Pro Rider reaction to Ricco news

[runninboy]

I think in general, the huge response to Ricco has much less to do with the doping angle and much more to do with the fact that almost everyone hated him and they're all excited to not see him around anymore.

You see the same thing in any workplace. A well liked personable guy gets fired for incompetence and everyone is hoping he gets on his feat and wishing him well. An arrogant guy who belittles others gets fired for incompetence and there is a celebration.

We are simply seeing the latter here. The doping angle is completely secondary... the guy was simply hated by almost everyone in the peloton.

I would hate to work where you do. I have worked with people who have stolen from me, cost me money, additional work, treated me and everyone else poorly and not once have i or anyone else i know of celebrated someone else's ill health that i find disgusting. If you participate in such activity i really pity you as that, in my opinion, makes you no better than an animal.

I find it similar to having a speeding car nearly side swipe you and almost run you off the road and then a few miles later you see it mangled and upside down and you gleefully drive by and give him the finger.
Some of us would stop to try and help, most people i know would. However the other people i know would merely shake their head and say"so sad, you could see it coming"

 

[Chuffy]

If riders rarely speak out against returning dopers, busted champions or dodgy DS's surely that's because they still have to share a workplace with them, whether they like it or not. Even if their silence in these situations is annoying, it's understandable. If anything, the way that the universally loathed Mr Ricco has acted as a lightning rod suggests that at least some of his critics are using the occasion to blow off steam generated by other issues. He's being used as a safety valve as much as a scapegoat.

 

[kurtinsc]

I would hate to work where you do. I have worked with people who have stolen from me, cost me money, additional work, treated me and everyone else poorly and not once have i or anyone else i know of celebrated someone else's ill health that i find disgusting. If you participate in such activity i really pity you as that, in my opinion, makes you no better than an animal.

I find it similar to having a speeding car nearly side swipe you and almost run you off the road and then a few miles later you see it mangled and upside down and you gleefully drive by and give him the finger.
Some of us would stop to try and help, most people i know would. However the other people i know would merely shake their head and say"so sad, you could see it coming"

First... quit with the insults. You dont' know me, and you don't know what I may or may not do in any situation. At no point did I suggest that either... I mentioned celbrating that they were GONE.

Regardless of how it happened... Ricco is gone and those who disliked him (that being most of the peloton apparently) are happy about it.

Are the statements in poor taste about it inappropriate? Absolutlely. But when has that ever stopped someone on twitter before?

The only difference between what we see today and in similar situations in the past is that in the past they'd say stuff like they're tweeting now to their buddies in the peloton or their friends at a bar... then when the reporter came by they'd say the correct thing.

Now, thanks to twitter and a severe lack of self restraint, we get to see that initial reaction.

And this really IS no different from an office scenario. If a disliked person gets fired, everyone will talk amongst themselves and have a little celebration... but when they cross paths in a grocery store they'd probably say something like "We're all so sorry your gone". People ALWAYS have had a different private reaction then their public response to a situation... but Twitter has blurred that.

 

[hrotha]

Nice to see this on CN:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opinion-ricco-the-perfect-pariah

 

[Darryl Webster]

Ricco seems disliked cus he`s un apologetic...therefore doesnt act like a snivelling little Miller. And why should he?. They all know the score.
Can you imagine Coppi saying sorry?

Bartali and Coppi appeared on television revues and sang together, Bartali singing about "The drugs you used to take" as he looked at Coppi. Coppi spoke of the subject in a television interview:

Question: Do cyclists take la bomba (amphetamine)?
Answer: Yes, and those who claim otherwise, it's not worth talking to them about cycling.
Question: And you, did you take la bomba?
Answer: Yes. Whenever it was necessary.
Question: And when was it necessary?
Answer: Almost all the time![25][26]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fausto_Coppi

 

[BotanyBay]

Hey everyone,

I'm right here, you know? I can hear you. I'm a real person, not a famous pro bike racer who thinks he's so good he keeps his distance from the unwashed masses like some kind of rock star. When I post, I use my real name.

The point of the tweet is that there should be more agressive lifetime bans, and Ricco is likely going to get one if this story is true. What I was speaking to is the absolute stupidity, and criminality, of this kind of behavior. If someone is willing to nearly kill themselves doping, they're going to end up out of the sport, one way or the other. I didn't wish anyone death. I was commenting on someone's willingness to kill themselves doping.

Tasteless? Maybe. But honestly, are you going to sit here and defend Ricco in the name good taste? Like he deserves our respect simply because he's ill, when the illness was caused by his own illegal behavior? What would Aldo Sassi say right now?

