Reactions from the peloton

[JRanton]

???? There is nowhere in this article where Dowsett says doping "doesn't matter". No where. Why are you "quoting" this?

As Alex Dowsett explains in the cited article: "When I first referred to Lance as a legend a couple of months ago it was referring mainly to what he has done for cancer. The Livestrong charity is something I rode for when I was with the Trek Livestrong team and I saw all the good that it did."

Why do you make someone out to be a villian for saying this? Dowsett then goes on to give his feelings about Armstrong:

"I rode for his development team and I did meet him a few times but I don't think I'd want to [shake his hand]."

The bbc just showed a clip on the Six O'Clock news of Dowsett's (original) interview this morning which is entirely consistent with the quotes that then appeared on the BBC sport website. In your post you're referring to his later, backtracking comments, which had to be made after he and (presumably) Sky realised what a PR disaster his original comments were.

 

[RhodriM]

Most of the peloton is complicit with their silence.

Some are. Many just don't comment either way, they're not politicians.

Yeah some riders act like d*cks. But to some on here riders are doping if they stay silent, or doping and playing the PR game if they say anything.

I have to wonder sometimes what exactly would satisfy people?

Wiggins is a c**t for saying it's irrefutable?

 

[sniper]

Then went on to say about 500 tests being valid and Landis is a drunk.

Oh and that he loves Lance.

exactly.

what I wonder is why can't CyclingNews put together a series of these contrastive statements (they can take your post as a starting point) and put it on the front page? Instead, they just publish the bull**** statements of Brailsneel and others without any retrospection.
Come on Benson, make a change.

 

[JRanton]

@PaulSherwen
Just read Tyler Hamilton's book The Secret Race in 2 days on the plane, now I have the background to my next 202 pages of reading

 

[Benotti69]

Some are. Many just don't comment either way, they're not politicians.

Yeah some riders act like d*cks. But to some on here riders are doping if they stay silent, or doping and playing the PR game if they say anything.

I have to wonder sometimes what exactly would satisfy people?

Wiggins is a c**t for saying it's irrefutable?

He is a c**t for slagging Landis as a drunk, for talking about his love for Armstrong, for comapring Sky to Old Postal, for pretending to be shocked at the scale, for calling fans boneidle wan***s and c**ts and for selling out to doping to win the TdF.

For those riders remaining silent, well fine as long a they remain silent when the sport then treats them like sh!t and allows the dopers to flourish.

 

[Digger]

Wiggins also said, and i saw it, that it's a 'myth' he ever raced against Lance. They never raced against each other at the Tour and once ever at the 2004 Criterium.

 

[The Hitch]

@SkyNewsBreak: Bradley Wiggins says evidence that Lance Armstrong was involved in doping is "irrefutable" and he is "shocked by the scale of the evidence"

Wiggins didnt say "irrefutable". The interviewer asked " do you think the evidence is irrefutable" and Wiggins went "yeah (pause) I think it is".

The lack of emotion for the whole thing, i think there may have been a teleprompter behind the camera.

 

[The Hitch]

Some are. Many just don't comment either way, they're not politicians.

Yeah some riders act like d*cks. But to some on here riders are doping if they stay silent, or doping and playing the PR game if they say anything.

I have to wonder sometimes what exactly would satisfy people?

Wiggins is a c**t for saying it's irrefutable?

Im not going to have a go at wiggins for saying he thinks lance cheated, i just dont really believe him.

In every doping (or none doping) thing wiggins ever said he used the words "****" or "****" 15 times a minute.

Here he gets dressed up in a nice suit for a 4 minute pre recorded "interview" with his own sponsor, and with a straight face gives the PR correct answers almost identical to bailsford 24 hours ago, and even plugs the sponsor half way in.

And not a single "f***" in there.

 

[The Hitch]

Wiggins also said, and i saw it, that it's a 'myth' he ever raced against Lance. They never raced against each other at the Tour and once ever at the 2004 Criterium.

Could someone who has not been banned by the mod, and is willing to make that sacrifice, tweet wiggins - didnt you race against lance in 2009?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Lance Armstrong:

"youtube.com/watch?v=c4UL7fXSzk8 …"

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong/status/256225169981448192

So, he's posted a video of Elliott Smith's 'Coming Up Roses'. From the same album are 'Needle In The Hay', 'Single File', and 'The Biggest Lie'

What a moron.

He could at least have posted something from Hüsker Dü's epic Zen Arcade and given the impression of somebody who at least has the possibility of waking up.

Something like Never Talking to You Again would go down nicely.

 

[ToreBear]

Sean Yates for those that want to listen

http://audioboo.fm/boos/1001448

at about 2.00 minutes:

Referring to his earlier days as a team mate of Lance armstrong on motorola?, it sounded like he misspoke and said "well drugged team" before correcting to something I couldn't understand.

Yates is hard to understand.

 

[Parrulo]

@PaulSherwen
Just read Tyler Hamilton's book The Secret Race in 2 days on the plane, now I have the background to my next 202 pages of reading

wait what? if we didn't knew sherwen we would be thinking he is reading all of this as an impartial person that was informing himself on something.

