Steffen Kjaergaard - the naive and innocent Norwegian? ;)

[mikkemus23]

So he is rider 19?

What we got on him?

He claims to have been very naive, and to never heard of or seen doping during his years at USP 2000-2003.
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vg.no%2Fsport%2Fsykkel%2Fartikkel.php%3Fartid%3D10054919

Yeah right.

So he will resign as DS of Norwegian cycling, but that has nothing to do with the USADA case. He says.

Does he have anything to hide? Is it possible to be that naive? Even girlfriends, mechanics etc knew, just not poor Steffen.

I call BS!

 

[ToreBear]

Norwegians are well known for their naivety. I think a study showed we are the most trusting society in the world. (closely followed by Denmark and Sweden IRC)

I seem to remember a story about Stanley Milgram complaining that Norwegians were too damn obidient when he tried his experiment here. Could be a tale, but could also be true.

If he doped it does surprize me that he still continues to lie about it. Perhaps he needs a few days to let it sink in.

 

[mikkemus23]

Lol.

I`ll give him some more time.

 

[WildspokeJoe]

I agree if he doped he should spill the beans now. It's the best time.

He would be just one of a many.

"I was reluctantly just following orders. I'm sorry."

 

[labratty]

Well they can be rather good at sticking their head in the sand, well actually they run off to their forest cabin alone going lalalala can't hear you, but the effect is the same.
Perhaps some residual viking genes where one does not rock the boat too much or the others throw you overboard.
The cycling media here is small and consists of many ex-racers from that period, so I am not expecting too much scrutinty.

It will be up to him to come clean, or the online press to force his hand, there will be limited internal pressure.

 

[No Quarterpounder]

SK

Kjærgård disgraced himself in Norwegian media a few days prior to USADA releasing their RD by saying he believed LA was innocent etc. No one that close to pro cycling, especially that close to US Postal, can be that ill informed. Yes, Norwegians are extremely naive when it comes to our athletes and questions of doping, but Kjærgård is nevertheless receiving massive flak for his idiotic stance up until last week

Hushovd basically did the same, though not as clear as Kjærgård. More mud in his comments, I'd say... He says he's now contemplating severing his ties to Armstrong.

2 days ago another numbnut top athelete, the xc skier Martin Johnsrud Sundby emerged with support for LA ("still a hero to me", "all doped - level playing field" arguments etc..), he's now getting hammered for that. So, naive yes, but most seem to have the capacity for critical thinking (albeit retrospectively....).

 

[JJGisberts]

I can't find much information about this guy... In 1995 he come to cycling as a 22 year old with TVM he stayed there till the end of 1997. In 1998 and 1999 he drove for team Chicky World, a team i never heard of. In 2000 he made the step to US Postal and he started in their "A"team for Tour in the same year and did so again in 2001. But eventually he quitted cycling just 31 years old in 2003 still riding for US Postal but no longer in the Tour the France, which he missed out in 2002 and 2003.

 

[ewqerl]

He was named as a client of Frank VDBs old doc Georges Mouton back in 2000, in the danish documentary Danskerlægen. As was his predecessor as DS for the norwegian cycling federation Svein Gaute Hølestøl. This was when both riders was at Chicky World.

Of course none of the norwegian press picked this up at the time.

 

[mikkemus23]

Whops, another notch down in credibility.

Thank you!

Have you got a link? I remember watching it, but didn`t remember that Steffen was in it.

 

[hrotha]

Heh, you know who the DS at Chicky World was? Kim Andersen.

 

[Cobblestones]

Another one who should just go away.

This is one of the biggest problems with sports. Normally guys like Kjaergaard and others would rise through the ranks and end up on top of the national organizations or even higher. These are the types who will vote in the corrupt heads of the international organizations such as Fat Pat McQuack and Verdruggen. The good outcome of all this might be that some of those guys' careers will be nipped early enough to cause too much damage.

 

[markene2]

If i am not mistaken did not Kjaergaard say to the norwegian media a few days ago. That he recived pills and injections from the team doctor at Postal? And that he also met with Ferrari? But he said that he was never doping, it was just vitamins.

He was getting critizised by almost everyone after that.

