Reactions from the Pro Peloton to #USPSConspiracy (USADA) - post here

[sniper]

Oh dear.

We rightfully lash out at Wiggins for his hero worshipping of Lance and then we see this today from that lot of bluffers. No surprise by Valverde though. I never liked the guy full stop.

Headwrecking.

no surprise coming from any spanish athlete. it's baffling how doping has been institutionalized in spain the 90s and 2000s and is at present either ignored, aplogogized or covered up.

look how pepe martí 's ban was hardly reported on in the spanish press, let alone on his ties with AC.

prediction: we'll see the armstrong story making front covers all over the world, but not in spain.

(p.s. thanks hrotha, for transcribing the comments..)

 

[User Guide]

Yanno I wouldnt mind even a......
"Hopefully this proves cycling is trying to catch, yadda yadda yadda....
But to wholeheartedly support LA is frankly baffling.

 

[hrotha]

Vitus at Foro de ciclismo managed to catch what Purito and Lastras said:

Purito: "He's done a lot for cycling"
Lastras: "I didn't race much with him but from the little I saw I always thought he was a gentleman"

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

This shows that cycling is "cleaner" than it's ever been.

All these guys are dopers. I don't think for a second that Contador, Froome, Wiggins, Voeckler, etc. are clean. Valverde and Gilbert? LMAO.

 

[mastersracer]

Hunter Allen on Facebook this am:

"You know what? I agree....Good job Lance."

 

[Benotti69]

Time for the cycling media to act.

To call out these riders and ask them why they are not condemning a doper? Someone who cheated, someone who has damaged the sport they find themsleves competing in.

I want to read a journo with balls ask these guys why are they not shouting about the disgrace, why are they not shouting for change.

F%!Kinf ridiculous.

If anyone thought the racing was cleaner now, you have had your answer!

Nothing has changed.

Come on Wiggins, patron of the Peloton, time to talk about the dirt in your sport. What i cant hear you, pass you another spliff?

Till they make doping a crime, it is not goin to get solved.

I still reckon the sport should be burnt down to the roots.

 

[BotanyBay]

Wow so not 1 single 1 then.
Shameful
Lol @ fairplay Unzue

Your avatar is the reason why Froomie rides. Cuz he gets to ride all over again once he gets home

 

[hrotha]

What about Eurosport? What did Kelly and co. say?

 

[User Guide]

What about Eurosport? What did Kelly and co. say?

Only just switcvhed on but Ill hazard a gues went something like.....
"full details not out,ongoing aginst others..cant comment yet,will when facts are out...."
then of course when facts come out itll be "old news time move on/forward.."

Just a guess though.

 

[Squire]

Refreshing comments from Mads Kaggestad (ex Credit Agricole) who is Vuelta commentator for Norwegian television.

He calls out everybody who's saying that they "don't know much about the case". According to Kaggestad, inside info is widely discussed around the breakfast table etc, and that everybody are talking about cases like this among themselves. He also disagrees with those saying the news is bad for cycling.

Kaggestad also calls Armstrong's move for what it is: not wanting the details to come out.

Regarding the "witch hunt", he says it's right to go after the one who's profited the most from such a conspiracy. Lastly, he doesn't exclude any UCI complicitness (is that a word) in the case, and mentions Hein Verbruggen, when he talks about "how could this happen?"

Doesn't sound like he knows more than the details that has come out in the media, but at least he calls a spade a spade.

 

[roundabout]

One word. Respect.

 

[Houndbike]

Strong words from Matt DeCanio

http://www.stolenunderground.com/

It is official now if you wear a LIVESTRONG wristband and you are affiliated with cycling or not you support doping. I will be calling you out in public and so should others. It is offensive to me and all that I have been through. Don't ride a Trek!

 

[Viking]

I don't expect much from current riders. This quote from an unnamed rider in a VN article says a lot:

“Should I tell you what I really think or what I can officially say?”

 

[The Hitch]

What about Eurosport? What did Kelly and co. say?

Harmonn didnt go knowhere near as hard on Lance as he has when non english speaking riders got caught.

He said the whole thing was the doping era of the past, laughed at the idea of giving Ullrich the title, but mostly trying to justify it was a doping era and now is a clean one so his favorite cyclists - Evans, Wiggins, Gilbert, are now winning in the clean era and that is all that matters.

He then spent a long long time saying that what erks him about this is that Lance made a profile as a cancer hero, but ddint go into any detail just said about 50 different times using different works that it erks him.

Kelly far more consistant, does what he does with all dopers and not just the european ones which is play it down. Said he will wait for the evidence before commenting further.

 

[cineteq]

Harmonn didnt go knowhere near as hard on Lance as he has when non english speaking riders got caught.

