Pro Rider reaction to Ricco news

[BotanyBay]

I see Laura Weislo is getting upset that journalists are being blamed for their failures. Funny how its ok for Ricco, Vino, Virenque (insert name of unpopular doper here) to be thrown under the bus, but the hacks don't like it when some of the blame and criticism comes their way.

Oh, do they ever hate it when the criticism falls upon themselves. They liken themselves to cops, firemen and soldiers (and sometimes celebrities).

 

[BroDeal]

There's a line in Cavendish's book where he says: "This was a lesson Roger Hammond had taught me when I joined T-Mobile: ultimately it was safest not to even think about doping - and I don't mean think about actually doing it, but not even contemplate the issue at all".

Good ol' Roger Hammond, graduate with a two year degree from the Johann Bruyneel School of Jet Fuel Cycling. He would have stayed on to get a four year degree but decided that he would be better off doing post grad work at T-Mobile. Don't worry folks. He's with JV now. JV will keep him straight.

 

[Ferminal]

Now we need Taylor Phinney to call Ricco a doper to later retract his statement after Lance tells him to calm down.

Wouldn't it be Och or "Big George" telling him to "just relax" this time around?

 

[NashbarShorts]

The way I see it, Aldag doped, admitted, got a second chance, reformed and moved on.

Moved on? He stayed w/i the sport! And he had already ended his riding career.

Also, as I remember, his "confession" was requested/orchestrated by Stapleton. It was a condition of keeping up appearances at HighRoad (the other 'clean' team). It was in wake of Puerto, Jeff D'Hont, and then Udo Bolts' confession. Continued denial was increasingly impossible. So Aldag and Zabel held hands, ala "Thelma and Louise". Zabel shocked us all by confessing he had used EPO, "once".

...Confess your sins, shed a tear, profess the error of your ways, and proclaim it a "new day" in cycling. Then get back to work.

 

[hrotha]

And in other news. Manolo 'mine's a pint' Saiz is making a comeback. Without a whisper of complaint or comment from the peloton.

Plenty of people who don't have a problem in welcoming him back into the peloton



http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/manolo-saiz-confirms-intention-to-return-in-2012

You'd think the Spanish would at least pretend to be anti-doping.

Spain obviously going for the full house today with the Dertie story.

Not a lot Spain can do to keep Manolo out, actually, whether or not they'd like to.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

I would assume that he could be refused a license to run a team if the authorities so chose.

It was more this comment:

Reports suggest that Saiz has the support of Cantabria’s minister of sport and tourism, Javier López Arcano, as well as some of his former backers from his ONCE days.

So a local government minister and unnamed others. So we are talking about the support from the state here - not just a local business man, or even the Spanish Fed.

Now, of course it could all be BS from Saiz - he seems to have been announcing an imminent comeback since 2006.

I just wonder what the reaction in France (and Europe) would be if Roussel were to announce his return to cycling, if the Sport and Tourism minister in Brittany were to be declared to be backing him along with his former Festina supporters. I suspect there would be much more condemnation of him.

My point is that the three Spanish stories today are:

Valverde training with Movistar (which is against UCI rules)
Saiz announces a comeback
Contador ban to be overturned

Two dopers on the comeback and one about to be acquitted.

And Ricco gets through under the bus and Frodo hopes he gets raped...

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

My point is that the three Spanish stories today are:

Valverde training with Movistar (which is against UCI rules)
Saiz announces a comeback
Contador ban to be overturned

Two dopers on the comeback and one about to be acquitted.

And Ricco gets through under the bus and Frodo hopes he gets raped...

Yup, cleaning up the sport...

 

[hrotha]

I was writing a pretty long post to continue debating with John Murphy, but I'm afraid the more I wrote the more I was actually adding arguments for him. So yeah, can't argue with what he said. Sponsoring in pro cycling is becoming more and more political in Spain (Euskaltel, Xacobeo, Burgos 2016, Andalucía, even Geox get some official funding from Cantabria), and politicians only care about being there when the victories come. It really is pretty embarrassing.

 

[simo1733]

I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours, but I think that God's got a sick sense of humour, and when I die I expect to find him laughing.

