Riccò hospitalized for possible kidney ailment

[Chuffy]

I'm very much ambivalent about this.

On the one side, I wish Ricco a speedy recovery, on the other side, I don't want to see him race ever again.

Those two statements aren't mutually exclusive. I hope he makes a full recovery and is promptly banned for life.

 

[Benotti69]

It also calls into question his fiancés performances in cyclo cross.

Ricco is a snake. end of. his association with Sassi was either doping or using Sassi as good PR. i hope he squeals to save himself and in the squealing does a Landis and spills the beans on everything and everyone.

 

[BotanyBay]

Yep, he admitted it himself.

Where? In an article written by a guy named "Al Fresco"?

 

[SlowBloke]

What a c"ck

Hopefully this will be the last we see of him. Goodbye.

 

[jimmypop]

We really have no idea what we're doing to our bodies long-term if we're messing with the chemical messengers in our bodies in this way.

It's not like orange juice?

 

[131313]

Yep, he admitted it himself.

wow. That's just crazy.

So, there's no way at all to blame this on Lance? I mean, he didn't spike his blood bag to create a diversion from his case or something?

I think that's the story I'll go with. Who's in??

On a more serious note, this is just sad, on so many levels.

 

[BotanyBay]

i hope he squeals to save himself and in the squealing does a Landis and spills the beans on everything and everyone.

Ain't gonna happen. There are SO many other people who could have talked (even a little bit) and just won't. And by not doing so, they help perpetuate the problem. Any of you Boulder boyz in the house, next time you see Tyler, please tell him to go F himself as you pass by.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

The reason I chose to reply to your post is because I am no fan of that idiot either. However, I do not extend any sympathy to that jerk. He's lucky he didn't kill himself. After that his luck is done. That arrogant, cheating, STUPID, SOB should be banned for life. He carries his plague with him, where ever he goes, and his kind is a blight to the sport of cycling. No more forgiveness for him. the UCI and WADA and all of the authorities should come down on him as hard as possible to rid the sport of his kind. Persistent loser, caught twice on major doping offences. He's like the crack addict you see in the street, laying there with drool running down his face. Not many people feel sorry for those kind of people, why should anybody feel sorry for Ricco? Cut him loose, and let him killl himself, away from the cycling world. This kind of character infuriates me. There are NO excuses for his kind of behavior.
As I said before, he's lucky to be alive. That's it.

Oh, get over yourself. His kind is a blight to the sport of cycling? Really? He's a young guy who has no clue how to do anything else, has a kid, and needs to support a family. He knows everyone else is doping, so he does what he feels he needs to do to put food on the table. He's doping. He's not going out robbing banks or knocking over convenience stores. Get some perspective here.

If the scumbags in charge of the sport were actually serious about doing something, this kind of thing would not exist. I'm not saying doping isn't bad or that it isn't cheating. Sure, it's reprehensible behavior and he should get banned for this. But telling someone to go away and kill themselves away from the sport is just stupid and shows a staggering lack of humanity or even basic understanding of the sport.

 

[BotanyBay]

It's not like orange juice?

"Incredible Hulk" OJ.

 

[flicker]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/italian-police-investigate-ricco-for-blood-doping

Sweet, next time Rick stick to the gater aide.

 

[jimmypop]

Firstly, while I sympathise with Ricco in his unfortunate situation, that sympathy is similar to that I would have for someone who deliberately walked in front of a bus.

Get well soon Ricardo, but when you are well, dont come back to cycling.

Hopefully this is a big warning to those who still think doping is worth it.

Funny you should mention "bus". Live or die, Ricco will be figuratively thrown under the bus by the UCI as a bad apple, and the endemic problem that is doping in cycling will continue to exist

 

[Benotti69]

Ain't gonna happen. There are SO many other people who could have talked (even a little bit) and just won't. And by not doing so, they help perpetuate the problem. Any of you Boulder boyz in the house, next time you see Tyler, please tell him to go F himself as you pass by.

sometimes guys like Ricco give up everyone....sometimes

 

[Berzin]

Why does everyone seem to be assuming that this was part of the Mapei/Sassi training plan? They dont watch over the athletes 24/7 and maybe no blood readings had shown any anomalies because it was the first time he had done it. The apparent amateur nature of the blood doping suggests both that it may have been the first time he had done it and also that he had no guidance. Neither of these things suggest that it was part of organised doping.

Not saying that Sassi/Mapei = clean but i dont think Ricco being involved in blood doping means they are dirty. Be interesting to see what comes out over the course of an investigation.

I know an ex-pro who trained at the Mapei center, and he told me all about it. And he was there recently, as in last year.

The issue at hand is why are people always giving guilty parties the benefit of the doubt. It's almost as if we cannot accept the obvious out of fear of implicating someone innocent, as if it were the greatest crime anyone could commit.

