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

[Zweistein]

How about the fact we have not heard from Lemond, Landis, or Andreu this week? Has the USADA told them to run for cover and prepare for the Lance Klingon strike force?

They don't have to say anything. Saying something risk making it all personal instead of wanting cycling to change. But you can be sure as hell everyone that Lance has slandered, pushed out of their profession, and harmed financially probably celebrated with a few cold beers when they heard the news.

 

[hrotha]

If Evans said anything, I'd expect it to be something like "Let's see how the investigation pans out before commenting". That's something I can live with, even though it's not ideal. But it's one thing to not say anything of substance on the matter, and another very different thing to openly defend Armstrong or imply you believe he's innocent, like Talansky, Thomas and Horner did.

Don't say anything if you don't want the attention or whatever. But don't take us fans for fools.

 

[Race Radio]

So I must have been dreaming about Murdoch's Sunday Times publishing saucy extracts from Walsh's book LA Confidentiel resulting in Armstrong taking defamation action under UK's draconian defamation laws that side with the oppressed?

Very much looking now like Armstrong obtained a confidential settlement by fraud (here read judgment obtained by fraud under UK law) if USADA is successful in obtaining a non qualitive positive from Armstrong.

They are exploring their options. While the settlement was small, around $200,000 IIRC, The penalties for what Armstrong did are huge in the UK. Could be millions.

Times had a piece from Walsh today on Wonderboy, anybody see it?

 

[Race Radio]

How about the fact we have not heard from Lemond, Landis, or Andreu this week? Has the USADA told them to run for cover and prepare for the Lance Klingon strike force?

They have been busy. Greg has been doing kartwheels, landis is drunk, and Betsy has been busy testing the limits of Golden Corral's all you can eat policy

 

[mewmewmew13]

Ironic isn't it? Armstrong preyed on those whom he perceived as weak (Andreu, Kimmage, Landis, etc.). Now that he has been weakened, he is the prey.

Karma at its best.

To me, it is interesting not just who comments on this, but who does not. So far, we have nothing from some of the top riders in the US. Phinney says nothing so far? He was one of the first to yap about Vino.

That was an error that you prolly won't see him make again.

 

[thehog]

They are exploring their options. While the settlement was small, around $200,000 IIRC, The penalties for what Armstrong did are huge in the UK. Could be millions.

Times had a piece from Walsh today on Wonderboy, anybody see it?

du habst link?

 

[mewmewmew13]

du habst link?

It was being bantered around on twit earlier but said banterer informed that you needed a subscript to the Times...

you don't?

 

[cleanmarine]

How about Dave Wiens thoughts? The Leadville 100 guy. Won many races until Armstrong brought the pharmaceutical factory to town.

 

[MarkvW]

So I must have been dreaming about Murdoch's Sunday Times publishing saucy extracts from Walsh's book LA Confidentiel resulting in Armstrong taking defamation action under UK's draconian defamation laws that side with the oppressed?

Very much looking now like Armstrong obtained a confidential settlement by fraud (here read judgment obtained by fraud under UK law) if USADA is successful in obtaining a non qualitive positive from Armstrong.

I'd suggest that the publication of the Walsh stories was the exception that proves the rule. Armstrong's lawsuit was a strong message of intimidation. It did appear to work for awhile, didn't it?

 

[PCutter]

If Evans said anything, I'd expect it to be something like "Let's see how the investigation pans out before commenting".

Hopefully he'd say "Give my my yellow jersey from 2005!! I'm a two time winner!"

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2012/06/what-a-mess/

Also, adding to some posters views on intimidation by LA/Walsh. Interview with Rupert Guiness (Australian cycling journo) sites his getting the cold shoulder from LA just by being friends with Walsh (apologies for slight off topicness)

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2012/06/a-yarn-with-rupert-guinness/

 

[Ferminal]

Hopefully he'd say "Give my my yellow jersey from 2005!! I'm a two time winner!"

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2012/06/what-a-mess/

If I were Evans I think I'd want to be distancing myself from results sheets like 2005.

