Reactions from the peloton

[Fatclimber]

Christophe Bassons, October 2012:

"Time to stop fooling ourselves"

Bassons also mentioned the temptation he felt, wondered how long he could have held out.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

"Time to stop fooling ourselves"

Bassons also mentioned the temptation he felt, wondered how long he could have held out.

4500 / month vs 45000 / month!?

Work 2 years and a frugal man can retire for life and enjoy bike racing clean.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I think its the first time that i have read that a cyclist is reading the 1000 page report , before making a statement - thats a good sign. My guess is Cadel took Matts word as true.

He says he's digesting it. ie Cadel is eating it, nom nom nom. Next year Cadel is riding documento y agua.

 

[RichWalk]

I am impressed by Barry's comments and yet again he pulls in the UCI and 'sport image protection' plus very valid comments regarding an over zealous points system and proportionatly long racing season. Despite his back ground his comments are real world based and very valid.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I am impressed by Barry's comments and yet again he pulls in the UCI and 'sport image protection' plus very valid comments regarding an over zealous points system and proportionatly long racing season. Despite his back ground his comments are real world based and very valid.

Wiggins had no problems with winning non-stop March to August though.

I couldn't go further than this repetitive mantra:

"For six years I have raced clean and performed. Many of my teammates, whom I am confident were also clean, won at the highest level. But there is still work to be done."

How can there possibly be work still to be done if his clean Canadian compatriot won the Giro and his team mate won every other Tour on the calendar bar the Vuelta. Or does he mean Contador?

 

[Froome19]

How can there possibly be work still to be done if his clean Canadian compatriot won the Giro and his team mate won every other Tour on the calendar bar the Vuelta. Or does he mean Contador?

Because there are riders still testing positive albeit on a lesser scale

 

[RichWalk]

Wiggins had no problems with winning non-stop March to August though.

I couldn't go further than this repetitive mantra:



How can there possibly be work still to be done if his clean Canadian compatriot won the Giro and his team mate won every other Tour on the calendar bar the Vuelta. Or does he mean Contador?

I think if we are to get some true progress you have to be selective and weed out the relevant areas of discussion; we are all aware of the self protectionist c*ap these guys are using to justify what happened and to a large degree whats still happening; his comments are revealing in so much as theres more reason to dope now than ever!

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Because there are riders still testing positive albeit on a lesser scale

Ohhhhh riiiiiight.

So the season is too long, except for squeaky clean Team Sky. There's lots of people doping a little bit but the clean riders are dominating them all season long.

Man. Something doesn't sound right in all this.

 

[Froome19]

Well was Hounard or Di Gregorio ever going to challenge Wiggins for Paris Nice, Romandie, Dauphine or the Tour?

 

[AussieEdge]

Don't worry Evens, Whitey will never tell.

I would think the depth and lengths the report goes into would be the shocking bit not the fact someone doped.

He's reading it before he makes a sweeping comment, which I haven't heard anyone else do yet

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I think if we are to get some true progress you have to be selective and weed out the relevant areas of discussion; we are all aware of the self protectionist c*ap these guys are using to justify what happened and to a large degree whats still happening; his comments are revealing in so much as theres more reason to dope now than ever!

The long season? And the lack of available downtime. You know, given how easily Cadel and Wiggo took time off this year, I'd say that downtime is lowest for the domestiques too. Who are already struggling to match their team leader's performance levels long enough to be considered useful on the team.

 

[CobbleStoner]

not sure if this qualifies as from the peloton (the author freely admits he didn't like riding hard to close gaps all the time so he quit) but it is a pretty insensitive and stupid article http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/former-armstrong-teammate-plans-nike-protest
first world problems: it has a 'human rights' beef with Nike, not for their use of under-aged workers or un-safe sweat shops, but for supporting Livestrong.
he compares this current digging up the past drama to bust one guy as akin to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. cycling is a sport, these guys are proffesional athletes making money. people died, were imprisoned, and at best had incredibly harsh everyday conditions because of the Berlin Wall, show some respect please

 

[RichWalk]

The long season? And the lack of available downtime. You know, given how easily Cadel and Wiggo took time off this year, I'd say that downtime is lowest for the domestiques too. Who are already struggling to match their team leader's performance levels long enough to be considered useful on the team.

I agree, riders like those two are paid millions and of course they are on specific schedules linked to GT's.

TV/Sponsors/UCI & points are what he's bringing up; its hardly akin to footie players complaining they are tired after two matches a week is? I've been involved in and followed cycling since the 80's and the TV coverage now is mind blowingly different to even say 5-10 years ago; as I've said many times before sport is big business and as with all commerce competitive advantage will be used.

 

[luckyboy]

Let´s count how often Hammond might have met Lance.