Completely disagree with you. The talisman comment was very strong. Obviously you chose to ignore it. Kelly just babbled over the whole thing.

 

[Arnout]

So, the only rider in the current peloton that is currently outspoken against Armstrong is Jimmy Engoulvant? That's quite sad. I'm sure there are lots that just don't want to get involved in this, not because of doping reasons, but simply because they don't want to get dragged in a battle they don't belong in, but still... disappointing.

 

[OldManThyme]

Agree.
To be fair to him, Harmon has been consistent on all this. He said he does'nt like the way Armstrong uses his cancer as way to inspire many and use it to deflect away from the doping allegations. He has repeated that continuosly before and he first said this in the Giro 2010 when the Landis story came out. That's why he said at the very start everyone out there knows where he stands on all this.

Harmon has dignity. He's not afraid to speak his mind even during commentation on Tour coverage

 

[OldManThyme]

So, the only rider in the current peloton that is currently outspoken against Armstrong is Jimmy Engoulvant? That's quite sad. I'm sure there are lots that just don't want to get involved in this, not because of doping reasons, but simply because they don't want to get dragged in a battle they don't belong in, but still... disappointing.

Or let the general public know they had opinions or, worse, knowledge that they never acted upon. omerta

 

[joe_papp]

Michele Bartoli reaction

Michele Bartoli

"Caso Armstrong: 8 anni sono passati ed è tutto in discussione? La cosa di più difficile da comprendere di sempre..."

https://twitter.com/Bartolimichi/status/239004866792525825 - via Twitter via Facebook

 

[joe_papp]

regarding this thread

Not directed at anyone in particular...but 2 requests:

1. (It's been awhile I know but I'm going to ask that, in keeping w/ its original purpose and my original intent, you) please try to limit your posts in this thread to cataloging actual reactions from the cycling milieu.

2. Also, when posting a quote, make it easier on everyone browsing the thread and in the "Title" bar above the main body of the post, please state the name of the subject you're quoting.

I know it's natural to see a quote and begin discussing it or opining on the speaker, but it's my opinion that in doing so it becomes difficult to quickly and easily use the thread as a reference for locating on-the-record responses. And the value of the thread is less as a discussion and much more as a reference.

That's just my opinion though and I recognize that others may disagree and wish to use the thread as a discussion and not just catalog of the (limited) reactions.

 

[Racelap]

How about Haven and Tugboat? Have they weighed in yet?

 

[Robert21]

Eddy Merckx:

Five-time Tour de France winner Merckx also spoke out in the Texan's favor.

"Lance Armstrong is disillusioned and is up against an unjust process," the legendary Belgian, nicknamed "The Cannibal", d. "At a certain point there's a disenchantment that sets in. Lance is saying to USADA 'do what you want, now I don't care.' Lance was always very correct during his career. What more can he do? All the tests he's undertaken, more than 500 since 2000, have come back negative. So, either the tests don't count for anything, or Armstrong is 'legit'. "The entire process (against him) is founded on witnesses. It's deeply unjust."

http://www.pelotonmagazine.com/Filter/content/5/1797

Hardly surprising given it was Merckx who persuaded Ferrari (who was already working with his son Axel) to take Armstrong on as a client.

Still if Merckx wants to further taint his own legacy, I guess that's up to him.

 

[Cycle Chic]

Completely disagree with you. The talisman comment was very strong. Obviously you chose to ignore it. Kelly just babbled over the whole thing.

Sean Kelly stated he would wait to hear the evidence until he could comment - oh dear

 

[neineinei]

"The rotten years of cycling have been identified and Lance Armstrong is out," Jean-Rene Bernaudeau, head of French cycle racing team Europcar, told Reuters. "We are working as hard as we did then and we have better results. French cycling has regained its standing."

http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_home-of-armstrong-s-triumph-sees-justice-in-his-fall_1732347

 

[Criteriums!]

Full Farce World Cycling Federation

Hearing current and former pro riders and managers defending Lance (like eddy merckx a few posts up) makes me sick. When are they going to admit that they think drug testing was a mistake?

These people should form a cycling union and take a vote and eliminate drug testing from racing. They should link up with the pro-doping sponsors like Nike, Trek, Oakely, and Livestrong and get on with it.

Pro cyclists off the bike are a weak group. They never picked between clean racing with antidoping procedures or the Full Farce wrestling style entertainment of the best Lance years.

They have wasted the talents of many celebrities and potential celebrities: Lance, Pantani, Vino, Ricco, FVB to name a few by destroying them with drug testing and forcing them to lie to the public.

I am now half expecting Chris "kiss the ring" Horner to step up right now and break the absurd Radioshack silence and admit to the doping and say that he fully supports Lance and JB and that drug testing was a mistake.