Further, I'm no hypocrite. Follow me on Twitter or Facebook if you like. You'll hear the consistency of my message. I made the choice to race clean many, many years ago. If you want to call that "hiding" by racing domestically, fair enough. I'm only as good as I am, and I don't pretend to be better than that. Nor I do have an desire to cheat to get to the next level, since that's what it would take for me to get there.

For the few that seemed to get it, and who defended me here, I appreciate it. For those who think that calling comments "***" or wishing I had been more seriously injured when I was assaulted is fair play, well, I think you're leading the way in hypocrisy here.

The only way doping culture in pro cycling ends is when the riders themselves end it by speaking out against it. It's up to the riders to change the culture. No one else is capable of getting it done. Not the UCI, not the teams, not the police. The riders themselves are the ones who need to want it to change, and who need to reverse the omerta.

You can call me self-righteous. But I walk the walk, and will continue to do so, because I love and care about bike racing. More than I care about Ricardo Ricco.

Adam,

I see where you're coming from, but for Chrissakes, at least let the guy get out of the woods or be physically buried before you make such a tasteless comment. I don't remember anyone saying "what an a**hole that Adam is" on the day we found out you were having brain surgery. I personally remember wishing you a speedy recovery. I even waited before making any comments about the guy who dented your skull. I kept the focus on your well being.

That's why I'm ****ed.

 

[davestoller]

Not nice to see this

Nice to see this on CN:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opinion-ricco-the-perfect-pariah

The real double standard, per usual, is CYCLING NEWS.

If there is one iota of a whisper of something negative about Lance Armstrong, this website is all over it like stink on a pig. And these forums as well.

THis now convicted doper, uses cyclingnews to loudly proclaim his innocence and turn away from his past with the "journalists" here as enablers-in-chief, then he nearly kills himself trying to dope. If he had died, I think sorrow and silence then later told-ya-so would have come out


As soom as the kidney thing was posted I knew what had happened, then he made it through the medically serious stuff. So, now the floodgates open up and no one here can guess what Cancellar or VDV "really thought" except being speechless is the normal and human reaction to a serious and stupid doping attempt nearly gone fatal.

Good riddance is the other normal and understandable reaction because he gave the sport a huge black eye at the worst possible moment, never expressed remorse, and apparently is just a really really stupid guy.

Get over yourselves. If it were Lance, you people would be cheering and hooting and hollerin.

 

[forty four]

Absalutly of NO suprise whatsoever.
While obviously theres some descent guys ... some are still good friends... I have to say in my two years as a pro I never met a more spineless and amorol bunch of people in my life.
Genuine people were rare as Hen`s teeth.

so true even at the lower levels racers tend to have serious mental/ego/narcissism problems big time.

 

[BotanyBay]

or wishing I had been more seriously injured when I was assaulted is fair play, well, I think you're leading the way in hypocrisy here.

You must have MISINTERPRETED my post. I was pointing out that plenty of people reacted with nothing but compassion when you almost died of a head injury, regardless of how they felt about you personally. I didn't see any compassion in your statement about Riccó, and I don't really sense any now.

I think we're mostly all on the same page as far as the doping goes. I am very sympatico with your writings and attitudes aside from what you Tweeted.

And to RaceRadio's point... Many of your contemporaries were beyond sick in condemning him. CVDV for example.

 

[Angliru]

Gatete is kind of right. Damned if you and damned if you don't. Though there must be consistency in what people say.

I don't think Sassi knowingly dopes his riders. Well that is my opinion of him.

Would you be saying this if Evans hadn't been associated with him?

 

[forty four]

I think in general, the huge response to Ricco has much less to do with the doping angle and much more to do with the fact that almost everyone hated him and they're all excited to not see him around anymore.

You see the same thing in any workplace. A well liked personable guy gets fired for incompetence and everyone is hoping he gets on his feat and wishing him well. An arrogant guy who belittles others gets fired for incompetence and there is a celebration.

We are simply seeing the latter here. The doping angle is completely secondary... the guy was simply hated by almost everyone in the peloton.

exactly he(ricco) is personally hated generally thats what many posters dont understand. there is a guy just like ricco in the socal race scene hes a dumb crash causing unapologetic arrogant ***. on a group ride he crashed and broke bones no one even stopped. for anyone else including strangers everyone would have stopped and helped but people literally laughed and rode on you reap what you sow.

