scribe said:
Isn't this a strange thing to think when it is just as difficult to prove someone is clean? Lots of things can explain slow.
It's kind of difficult to accept people speaking out against doping when they come out with broad protective statements like this.
Your attitude reminds me of somebody, oh thats right Pat McQuaid(UCI President) after Paul Kimmage released his book back in 1990 and Hein Verbruggen whenever anybody spoke about doping.
Firstly, this was from a pro rider who was on Festina, who rode with Virenque et al, he undoubtedly doped, he never claimed he was angellic but a lot of the French riders & teams had a mentality change post 98. Didier Rous is another good example. The pros have a good idea of who is doing what so they are not talking out of their ***. Robin never pointed fingers directly at anybody but it is surely easier for pros to notice differences in levels of performance. I for one believe most of the French teams made an effort to clean up their effort post 98.
Of course they may have still been doping but you find me a Fdjeux rider who has tested positive or even been remotley linked to a drugs scandal. For the life of me, I cannot think of one although I acknowledge Jeff D'Hont was at this team once. Likewise, Boguyes Telecom how many guys have they had connected with doping affairs.
Overall, the French teams over the last decade other than Cofidis have had very little connections with drugs or scandals, Not saying they are all clean but why are they rarely linked to anthing when you look at teams like Phonak, Kelme, T-Mobile, Astana, Liberty Seguros.
In 1999, there was a small hope that cycling might clean up its act and the French teams were the first proponents of a cleaner sport, France was the first country to introduce heakth checks and made sports doping illegal punishable by law.
Believe what you want but you will find the majority of cycling fans will agree and have agreed with this view.