Incidents like this are not isolated. There is a string of characters attached to organized doping in Italy, which like in Belgium is operated Mafia-style. There are the suppliers, the doctors, the team managers and the riders are the last on the list.

It ends with the riders, the ones most powerless to either stop it or defend themselves against it. Which is why the are such easy targets for derision and scorn.

Ricco is the least despicable character in all this, believe me. The people enabling and profiting from organized doping are the ones who deserve the scorn and ridicule.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Well boost performance is the only thing I can see that makes any sense, however blood doping at this stage in the season seems so odd to me

I guess he didn't want to go a pint down 3-4 weeks before whatever race he was targetting. Since blood goes bad after like 40 days in the fridge, you have to reinfuse and withdraw a fresh pint to get around this problem for long term storage.

 

[jimmypop]

Ain't gonna happen. There are SO many other people who could have talked (even a little bit) and just won't. And by not doing so, they help perpetuate the problem. Any of you Boulder boyz in the house, next time you see Tyler, please tell him to go F himself as you pass by.

The only thing - nearly literally - Hamilton has left in life is that '04 gold, and he won't say sh*t as long as that's in play. I mean, seriously - the dude's wife gets bedded by HWSNBN, and he still doesn't talk? Jesus.

Back on topic: Ricco could literally die and this won't change a thing in cycling. How sad.

 

[flicker]

The only thing - nearly literally - Hamilton has left in life is that '04 gold, and he won't say sh*t as long as that's in play. I mean, seriously - the dude's wife gets bedded by HWSNBN, and he still doesn't talk? Jesus.

I always thought Haven had the top bunk in Tylers training program,(gravity and all that) but whom pray tell is HWSNBN?

 

[hektoren]

If it was done in front of his wife, as reported by Gazzetta, does that mean we're finally done with her, too?
What a family! Jeezuz!

 

[BotanyBay]

sometimes guys like Ricco give up everyone....sometimes

Trust me, today's meeting at the UCI will entail how to properly isolate Riccó from everyone in the peloton. A rogue robot. He's a Landis now.

 

[hrotha]

Yep, he admitted it himself.

He said he feared that might have been the reason. He didn't know for sure.

 

[BotanyBay]

The only thing - nearly literally - Hamilton has left in life is that '04 gold, and he won't say sh*t as long as that's in play.

Dunno why. That Gold medal never earns him a dime. The medal itself (melted down) is worth more than that tainted victory.

And "you know who" prolly beds that wife just to keep the guy in check.

 

[jimmypop]

I always thought Haven had the top bunk in Tylers training program,(gravity and all that) but whom pray tell is HWSNBN?

He Who Shall Not Be Named. Even you can figure the rest out, thought when you do you'll likely cheer louder for him.

Trust me, today's meeting at the UCI will entail how to properly isolate Riccó from everyone in the peloton. A rogue robot. He's a Landis now.

This is precisely what's happening as we type.

 

[Frosty]

I know an ex-pro who trained at the Mapei center, and he told me all about it. And he was there recently, as in last year.

The issue at hand is why are people always giving guilty parties the benefit of the doubt. It's almost as if we cannot accept the obvious out of fear of implicating someone innocent, as if it were the greatest crime anyone could commit.

I am giving them the benefit of the doubt because i do not see how they are guilty given the current facts. I am suspicious of them, as i am with everyone in cycling, but as it stands Ricco doping does not equal Mapei doping. If your source knows so much then maybe either they or you would like to tell us all?

 

[Colm.Murphy]

I always thought Haven had the top bunk in Tylers training program,(gravity and all that) but whom pray tell is HWSNBN?

He Who Shall Not Be Named

Regarding Ricco, did he rad the Landis doping story and think "hell, if Floyd can manage his own transfusions, so can I"?

He is a foolish lad. Nearly dead. Certainly will be given the boot from the sport now, CERA positive, then admitting to blood doping.

I'd say Landis is quite different. One Ricco never won the "Big One", got caught with CERA, and was welcomed back. Nary a comparison to be drawn.

Now, if Ricco opens up and implicates whoever else he has doped with, perhaps we will see some similarities.

Edit to add: The UCI are in a world of pain right now. Nothing but bury their heads, point at the Italian Federation and blame another. Cleanest sport in the world.

Also, can the title of the thread be updated to "Ricco Hospitalized for Blood Transfusion Gone Awry"?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Sad and foolish. I hope he recovers, but also have to say good riddance to him.

Good post Berzin. Agree the problem is much deeper than the riders, but this doesn't excuse Ricco (not that you're doing that, because you're not).

Dunno why. That Gold medal never earns him a dime. The medal itself (melted down) is worth more than that tainted victory.

Well, it's not like the guy who won the silver behind him and benefited from the same USPS program was clean, don't you think?

 

[Barrus]

Anyone who keeps mentioning or referencing to Armstrong, go to an Armstrong thread, if you do so here, you will understand that it has consequences. I am sick of all this Armstrong talk in other threads