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

[alkaseltzer01]

The only association worse than pro cycling has to be major league baseball.

 

[Maxiton]

Bernard Hinault

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.

From the same article,

five-time Tour de France champion, Bernard Hinault, was unsympathetic to Armstrong's plight.

"I couldn't give a damn," the French cycling icon told ouest-france.fr. "It's his problem, not mine. This is a problem that should have been sorted out 10 or 15 years ago but which never was."

 

[OldManThyme]

The only association worse than pro cycling has to be major league baseball.

And olympic boxing.

Merckx is an idiot. He's always been of that stance. And yet the peloton and the public idolise him! Cycling is a farse. Burn it to the ground, as another poster said. Remove the cronies. A proper clean out.

 

[Maxiton]

Filippo Simeoni

Filippo Simeoni, questioned why Armstrong didn’t continue to contest the charges. “It leaves me a bit perplexed, because someone like him, with all the fame and popularity and millions of dollars he has, should fight to the end if he’s innocent,” Simeoni told The Associated Press from his home in Sezze, Italy, during a lunch break from operating his coffee bar. “But I guess he realized it was a useless fight and the evidence USADA had was too great.”
Simeoni welcomed the changes in cycling that have led to stricter doping rules since Armstrong won his seven titles from 1999-2005, but said more should have been done a long time ago.
“That entire decade was one big bluff,” Simeoni said.



http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mo...ong-s-decision.ece?ssimg=689533#ssStory689530

 

[Oldman]

The only association worse than pro cycling has to be major league baseball.

You haven't been watching the bust wire lately, have you? MLB has taken some 80 minor leaguers out this year and two very high profile stars in the last weeks alone. They have to be serious or risk losing their Congressionally protected monopoly status and be exposed to the type of lawsuits the NFL is getting from retired players.
NFL players are sueing and stand a good chance of winning.

 

[The Hitch]

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.

All Harmonn said was that if Armstrong was doping he doesnt like that he used it to become a major figure outside sports. He didnt actually go into any detail and certainly never went into any detail as to what he thinks of Armstrongs doping

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

Every other time a major doping story has hit, Harmonns attitude has been - good riddance. Most of them he hasnt stopped hating since.

Look at Contador which was also a long trial. He was very happy with the outcome, said Contador deserves what he has coming and that his excuses were laughable.

Today with Armstrong was there any of that -lets be glad that a cheater and liar has it coming to him. Any outrage at his lies? Maybe a little bit of the latter and only as it concerns cancer, none of the defimation part, and certainly none of the former. totaly different attitude.

 

[The Hitch]

Roger Hammon on itv. - never saw any doping at discovery.
Said that he was signed because he was known as a clean rider ( did discovery really sign clean riders in order to be known as clean?).
Says that if he was in Armstrongs position he would fight, so surprised to see Armstrong not fight.
Said here is no "definitive yes or no" and wishes there would be a "difinitive yes or no" so that everyone can "move on" and new riders not be tarnished.

 

[Maxiton]

Jim Ochowicz

At the USA Pro Challenge in Breckenridge, Colo., longtime friend Jim Ochowicz said he supported Armstrong's decision.

"He has done so much for our sport over the years and I am sad at what has transpired," he said. "I think he has earned every victory he's had."




http://www.cbc.ca/sports/cycling/story/2012/08/24/sp-usada-cycling-lance-armstrong.html

 

[fatandfast]

listened to radio news throughout my day. I must say I am surprised at the lack of research done by people with negative comments about Armstrong. Two blunders in 10 minutes on 2 different newscasts. The PRI host . Wormer asked the guest if he longed for the days of Jacque Anquetil..there was a pause and then the reporter for L'equipe helped the clueless by correcting him. Jacque had used drugs,only there was no rule about them at that time.
CBS guy said give me the time of Merckx, he was also corrected that Eddie had been punished for doping.
On NPR the announcer asked a Velonews writer if he thought Lance was ruined, Brian Holcome disagreed with almost everything the interviewer thought was obvious..

 

[Maxiton]

Alberto Contador

“I’m not up to date on the case. Whenever I’m competing at a major race I try to keep these things to the margin and stay completely focused on the race,” Alberto Contador said Friday before the start of the seventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta. “I don’t know if it’s over or not. The truth is I’m not thinking about it.”

Contador and Armstrong were bitter teammates during the seven-time Tour champion’s return to cycling after a three-year hiatus, with Contador eventually emerging as the team No. 1 on his way to winning the Tour that season. Armstrong, who came third, moved to Radioshack the next season.

Still, the Spanish cyclist, who was stripped of his 2010 Tour victory because of drug charges, was polite in describing the 40-year-old Armstrong’s abilities on the bike after having once described their relationship as “zero.”

“I think he was a cyclist who always showed such strength, great intelligence and spectacular physical conditioning,” said Contador, who is third overall at the Vuelta.

I don't often use this word, but that is what I call class.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...c70796-ede8-11e1-b624-99dee49d8d67_story.html

 

[Maxiton]

Bernard Thevenet and Laurent Jalabert

Bernard Thevenet, who won the Tour de France twice, said stripping Armstrong of the titles that have made his fortune and turned him into a global brand would send a clear message that things have changed.