 

[danjo007]

Guys like Horner and Talansky should just STFU and let people think they are stupid instead of opening their mouths and confirming it.

they should post here then

 

[SewingCircle]

People on this forum, think about this:

You are a new pro (Talansky/Gesink,anyone, pick one) - you have seen the best team in the world last year (Highroad) not get a sponsor and fold because corporate sponsors are scared to sign up and spend millions on a team because of cycling's reputation, hence removing job opportunities and your earning potential. Now, the USDA comes along, after the DOJ decided not to move forward, and charges Lance again. More bad press for cycling which will scare off more sponsors who ultimately pay their salaries. Of course they are ****ed and wish the USDA would just either let it go, or actually not leak information.

So, those of you saying people who somehow are sympathetic to Armstrong if they don't 100% agree with the USDA approach are naive to simply obtuse to the financials of pro cycling.

 

[JA.Tri]

People on this forum, think about this:

You are a new pro (Talansky/Gesink,anyone, pick one) - you have seen the best team in the world last year (Highroad) not get a sponsor and fold because corporate sponsors are scared to sign up and spend millions on a team because of cycling's reputation, hence removing job opportunities and your earning potential. Now, the USDA comes along, after the DOJ decided not to move forward, and charges Lance again. More bad press for cycling which will scare off more sponsors who ultimately pay their salaries. Of course they are ****ed and wish the USDA would just either let it go, or actually not leak information.

So, those of you saying people who somehow are sympathetic to Armstrong if they don't 100% agree with the USDA approach are naive to simply obtuse to the financials of pro cycling.

Seems USADA did not leak info, rather source associated with Lance's camp.

A sit and think before speaking would probably have resulted in more circumspect wording/thoughts...especially if truly concerned about the long term viability of the sport you love.

 

[noddy69]

People on this forum, think about this:

You are a new pro (Talansky/Gesink,anyone, pick one) - you have seen the best team in the world last year (Highroad) not get a sponsor and fold because corporate sponsors are scared to sign up and spend millions on a team because of cycling's reputation, hence removing job opportunities and your earning potential. Now, the USDA comes along, after the DOJ decided not to move forward, and charges Lance again. More bad press for cycling which will scare off more sponsors who ultimately pay their salaries. Of course they are ****ed and wish the USDA would just either let it go, or actually not leak information.

So, those of you saying people who somehow are sympathetic to Armstrong if they don't 100% agree with the USDA approach are naive to simply obtuse to the financials of pro cycling.

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.

 

[User Guide]

spot on -He's the one I would love to hear from about LA's current situation, knowing how "adamant he was back then on doping issues & his continuing defense on LA".

........And nonetheless I'd like to hear from CADEL EVANS as well;)

As one of many Ferrari alumni, im sure hell just be quiet and hope it all blows over.

 

[hrotha]

People on this forum, think about this:

You are a new pro (Talansky/Gesink,anyone, pick one) - you have seen the best team in the world last year (Highroad) not get a sponsor and fold because corporate sponsors are scared to sign up and spend millions on a team because of cycling's reputation, hence removing job opportunities and your earning potential. Now, the USDA comes along, after the DOJ decided not to move forward, and charges Lance again. More bad press for cycling which will scare off more sponsors who ultimately pay their salaries. Of course they are ****ed and wish the USDA would just either let it go, or actually not leak information.

So, those of you saying people who somehow are sympathetic to Armstrong if they don't 100% agree with the USDA approach are naive to simply obtuse to the financials of pro cycling.

Hence what I said earlier about not commenting on the case if you don't want the publicity - for you or for your sport. But there's a difference between keeping your mouth shut and publicly defending the innocence of Armstrong, like some of them are doing.

None of them seemed to object when the Italians went after Valverde or Riccò.

 

[CraigN]

Lance Armstrong

"'I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one."


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1y8YabyWQ"

It may be coming from the accused's mouth, but makes sense...

 

[ChewbaccaD]

Lance Armstrong

"'I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one."


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1y8YabyWQ"

It may be coming from the accused's mouth, but makes sense...