2 x team presentation
2 x January team training camp
maybe at 2 or 3 spring classics

Hammond was known as rather clean, for sure, but he was a crosser and man who´s season always almost ended after the first week of April, after Roubaix. Providing EPO to him, in Lance´s eyes, would´ve been likely "wasted liquid gold". Can´t imagine Lance has spoken more than 10 sentences to him within these 2 years.

Not even that. 1 team presentation & 1 training camp & 1 race - Ronde 2005.
They only overlapped in 2005.

Would've thought Hammond would've been a bit more outspoken to be honest.

 

[el chava]

Rasmussen: respect for Armstrong and Riis

Not surprising, really.

 

[pastronef]

http://mobile.twitter.com/gerardvroomen/tweets

gerard vroomen's new liggettisms

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Data is so much clearer when you sort if a little bit... Ian Stannard - good effort for a 24/25 year old. 80-83kg @ 1.89 he reminds me of Brad at 24.

Sky, 2011:

Sky, 2012:

 

[AussieEdge]

legit question How does a rider prove he's clean

I believe it's rife no doubt but not 'Everyone is doing it'

 

[auscyclefan94]

Don't worry Evens, Whitey will never tell.

Evens does not have to worry about Hamilton clearly.

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cycl...nd-question-says-hamilton-20121014-27kmq.html

 

[taiwan]

Barry's comments are good IMO. Just goes to show you probably need to be out of the sport and out of the closet to comment freely. Clearly there's not a lot of point listening to those whose wage comes from the current cyclng establishment.

Mind you I guess Barry also will claim that the peloton has been clean since 06.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Barry's comments are good IMO. Just goes to show you probably need to be out of the sport and out of the closet to comment freely. Clearly there's not a lot of point listening to those whose wage comes from the current cyclng establishment.

Mind you I guess Barry also will claim that the peloton has been clean since 06.

Did you read it? He hasn't doped since 2006. His team mates all won clean.

 

[taiwan]

"For six years I have raced clean and performed. Many of my teammates, whom I am confident were also clean, won at the highest level. But there is still work to be done."

Yes that is standard omerta BS.

I agree about the complete restructuring though (obviously). Restructuring could remove some of the pressures/incentives to dope. Complete restructuring could also imply scrapping the UCI managment, which is one better than what Millar was advocating.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Yes that is standard omerta BS.

I agree about the complete restructuring though (obviously). Restructuring could remove some of the pressures/incentives to dope. Complete restructuring could also imply scrapping the UCI managment, which is one better than what Millar was advocating.

Agreed.

In Aussie, people follow their footy club regardless of who is in it (within reason) - I am sure Europeans are the same with their soccer clubs.

IMO this is a much better model.

Salary caps are an issue, I feel.

Much better for the clubs to survive and be assured of race entries, chuck 'em some TV revenue. There's lots you could do to help the situation.

 

[Benotti69]

Bassons talking about Festina,

http://bicycling.com/blogs/thisjustin/2012/10/15/bassons-people-now-see-i-wasn%E2%80%99t-lying/

With the Festina Affair, we were able to reset the clocks for a while, and personally I was solicited a lot to give my opinion. Again, it was satisfying because for years I had to keep things to myself.

At first it was positive, but it changed quickly, and that’s when the problems started for me—when people tried to get me to stop talking. It’s funny because before 1998 no one ever asked me if I doped and I never said “I don’t dope.” And I didn’t denounce anybody because, well, nobody asked me. It was others who clearly said “Bassons never doped.” Again, no one ever asked me before, but when they did, I was very open about it.

Everything had exploded with the Festina Affair and it was important to talk about it so that we didn’t go down the same path. Everything needed to be changed, and if we didn’t get everything out in the open we were just going to make the same mistakes.

He is right

"if we didn’t get everything out in the open we were just going to make the same mistakes"

Looks like with the cue from Brailsford and Wiggins, nothing is going to change!

All this BS from riders claiming they stopped 6 years. Nothing is going to change! Liars and W*****s

 

[Ney the Viking]

Rasmussen: respect for Armstrong and Riis

Not surprising, really.

There is a bit more on extrabladet. http://translate.google.com/transla...trabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1846417.ece

In fact if that is not a defacto admission of being doped to the gills himself i dont know what is. He says that you have to be extremely naive to believe cycling was clean when he raced, and the only thing that should surprise was the extent of the US Postal programme. So yeah seems like the chicken just doesa big *rolleyes* at the fact that it took so long for the danish journalists to clue in on the doping. He doesnt seem to regret a thing however. So he is definitly part of the new Omerta, shrug at the past laugh at the idiotic journalists and then buisness as usual. Sometimes i am ashamed at my fellow countrymen