 

[Darryl Webster]

exactly he(ricco) is personally hated generally thats what many posters dont understand. there is a guy just like ricco in the socal race scene hes a dumb crash causing unapologetic arrogant ***. on a group ride he crashed and broke bones no one even stopped. for anyone else including strangers everyone would have stopped and helped but people literally laughed and rode on you reap what you sow.

"I am all Mankind, only through kindness will you find me" Richard Harris

 

[Angliru]

well said. In addition, it is amazing to me when you read the serious nature and threat to the persons health that i think it is absolutely shameful to make light of the persons situation. If you see someone is addicted to booze or drugs and watch them spiral out of control, do you mock them with comments like death is true the lifetime ban? What if Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan were to lose a kidney from their actions, do you think Hollywood would be tweeting condemnation or support?

This absolutely shows the true selective nature of cyclists morality. How many have said something along the lines of
"I wish him a speedy recovery " or "hopefully this will lead to the man finally getting treatment for a serious problem"

Just because someone is a jerk or a cheater you don't revel in their misery. If not only for the respect of how fragile human life can be. but also that no man is an island. This person has family and people close to him who were obviously worried about his health. How would you like to be in a hospital at the bedside of a sick son and then hear how people were taking joy in his misery.
Just shameful behaviour.
Instead of making fun, maybe show a little respect and say nothing.
Then again we see the true nature of these little people...

+1000 Very well put.

 

[Escarabajo]

well said. In addition, it is amazing to me when you read the serious nature and threat to the persons health that i think it is absolutely shameful to make light of the persons situation. If you see someone is addicted to booze or drugs and watch them spiral out of control, do you mock them with comments like death is true the lifetime ban? What if Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan were to lose a kidney from their actions, do you think Hollywood would be tweeting condemnation or support?

This absolutely shows the true selective nature of cyclists morality. How many have said something along the lines of
"I wish him a speedy recovery " or "hopefully this will lead to the man finally getting treatment for a serious problem"

Just because someone is a jerk or a cheater you don't revel in their misery. If not only for the respect of how fragile human life can be. but also that no man is an island. This person has family and people close to him who were obviously worried about his health. How would you like to be in a hospital at the bedside of a sick son and then hear how people were taking joy in his misery.
Just shameful behaviour.
Instead of making fun, maybe show a little respect and say nothing.
Then again we see the true nature of these little people...

Maybe we should frame what you wrote. That was very well put.

 

[Mellow Velo]

The real double standard, per usual, is CYCLING NEWS.
Get over yourselves. If it were Lance, you people would be cheering and hooting and hollerin.

Clinic double standards? Really?

There seems to be a general stampede amongst the peloton to verbally crucify Ricco based upon the allegations of one man in newspaper reports.
Last time this happened, the peloton (and you, no doubt) steamed in the complete opposite direction.

Same Sh*t different Rider.

 

[forty four]

I would hate to work where you do. I have worked with people who have stolen from me, cost me money, additional work, treated me and everyone else poorly and not once have i or anyone else i know of celebrated someone else's ill health that i find disgusting. If you participate in such activity i really pity you as that, in my opinion, makes you no better than an animal.

I find it similar to having a speeding car nearly side swipe you and almost run you off the road and then a few miles later you see it mangled and upside down and you gleefully drive by and give him the finger.
Some of us would stop to try and help, most people i know would. However the other people i know would merely shake their head and say"so sad, you could see it coming"

yeah the person who hit me and drove off leaving me for dead i want to die and would love to have seen down the road dead in a mangled wreck yep. 6 billion plus humans running around some are not worth the carbon there made of and the world is better without them. it aint all peace and love in this world though that would be nice.

so you treat unlikeable bad humans the same as you do good kind like able trustworthy people? glad i dont work with you bro you are some what naive and childlike in your views of life or your a robot . yes when something bad happens to a pos i feel a lot less bad than when something happens to a good man or women real simple why wouldn't i wtf?. no one wished him dead they just dont feel for him or have sympathy because he is disliked for good reason. p.s. we are animals whats that have to do with anything?

 

[dodgyknee]

I dont think that the same level of sympathy is ever going to be given to someone who knows there is a risk and harms himself through his own actions , compared to some one with an illness they have through no fault of thier own,
i cant bring myself to feel a lot of sympathy for ricco, unless this is all brought about by a mental condition that he may have? .

 

[Darryl Webster]

p.s. we are animals whats that have to do with anything?

