frack too much credit. They weren't made fools of, they tried to play US for fools. Those guys have been around long enough to know what's what. They've benefited just fine from the past few decades of denial and myth.Liggett and Sherwen were crapping themselves as they spewed superlatives. THose two guys have been made fools just a few too many times. I hope they take a measured approach with the new breed of cheaters. Of course, Pantini and Armstrong were rather special also.
O.J. skated on the big one. Remember?Oh....and I suppose you would like to see OJ out of jail as well??
That's just it. We may have painted ourselves into a bit of a corner here. We've become so conditioned to seeing daring escapes and exciting wins that's it almost impossible to know what a clean win actually looks like in this day and age.Mrs John Murphy said:I'm not sure I want panache if it has to come from a syringe.
Benotti69 said:maybe you and Granville would like to check in at a suitable location and continue banging each other.
MJM called it on the money when he compared this place to a gay bar![]()
Granville57 said:Hey! What the...
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Glenn_Wilson said:I am a bit shocked at your Bang Bang love fest. How long have you had that man crush? Bang bang……If you like a cheater so much then why all the hate on that other doper?
Zinoviev Letter said:I'd almost agree, but I'm not sure that this forum really needed a lengthy attempt to distinguish Contador fanboys from Armstrong fanboys.
THough i agree that Floyd is the winner, Perreiro lost 30 minutes on purpose one day, in order to be able to get in a break. the 30 minutes put him back almost exactly where he had started. The race only hit the Alpes after that so they had plenty of time to put time into Oscar.Granville57 said:Regardless of FLandis' claims of Oscar's own extra-curricular activities, he was gifted THIRTY MINUETS!
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Granville57 said:You see fellas, for me, it's all or nothing.
Why should one get adulation and the other vilification?
It's the HYPOCRISY that I'm at odds with.
The Hitch said:THough i agree that Floyd is the winner, Perreiro lost 30 minutes on purpose one day, in order to be able to get in a break. the 30 minutes put him back almost exactly where he had started. The race only hit the Alpes after that so they had plenty of time to put time into Oscar.Granville57 said:Regardless of FLandis' claims of Oscar's own extra-curricular activities, he was gifted THIRTY MINUETS!
Granville57 said:Hey! What the...
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Granville57 said:That's just it. We may have painted ourselves into a bit of a corner here. We've become so conditioned to seeing daring escapes and exciting wins that's it almost impossible to know what a clean win actually looks like in this day and age.
We can speculate, but we just don't know.
I can still feel good about Johan Van Summeren at Roubaix though.![]()