In the face of what he is charged with, you think that statement makes sense? It makes about as much sense as his "#unconstitutional" in his tweet about the subject. No, if you read the letter, this isn't a situation like any other we have ever seen. Never has a governing body brought this type of case, with this depth. This isn't just about Lance doping. This is a much larger fish. This is about a systematic doping program that was instituted by a medical staff at the direction of the DS and Mr. Armstrong. This is about a massive fraud perpetrated by multiple people. Mr. Armstrong was not the only name in that letter. If this was about some single positive from 12 years ago, I think your apologist tactics would be more warranted. As it stands, your mantra (one that you are certainly not an innovator of) is misplaced and irrelevant. I know it hurts to have a hero exposed, but the other fish frying here are just as important to the promotion of a cleaner sport.

You guys keep acting like this is similar to the Landis case or even Joe's case. It isn't. This case strikes at the core of doping problem in the last 20 years in particular. Doping became much a much more complex and sophisticated during that time, and this case sinks a dagger into the heart of it. We have never seen anything like this from a governing body in any sport.

 

[fatandfast]

The timeline if Armstrong lied about doping will never be verified from this process. The same standards applied to Landis will be in effect. The government will decide when they started lying and that date will only be moved backward if they admitted an early date while they are juggling facts and semi facts.

 

[fatsprintking]

In the face of what he is charged with, you think that statement makes sense? It makes about as much sense as his "#unconstitutional" in his tweet about the subject. No, if you read the letter, this isn't a situation like any other we have ever seen. Never has a governing body brought this type of case, with this depth. This isn't just about Lance doping. This is a much larger fish. This is about a systematic doping program that was instituted by a medical staff at the direction of the DS and Mr. Armstrong. This is about a massive fraud perpetrated by multiple people. Mr. Armstrong was not the only name in that letter. If this was about some single positive from 12 years ago, I think your apologist tactics would be more warranted. As it stands, your mantra (one that you are certainly not an innovator of) is misplaced and irrelevant. I know it hurts to have a hero exposed, but the other fish frying here are just as important to the promotion of a cleaner sport.

You guys keep acting like this is similar to the Landis case or even Joe's case. It isn't. This case strikes at the core of doping problem in the last 20 years in particular. Doping became much a much more complex and sophisticated during that time, and this case sinks a dagger into the heart of it. We have never seen anything like this from a governing body in any sport.

Good response - thanks

 

[rickshaw]

sorry joe, game over

Let's keep this thread reasonably on-topic and stick to documenting the reactions from pro cyclists (and triathletes, too, and former riders, current DS's??) and providing appropriate commentary on said reactions. Want this to be a resource that's easy to access and doesn't require a lot of wading through typical Clinic in-fighting

looks like you lost around post 30+. Do you think somebody (UCI, LA, other?) could deliberately torpedo these threads? Like have someone on the payroll to so crank out the meaningless drivel these topics fill up with? Muddy the water? Kill any reasoned discussion? Hard to imagine there are THIS many completely clueless posters.

Wadda ya think?

 

[cleanmarine]

looks like you lost around post 30+. Do you think somebody (UCI, LA, other?) could deliberately torpedo these threads? Like have someone on the payroll to so crank out the meaningless drivel these topics fill up with? Muddy the water? Kill any reasoned discussion? Hard to imagine there are THIS many completely clueless posters.

Wadda ya think?

Of course the propaganda machine is churning out garbage at levels not seen since Stalin's time.

 

[sniper]

looks like you lost around post 30+. Do you think somebody (UCI, LA, other?) could deliberately torpedo these threads? Like have someone on the payroll to so crank out the meaningless drivel these topics fill up with? Muddy the water? Kill any reasoned discussion? Hard to imagine there are THIS many completely clueless posters.

Wadda ya think?

indeed.
as the OP clearly said "no derailing please", can't we have a mod filter out the derailing posts? (including this message then of course).

 

[hrotha]

The thing is, I've been on the lookout for more reactions, but in general the silence is deafening.