"If Armstrong cheated then it's perfectly reasonable that he should be punished," he told RTL radio. "It's a very strong message for cyclists and those around them who might be tempted to cheat."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/24/us-cycling-armstrong-france-idUSBRE87N0LM20120824

Veteran French racing cyclist Laurent Jalabert, widely popular in France though he never won the Tour, told RTL radio he felt sadness and anger at the blight on both the Tour de France and the wider world of professional cycling.

"The axe has fallen," wrote daily newspaper Le Figaro in its online edition. "Some people will be furious but others will see justice being done."



http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/24/us-cycling-armstrong-france-idUSBRE87N0LM20120824

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Could someone please tell these washed-up junkies to STFU?

 

[OldManThyme]

“I think he was a cyclist who always showed such strength, great intelligence and spectacular physical conditioning,” said Contador, who is third overall at the Vuelta.
I don't often use this word, but that is what I call class.

It's about lance, coming from another proven doper. Mutual aggrandizing between star dopers that amounts to self aggrandizing behaviour in my book.

 

[MaxVO2]

Thats one point of view on sponsorship and one I believe is flawed. In essence you are saying that this case should be dropped as cyclings image will be tainted more and sponsors will flee. But what if its through cases like this that sponsors will come back in the future in more numbers. Showing strength in battling cheating is the way forward. Trying to clean up a tainted image starts by clearing up the rubbish that you left behind. Lets face it, there are questions to answer and if sponsors see that they are not being addresses then they wont want to become associated with the sport that leaves those questions unanswered.
If the powers that be show strength on the issue of doping, more than they did in the past, and clean up the image then sponsors will come more readily than they do at the moment. They are trying.

Agreed...speaking of reactions...just heard that Nike and Oakley still back Armstrong. I'm taking a stand and will never buy another product of theirs again, until they come out with some strong antidoping PR against Armstrong and clean racing. It's ridiculous! Same goes for Trek, Giro, RS, etc... They all were/are complicit.

 

[MaxVO2]

"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

Finally some sanity! Something like this should have come from JV or some other American DS.

 

[hrotha]

Finally some sanity! Something like this should have come from JV or some other American DS.

I'd rather it didn't come from a guy whose honestly quite dodgy team is under investigation. JV probably didn't say anything because it would be perceived by many as hypocritical.

 

[the big ring]

I'd rather it didn't come from a guy whose honestly quite dodgy team is under investigation. JV probably didn't say anything because it would be perceived by many as hypocritical.

+1 Voekler is not believable for me, and Europecar were mentioned pre-TdF, with rumours post-TdF.

JV won't say anything coz he's anti-doping scandal.

 

[The Hitch]

Not just TDF. Wasnt their surprise star of the Cobbled classics - Turgot called on missing tests?

 

[the big ring]

Not just TDF. Wasnt their surprise star of the Cobbled classics - Turgot called on missing tests?

Bingo: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/turgot-under-investigation-after-three-missed-tests-lequipe-reports

 

[TubularBills]

"It leaves me a bit perplexed, because someone like him, with all the fame and popularity and millions of dollars he has, should fight to the end if he's innocent," Simeoni said. "But I guess he realized it was a useless fight and the evidence USADA had was too great."

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20120824/lance-armstrong-stripped-tour-de-france-titles/index.html

 

[luckyboy]

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.

Roger Hammon on itv. - never saw any doping at discovery...........

Hammond had a clean reputation for sure. In his interview with Rouleur a few months ago they had to redact parts where he named riders he said were doping.

 

[Criteriums!]

Ochowicz's time should be coming up soon

Jim Ochowicz says Lance Armstrong ‘earned every victory he’s had’

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012...armstrong-earned-every-victory-hes-had_235925

I think every one of these guys who are supporting lance are on the way out of cycling

If they have sponsorship because of Lance then they have built a sport on such a sketchy foundation built on lying to the public, sponsors, and fans that it is amazing that it has lasted this long and it doesn't deserve to survive.

 

[Ferminal]

Another few tweets by Jimmy Engoulvent:


And one I find quite interesting


http://twitter.com/JimmyEngoulvent

As if his fight at Cassel to win 4 Jours de Dunkerque wasn't enough... I'm officially a massive fan, go Jimmy.

 

[Turner29]

This is a brilliant interview w Kimmage and Whittle.

Seriously (about 14 mins in) when Kimmage talks about 99 and how when all the riders from the previous year (Ullrich et al) stepped back on the doping because of what happened in 98 and how the LA positive in the early part of the race was covered up how that changed everything. How the game was back on. How that small window of opportunity for changing the sport was closed again because the UCI facilitated a new doper to be the image of the new clean era...
That hurt inside. I freely admit I almost started crying...
No matter you already know this to be, just having it said out loud just brings it home...

Thank you. I never realized that the lacking of several top names in 1999 might well have been for them to sit out a year to understand how serious the UCI was against doping. Now it all makes sense...

 

[BotanyBay]

Bernie:

"I couldn't give a damn," the French cycling icon told ouest-france.fr. "It's his problem, not mine. This is a problem that should have been sorted out 10 or 15 years ago but which never was."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/af...cId=CNG.6213cc6c6c34f5348dd39955badeb004.1fa1