There were times when my crimes, seemed almost unforgiveable.I give in to sin, because you have to make this life liveable.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Any chance of the 80s goth love-in coming to an end soon?

 

[BroDeal]

Any chance of the 80s goth love-in coming to an end soon?

Nope. I just can't get enough. You might think it wrong and useless. You might enjoy the silence. Others find it precious. It may end, but not tonight.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Embarrassing and frustrating. Can our sport sink any further?

Though the media is an easy target sometimes, I think criticism of journalists is okay, especially if one offers a counter viewpoint based in factual information.

Perhaps it's sort of like that old George Bernard Shaw comment. Anyone can tell you when there's a problem with something, but it takes a genius to tell you how to fix it!

 

[indurain666]

I think the riders responde is hypocrit, and stupid, declarations such as Cav's evidences how idiot he is

I deeply dislike Riccò as person, as many of the riders do too, but this speech war is ridiculous when they shut up so many times, etc.

Kelly was got in doping too, and 30 years later he would get 2 years and maybe ruin his own carrier.

I couldn't agree more. I think Ricco is a dumbass, arrogant and raging narcissist. His girlfriend is even worse. I can't stand the guy, but to wish death to one of your colleagues? It only shows what a bunch of scumbags all these pro cyclists really are.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Embarrassing and frustrating. Can our sport sink any further?
!

I agree. The retro-goth references MUST end if our sport is going to gain any credibility!

 

[joe_papp]

Not a lot Spain can do to keep Manolo out, actually, whether or not they'd like to.

If he can find a company willing to put money into the sport, and he doesn't actively encourage doping anymore than any other "accepted" team manager, I say let him in. The sport needs more teams.

If he gets caught up in doping a second time ok throw he out forever. Fact of the matter is that it'd be up to the UCI licensing commission to make the determination as to whether or not his squad would meet the requirements (including ethical ones) - and if they don't think that's the case he won't get in.

I understand that people object to him because, although he wasn't convicted of anything and really wasn't caught with anything other than a lot of money, a reasonable conclusion is that he was facilitating doping.

If he can put people to work in the sport and do so within the rules then give him a chance. He's no different than Bruyneel or anyone else involved in cycling during the doping era at the level of team manager/director, more or less (someone will come back with 10 examples to prove me wrong, I know...).

Do you have any idea as to how hard it is to find money to put into a team right now? What's done is done and Puerto is history in the sense that you can't unring the bell. Keeping Saiz out of the sport in hopes of punishing him and making him feel bad or something also impacts all of the people who wouldn't have the opportunity to work because you don't want Saiz's money in the sport. He may have damaged cycling in 2006 by getting caught but if he can do things the right way in 2012 I think people should have a chance to get paiiid!

It doesn't really matter...he's probably a secret Clinic reader and floated a rumor just to get a rise out of everyone.

 

[BroDeal]

I understand that people object to him because, although he wasn't convicted of anything and really wasn't caught with anything other than a lot of money, a reasonable conclusion is that he was facilitating doping.

The cold bag full of blood was a bit of a clue.

I think that if Saiz comes back then he will have problems similar to Sevilla and Mancebo. No way they let him into the Pro Tour (or whatever the call it these days; I lose track) club. It will be a major endeavor for him to get a Pro Continental license.

I think Ricco will suffer a similar fate even if he does not get criminally prosecuted. He has become an embarrassment.

 

[Ferminal]

If he can put people to work in the sport and do so within the rules then give him a chance. He's no different than Bruyneel or anyone else involved in cycling during the doping era at the level of team manager/director, more or less (someone will come back with 10 examples to prove me wrong, I know...).

JB got a four year license with Radioshack, if Saiz puts together a solid package there's no reason he shouldn't get the same treatment.

 

[Topangarider]

Cavendish's comment about prison rape reveals how low class and uneducated he is. It's also surprising that his major corporate sponsors would tolerate this type of comment. I can only imagine the reaction if a MLB player were to have said this.

All aspects of this Ricco event reflect badly on cycling. Its all really depressing.

