Sky abandon zero tolerance policy for staff

[roundabout]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/14/cycling-team-sky-doping

Should be more in the interview on Tuesday.

 

[D-Queued]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/14/cycling-team-sky-doping

Should be more in the interview on Tuesday.

Hard to avoid the slippery slope concerns.

if you want experience of professional cycling you have to go back a long way to find people over 40 who haven't been tainted in some way by many of cycling's past problems

First - when did Lance, Ricco, Floyd, etc. have their 40th? How did 40 yrs become a magic age?

Second - Then try and recruit people like Willy Voet. Experienced cycling physiotherapist, drug-tainted past, xenophobic anti-doping stance. In fact, it is exactly that kind of experience that is almost a fundamental requirement to have any chance at a clean team. The better you know the enemy, the better chance you have.

Dave.

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/14/cycling-team-sky-doping

Should be more in the interview on Tuesday.

Disappointing but unfortunately inevitable. It's hard to hire experienced DS's when 80-90% have doped or been accused of doping.

 

[Ryaguas]

Lets see if "Hendo" is going to attack Sky cuz they are hiring ex-dopers... or ppl with a tainted past...

 

[hrotha]

This isn't news, they signed Rogers.

 

[Met de Versnelling]

Hard to avoid the slippery slope concerns.



First - when did Lance, Ricco, Floyd, etc. have their 40th? How did 40 yrs become a magic age?

Second - Then try and recruit people like Willy Voet. Experienced cycling physiotherapist, drug-tainted past, xenophobic anti-doping stance. In fact, it is exactly that kind of experience that is almost a fundamental requirement to have any chance at a clean team. The better you know the enemy, the better chance you have.

Dave.

The magic age is non existant. But given the age of most DS's, soigneurs etc in the sport, most of them would have some sort of "history" behind them...

Dave, the thing i'd like to ask is, where did you hear/read they tried to hire Voet? That's madness if they did, but i'd like to read that to believe it, it seems a bit of stretch to think DB would try to hire him.

Not saying you're lying, just asking for evidence

 

[roundabout]

I think D-Queued is suggesting that it would make actual sense to hire Voet not that Sky have contacted him (yet).

 

[Mambo95]

First - when did Lance, Ricco, Floyd, etc. have their 40th? How did 40 yrs become a magic age?

How many experienced DSs under the age of 40 can you name?

 

[Ryaguas]

How many experienced DSs under the age of 40 can you name?

Vino comes right to my mind =D

 

[Met de Versnelling]

I think D-Queued is suggesting that it would make actual sense to hire Voet not that Sky have contacted him (yet).

Aaaaah, yeah, okay, now you've said that, the comment makes much more sense. Sorry D-Queued, ignore what i said, you actually make a really good, interesting point.

 

[Mambo95]

Vino comes right to my mind =D

When's he ever been a DS? Part owner, probably. But I can't remember him sitting in a team car making decisions.

 

[JPM London]

I think the disappointing thing isn't the walk away from zero tolerance - I think the disappointing thing was the hypocrisy in seriously marketing the zero tolerance as if it had a place in cycling at this point in time...

About time the faced up to the reality that most players in the sport have a past (if not a present)...

 

[roundabout]

How many experienced DSs under the age of 40 can you name?

Define experienced? 5 years or more in the top level?

 

[pedaling squares]

I think the disappointing thing isn't the walk away from zero tolerance - I think the disappointing thing was the hypocrisy in seriously marketing the zero tolerance as if it had a place in cycling at this point in time....

What strikes me is the hypocrisy in potentially hiring a director with a tainted past, but not a rider. At a time when concerns about organized doping programs are so relevant, they worry only about the individual. At least there are some controls in place for the riders, however weak they may be.

 

[roundabout]

As said upthread, they already hired Rogers.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

The thing is - Sky weren't looking to recruit a repentant old doper. A poacher who was willing to turn gamekeeper. Instead they were looking hire Neil 'Festina' Stephens - a man who then went on to work at LSW and Caisse.

The truth is Murdoch wants results for his money, and if you want results in cycling you've got to get dirty and hit the needle.

It would be nice if Sky were rightly hauled over the coals by the media for this retreat.

 

[pedaling squares]

As said upthread, they already hired Rogers.

True, but Brailsford was talking about directors who were associated or involved in doping cases, not riders who are subject of unproven rumour. See his comments about Barry.

 

[Darryl Webster]

Other than the public announcement of droping a policy that never actualy existed in the first place theres no news there whatsoever.
There plenty of skelitons already in the closet.

 

[JPM London]

Other than the public announcement of droping a policy that never actualy existed in the first place theres no news there whatsoever.
There plenty of skelitons already in the closet.

Sunderland?

 

[JPM London]

Other than the public announcement of droping a policy that never actualy existed in the first place theres no news there whatsoever.
There plenty of skelitons already in the closet.

But, oh no, we can't have Millar on the team - no, no...

 

[Jamsque]

I mentioned it in another thread, but this kind of thing is what makes me think cycling needs a South Africa - style Truth and Reconciliation committee, which is not to say that the horrors of apartheid are in any way similar to a few bike riders taking some injections. If the past can be brought out in to the open, it can be put behind us, and guys like Willy Voet can get jobs in the sport again.

 

[Anonymous]

Brailsford is talking very much about backroom staff. Hes not talking about hiring riders who have doped etc, but backroom staff that have a bit of a history (for instance Stephens)

This means one of two things to me.

Either

a) a **** storm is about to blow up about ds's who doped as riders and are now encouraging their existing riders to dope.

or

b) a **** storm is about to blow up about one of Sky's ds's practises as a rider, and DB is premeditating it by saying the past is the past, and although that DS doped as a rider he doesnt encourage riders to do that now.

Im going to go with option B, and Sean Yates is going to stab Lance in the ****.

 

[CowboyTx]

2009 when they hired sanctioned doper Sean Yates...

 

[Mambo95]

This means one of two things to me.

Either

a) a **** storm is about to blow up about ds's who doped as riders and are now encouraging their existing riders to dope.

or

b) a **** storm is about to blow up about one of Sky's ds's practises as a rider, and DB is premeditating it by saying the past is the past, and although that DS doped as a rider he doesnt encourage riders to do that now.

Im going to go with option B, and Sean Yates is going to stab Lance in the ****.

Or c) they're trying to hire a new DS and have found that the only realistic options have a past or a rumoured past.

The thing with DSs or prospective DSs, is they may not have doped very willingly. Many, maybe most, would have been pressurised into it or seen no other option with it being so widespread. Many will have resented doing it, and be quite anti-doping now, and now see an opportunity to help do it the right way.

 

[Anonymous]

Or c) they're trying to hire a new DS and have found that the only realistic options have a past or a rumoured past..

Theyve got five DS's, and up to three people who can step in, Rod Ellingworth, Jullich etc. Not sure they need anymore. Not heard anything.

Apparently the full article will be meatier.

i reckon they are preparing for some news, Barry or yates.