Yes we are animals and the distinctive feature that sets us apart is are striving to be " better" than our animilistic instincts. ( Granted were often appalingly bad at it..and some would argue the planet would be a better place without our cognition but were here for better or worse)
It aint easy , especialy when your directly effected like your self by some others moment of stupity but the altarnative is the barbarism of the rest of the Animal Kingdom.
Compassion is what makes us Human.

 

[Ferminal]

Harmon is a ****wit, felt sick listening to his diatribe on Ricco. I thought maybe he had learned after going off about Vino last year - obviously not.

I much prefer someone like Ligget who is consistent and a doping apologist across the board. Harmon pretends to have a clue but seems to be nothing but a mouthpiece for the popular view of the peloton at any given time.

If people missed it - he more or less said "lock him up, give me the keys, and I will throw them in the Thames" (that was at the end of his 2-3minute rant). Is this really the same person that cautiously stepped around the Landis e-mails during the Giro last year?

 

[Benotti69]

The real double standard, per usual, is CYCLING NEWS.

If there is one iota of a whisper of something negative about Lance Armstrong, this website is all over it like stink on a pig. And these forums as well.

THis now convicted doper, uses cyclingnews to loudly proclaim his innocence and turn away from his past with the "journalists" here as enablers-in-chief, then he nearly kills himself trying to dope. If he had died, I think sorrow and silence then later told-ya-so would have come out


As soom as the kidney thing was posted I knew what had happened, then he made it through the medically serious stuff. So, now the floodgates open up and no one here can guess what Cancellar or VDV "really thought" except being speechless is the normal and human reaction to a serious and stupid doping attempt nearly gone fatal.

Good riddance is the other normal and understandable reaction because he gave the sport a huge black eye at the worst possible moment, never expressed remorse, and apparently is just a really really stupid guy.

Get over yourselves. If it were Lance, you people would be cheering and hooting and hollerin.

i think you'll find that Contador gave the already severely battered and bruised body of cycling a severe blow that has left it on its knees, this pushes it face down into the mud, but i think you'll find the feds case on armstrong will be the death blow and possible cremation of whatever was left of its reputation.

 

[BotanyBay]

...but i think you'll find the feds case on armstrong will be the death blow and possible cremation of whatever was left of its reputation.

Most of us act as if there's actually any reputation left to save. My own "prime years" were in the 1980s. When I meet new people and eventually come to know them well enough to share with them that I was a racing cyclist, it doesn't take long before most will ask me if I saw a lot of doping. I don't think I'd get the same reaction if I told them I was a x-c skier, a 440 relay runner, or a shot-putter. Cycling is the black sheep of sport now.

It'll take decades of good conduct for our sport to be reputed as "clean".

 

[Benotti69]

Most of us act as if there's actually any reputation left to save. My own "prime years" were in the 1980s. When I meet new people and eventually come to know them well enough to share with them that I was a racing cyclist, it doesn't take long before most will ask me if I saw a lot of doping. I don't think I'd get the same reaction if I told them I was a x-c skier, a 440 relay runner, or a shot-putter. Cycling is the black sheep of sport now.

It'll take decades of good conduct for our sport to be reputed as "clean".

you know if the uci got burnt to the ground and renewed with people who had cycling's best and honest intentions at heart it could come quicker as doping scandals strike other sports as they surely will due to the police busting doping dealers for illegal products and pratices and not paying taxes*

* i believe it is the money aspect that will bring doping down in sports.

 

[junkie]

Shame on those who kick the man when he's down.
Cobra is a reckless adventurer and a cheat, but he does not deserve such an attitude.

"He that is among you without sin, let him cast the first stone".
Looks like we have a great deal of saints in peloton.

 

[BotanyBay]

Shame on those who kick the man when he's down.
Cobra is a reckless adventurer and a cheat, but he does not deserve such an attitude.

"He that is among you without sin, let him cast the first stone".
Looks like we have a great deal of saints in peloton.

+1

 

[Anonymous]

Shame on those who kick the man when he's down.
Cobra is a reckless adventurer and a cheat, but he does not deserve such an attitude.

"He that is among you without sin, let him cast the first stone".
Looks like we have a great deal of saints in peloton.

amen!

it is why i find it so troubling that even when Adam tries to defend his tweet in the post below (i snipped it), he admits that we still do not know if the story is true...

Hey everyone,

I'm right here, you know? I can hear you. I'm a real person, not a famous pro bike racer who thinks he's so good he keeps his distance from the unwashed masses like some kind of rock star. When I post, I use my real name.

The point of the tweet is that there should be more agressive lifetime bans, and Ricco is likely going to get one if this story is true. <snip>