 

[BYOP88]

Could someone who has not been banned by the mod, and is willing to make that sacrifice, tweet wiggins - didnt you race against lance in 2009?

I'll do it Hitch

 

[Benotti69]

wait what? if we didn't knew sherwen we would be thinking he is reading all of this as an impartial person that was informing himself on something.

I'd say he is reading it to make sure he is not in it

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

I'll do it Hitch

Let us know how you get on

 

[JRanton]

@gayle_seren_pr
So many requests today for interviews for my guys about Lance... wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

She's Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift's (among others) PR advisor. Not Alex Dowsett's though obviously!

 

[ToreBear]

Wiggins didnt say "irrefutable". The interviewer asked " do you think the evidence is irrefutable" and Wiggins went "yeah (pause) I think it is".

The lack of emotion for the whole thing, i think there may have been a teleprompter behind the camera.

I saw plenty of emotion. Though of course it is something I'm good at.

 

[pelodee]

She's Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift's (among others) PR advisor. Not Alex Dowsett's though obviously!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTEQm88UKc

 

[Pancreas]

Pevenage on Belgian tv now:

"if I see they were still using EPO after 2001, I can understand why they were so ahead of us. We could be tested by the German USADA everywhere"

"if you want to tell what you think, you are portrayed as frustrated"

"in 2006-2007 you still know what is going on in the peleton, and then it is frustrating that you have to sit in front of your tv and others are still in the peleton"

 

[Andy99]

Sorry if already posted..

''Hi Guys,

I just wanted to set the record straight as some things have not been clear in my comments reported in the press today. When I was quoted saying Lance Armstrong is a legend, this was in regard to the charity work he has done, also when I said it doesn't matter, what I mean is that we are racing clean now and it is a different sport to what it was back then.

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, I was just about to start Stage 3 of the Tour of Beijing and I wasn't clear in my thoughts.

I do think what Lance has done is completely unacceptable.

Hope you're all well

Alex''

https://www.facebook.com/notes/alex-dowsett/thoughts-on-lance-armstrong/394994627237242

 

[thehog]

Pevenage on Belgian tv now:

"if I see they were still using EPO after 2001, I can understand why they were so ahead of us. We could be tested by the German USADA everywhere"

"if you want to tell what you think, you are portrayed as frustrated"

"in 2006-2007 you still know what is going on in the peleton, and then it is frustrating that you have to sit in front of your tv and others are still in the peleton"

I can understand why he feels cheated. Cheats being cheated. But he knows now Ullrich nor T-Mobile were never going to win with the UCI helping USPS.

This is bigger than just the doping. Its also unfair after Ullrich was removed that so many others kept on riding and making careers (Jens, Aldag etc.).

It appears to be really sinking in for a lot of the other teams and riders. No longer accusations but its on paper for all to see.

The UCI have an uphill job trying to keep this one in the bag!

 

[hiero2]

Sky = USPS = same talking points.

Brailsford and Sky are rotten to the core.

Evidence? = Instinct.

We've seen this all before.

i.e. Losers.

Given that Brailsford went on to talk about how disappointed he was in Barry - and Yates is up and shouting it wasn't him and "I KNOW NOTHING! NOTHING!", I am strongly inclined to a more negative view of Sky mgmt. His head is up between his nether cheeks.

 

[Tour_de_Calvados]

What a moron.

He could at least have posted something from Hüsker Dü's epic Zen Arcade and given the impression of somebody who at least has the possibility of waking up.

Something like Never Talking to You Again would go down nicely.

I'm sure this is the first reference to the mighty Zen Arcade I've seen on this forum - he could have just taken the title 'The Biggest Lie' from the Elliott Smith album as it features on Zen Arcade as well...

 

[pelodee]

The bbc just showed a clip on the Six O'Clock news of Dowsett's (original) interview this morning which is entirely consistent with the quotes that then appeared on the BBC sport website. In your post you're referring to his later, backtracking comments, which had to be made after he and (presumably) Sky realised what a PR disaster his original comments were.

Lance Armstrong is a legend, says Team Sky's Alex Dowsett

Last updated at 10:45
British cyclist Alex Dowsett believes Lance Armstrong remains "a legend of the sport" despite the doping accusations against the american.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency banned Armstrong for life and stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles.

Team Sky rider Dowsett said "I don't think it matters. He is still a legend of the sport. A guy who had cancer came back and won the Tour de France"

"I think it's not really important and I really don't think it matters"
---------------------------------
Last updated at 16:27:
British cyclist Alex Dowsett believes Lance Armstrong remains "a legend of the sport" but could not shake his hand in light of recent doping allegations.

...

---------------------------------
Just noticed Shane Stokes has reported on this

 

[Velo_vicar]

My goodness there are some hateful people in this forum. To quote the hero of the hour: Tygart "I have personally talked with and heard these athletes' stories and firmly believe that, collectively, these athletes, if forgiven and embraced, have a chance to leave a legacy far greater for the good of the sport than anything they ever did on a bike." The truth is what will set cycling free not vicious slagging off of people some of it based on subjective opinion of whether we like them or not.