 

[maltiv]

If i am not mistaken did not Kjaergaard say to the norwegian media a few days ago. That he recived pills and injections from the team doctor at Postal? And that he also met with Ferrari? But he said that he was never doping, it was just vitamins.

He was getting critizised by almost everyone after that.

Yes, indeed. But then again, he was getting criticised by everyone even before the doping allegations began. Never been a particularly popular guy, to say the least.

 

[the sceptic]

That article with Steffen in VG is comedy gold.

 

[ewqerl]

Whops, another notch down in credibility.

Thank you!

Have you got a link? I remember watching it, but didn`t remember that Steffen was in it.

http://www.dr.dk/Sporten/Dokumentar/Doping/20050530140756.htm

Danskerlægen - del 1 at 26:40-

 

[neineinei]

Yes, indeed. But then again, he was getting criticised by everyone even before the doping allegations began. Never been a particularly popular guy, to say the least.

Every time he selects teams for the Olympics or the Worlds someone gets mighty upset and is open about it to the press. He has been called incompetent and worse many, many times by riders, teams and coaches. Now the general public calls him blind, deaf and idiot, if not doper and liar.

Why should any national cycling team have a leader who by his own admissions doesn't recognize doping when it goes on right under his nose? And it is not just that he didn't understand it when he was in his mid twenties, sharing rooms with dopers and visiting Ferrari, he hadn't figured it out ten years later either. Not until this week did he really get it, if we are to trust his word.

 

[neineinei]

The president of the Norwegian cycling association yesterday criticized Kjærgaard for not being honest and open with them about his past. New coaches and leaders were introduced yesterday. The new road and track coach, Stig Kristiansen, revealed that he had seen doping while riding for Ipso - Euroclean in 1997. He saw a teammate injecting PEDs prior to the Paris-Bruxelles race. No names given.

Ny sykkelsjef innrømmer å ha sett ryttere dope seg (New cycling boss admits he saw riders dope)
Den nye landslagsjefen så flere syklister dope seg (The new national team coach saw several riders dope)

 

[neineinei]

Anti Doping Norway has requested access to all material in the Lance Armstrong case. If there are connections to Norwegian cyclists a case against them can be opened in Norway.

http://www.nrk.no/sport/sykkel/1.8365421

 

[MrRoboto]

He is supposedly going to confess today.

 

[olhell]

Not so innocent anymore...

http://www.vg.no/sport/sykkel/artikkel.php?artid=10055109

Norwegian Media says Kjaergaard is to reveal his doping past today!

 

[neineinei]

Thanks Steffen. Please do the right thing and cooperate fully with the the anti-doping agencies. Tell how it all came about from Kim Andersens Chicky World to Johan Bruynells US Postal.

 

[mikkemus23]

This is good news. I gave a tip to VG about Mouton and the link to Danskerlegen. One more doper brought down by the clinic. Thank you

 

[Trond Vidar]

VG has the conference all set up and ready!

http://direkte.vg.no/studio/kjrgaard-snakker-ut

 

[neineinei]

And Inggard Lereim, Mr. Norwegian Anti-doping senior, + doctor for the Norwegian cross country team back in the day, has egg all over his face today, only yesterday he gave this interview:

"Inggard Lereim has followed national and international anti-doping work for several years, and is one of the leading experts in anti-doping work.

He does not believe Norwegian cyclists have been implicated in doping, either now or in the past.

- With the long strong traditions of Anti-Doping Norway, I think the ethical ballast to our riders are so good that we should be optimistic, says Lereim, who is also vice chairman of Anti-Doping Norway.

He believes there is a significant difference in anti-doping work in Norway versus other cycling nations.

- It is hard to work with anti-doping in some countries. In Norway, we are fortunate that we have a sport policy management that supports us, but in many other countries they have a longer tradition of doping than of anti-doping. Then it is hard, says Lereim."

http://www.nrk.no/sport/sykkel/1.8368204

 

[neineinei]

And the idiot Dag Erik Pedersen! Yesterday he said he was in shock over Armstrongs doping, and cut up his Livestrong bracelet, and today he says when he said to VG two years ago that all Norwegian riders should come clean and tell it all it was Kjærgaard he was thinking of, because he was riding with Lance on US Postal. Make up you mind! Did you understand Lance was doping just this week or had you understood it "already" two years ago?