 

[step23]

this Ricco drama showed that the UCI system is not functioning well. and the cycling sport itself is like drugs: you know it's massively dirty but still watch it because it's so much fun and adrenalin. pity that people have to compromise on doping issue when it comes to good show.

most probably it will not be cleaner any time soon. once corruption appears in some institution you won't get rid of it w/o serious restructuring. 10 years have passed after this Christophe Bassons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christophe_Bassons story still not much changed imho

and these riders who crucify Ricco are just hypocrites who know how the system is working and they are fooling only themselves and blind fans

 

[dsut4392]

The way I see it, Aldag doped, admitted, got a second chance, reformed and moved on.

You have to be joking. There was no "reform" required for him, nobody waiting to collect his urine, nobody tracking his whereabouts, and he never needed to visit the gynaecologist again anyway.

Aldag admitted doping in a public diplay of remorse during a group-hug of other Telekom ex-dopers, AFTER his career as a rider was over. He had absolutely NOTHING left to lose - Jan had already been thrown under the bus, Riis and Zabel were throwing in the towel, and everyone knew Aldag was with them at ground zero.

His choice was to admit, and continue in the sport as a repentant disciple, or be forever tainted as a known-but-in-denial doper. That group-hug admission got them all off scot-free, letting Aldag (and Zabel) continue on down the High Road while Riis laughed all the way to the (Saxo) bank.

Is he truly reformed, repentant, and helping his charges keep to the straight and narrow High Road? Maybe, time alone will tell; but comparing his situation to Ricco's is in no way fair.

 

[thehog]

JB got a four year license with Radioshack, if Saiz puts together a solid package there's no reason he shouldn't get the same treatment.

Radioshack got a 4 year licence based on two years of money??!?!?

Lampre got sucked because it had 3 years?? as did Cofidis. Strange.

That's way off topic.

Poor old Ricco. He's now the new Floyd. They'll be kicking him for the next 4 years. He's part of the old cycling. Not the new cycling.

Its so ironic that Armstrong and co. are good because they can afford a sophisticated way of doping and paying off the testers and the UCI. But dumb-**** Ricco is a loser because he has to transfuse all alone.... Guys like Cav and Wiggo have been around long enough to know about USPS. They only have to look how Astana raced in 2009 to know. But thats different? Its more a reflection on society in general than on cycling. If you're affluent and have money then taking coke in the toilets at smart nightclub in Austin is much better than a few guys sitting around in a bedsit in Detroit chasing the dragon.

 

[Barrus]

Shall we take the Saiz discussion to the Saiz topic?

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

Why? It isn't doing any harm here and it nicely juxtaposes the double standards within the cycling media. As they throw Ricco under the bus they say nothing as Saiz, Valverde and Contador are welcomed with open arms. In the case of Saiz with the support of the Spanish state.

There is a perfectly valid intellectual reason for it to be discussed here.

Discussions naturally evolve as new points of discussion emerge, they naturally shift, to try to police the evolution of a discussion is as futile as trying to turn back the sea.

Is it really necessary to be such a control freak trying to police our thoughts and discussions? There is no flaming going on, no trolling, just people having a discussion. Given how tough you keep telling us modding is don't you have better things to do with your time than worry about the fact that Saiz isn't being discussed in the Saiz thread.

 

[Barrus]

The Saiz discussion does not even have anything to do with the cycling media. Nowhere in that discussion was anything brought up about cycling media. Really do you just have a stick up your *** about cyling media and CN in particular? That you are required to discuss it everywhere and go against everything as though they try to silence your comments, even when these comments are not even about the cycling media? Especially when the post in which you start this discussion you mainly rail against Spain

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

For goodness sake chill out and stop being so thin-skinned.

This began as a discussion about reactions to Ricco - which moved into the way in which the press and riders have piled into Ricco, Frodo's comments and CN's failure to challenge them, and the silence on Valverde (illegally) training with his team, Saiz on the comeback, and Contador potentially being cleared.

Those same riders and press who couldn't wait to denounce Ricco, on twitter, in interviews and articles, have somehow lost the ability to comment when it comes to those three.

Discussion on rider/press reactions to Ricco begats discussion on rider/press silence on Valverde, Dertie and Saiz.