The Bobby Julich files

[Parker]

If Brailsford is really looking to weed out those who have a sense of conscience and can't be trusted to keep to the omerta, he is certainly going the right way about it.

This is the logic of the stupid.

If you have someone you think can't keep a secret then you keep them close and incentivise them to keep that secret. If you sack them, you alienate them, give them a sense of injustice and the motivation to spill the beans.

Landis didn't confess because he was kept onside, did he?

 

[Turner29]

Bobby lived the competitive cycling dream until very recently. He has a beautiful family likely a result of doping/cheating and then publishes a strategic confession that very, very VERY likely lies to readers and fans anway.

It does seem his confession was something written for his wife.

 

[oldschoolnik]

"I would like to preface this statement, by saying that while I don't expect all of you to believe some of the things that I am about to say,"

you're right!

"I don't want to insult anyone’s intelligence any longer"

hmm...I sense my intelligence is about to soon be insulted...

"I made the decision to use EPO several times from August 1996 until July of 1998"

WOW! what's next, the earth isn't actually flat?? Anyway, go on...

"During the 1998 Tour, my fiancé (now wife) found out what was going on from another rider's wife. She confronted me on it and it was one of the most dreadful experiences of my life. She was never a part of this and I put her in a very difficult situation. She told me right then and there that if it ever happened again, our relationship would be over. That was motivation enough and I knew I had to stop."

I can see that. You started sucking pretty badly right after that race.

"My return to the top level of the sport coincided with signing at Team CSC in 2004 and I want to briefly explain my side of the story"

hmmmm....why do I feel you're about to renege on that earlier promise??

"At no time was I offered or did I receive any sort of blood manipulation nor did I witness any systematic doping within the team. I found that I could compete without it and my results during that period were achieved clean."

let me quickly put this into "googletranslate.BS" and see what comes out:

"I really don't want my wife to kill me, lose my Olympic medal or be completely ostracized from working in the sport. Living in the real world would totally SUCK!".

OK, that's better. I hear ya.

"I know I cannot change my past, however, I do wish to remain in the sport of cycling in some capacity. I love it with all my heart and I hope that even though I made some poor decisions a long time ago, that I can continue to help contribute to the positive changes in this sport"

Do you, really?? I mean, like really really?? or do you just love having a job in cycling? Because from where I'm sitting, the latter really seems to be the case.

Bobby, I know you're reading this, so I'm gonna make it simple: either you're the most talented guy to ride a bike, probably EVER, or the drugs don't actually work that well. This is evidenced by the 2004 Olympic TT, the Paris Nice and Criterium International wins and some other results, against some absolutely top-fueled competition. If you got those results clean, then you should be very, very angry--because you would have won several Grand Tours with that sort of ability...because I KNOW that the doping methods available at the time were and are extremely effective. Or, that leaves us with one other option: that you're not being truthful.

So, help me out here and try to explain to me where I've fallen off of logic bus here? I'll be waiting.

This is great The bus has left bro LOgic bus ain't showing up around Julich!

 

[woodburn]

Someone's trying to save his Olympic medal methinks.

Isn't the eight year statute of limitations up?

 

[proffate]

possible reasons for confession:

1. he has suddenly grown some integrity
2. his wife forced him to confess (so he confessed the part she knew about)
3. sky forced him to fall on his sword (because otherwise their noise about expelling the dopers would be seen for the sham it is)

I doubt #1 on the basis that I think he lied about the years.

 

[Turner29]

#3 followed by #2...

 

[BroDeal]

possible reasons for confession:

1. he has suddenly grown some integrity
2. his wife forced him to confess (so he confessed the part she knew about)
3. sky forced him to fall on his sword (because otherwise their noise about expelling the dopers would be seen for the sham it is)

I doubt #1 on the basis that I think he lied about the years.

How much did he lie about it? It's not like he was holding press conferences or going on Larry King to deny doping. How often did the subject come up and he was not able to side step the question?

 

[blackcat]

We have a whole series of 'confessions' in it everyone who was at Motorola/USP/Disco/Astana was involved in doping until they left Armstrong's shadow, this is despite doping being rife in the peloton at the time as T-Mob, Festina, Pantani, Puerto and countless other scandals have shown.

So despite being dirty at USP, and riding in a dirty era, everyone one of these riders suddenly had a Pauline conversion and became clean.

I find this a little hard to believe.

Of course, it has nothing to do with the fact that there is/was no investigation into say CSC to the present day?

Omerta might have been broken over USP but it hasn't been broken over CSC.

Bobby J is happy to take one for the team.

 

[spalco]

If Julich truly only doped from 1996 to 1998, then Sky firing him for this makes absolutely no sense imo.

 

[ElChingon]

If Julich truly only doped from 1996 to 1998, then Sky firing him for this makes absolutely no sense imo.

They are only keeping the stink off of the team.

 

[Von Mises]

So despite being dirty at USP, and riding in a dirty era, everyone one of these riders suddenly had a Pauline conversion and became clean.

I find this a little hard to believe.

Some would say opposite. The fact that all of these riders are giving similar story (not exactly same, but similar), makes it believable. I can imagine that some of them are lying (in fact I believe that some of them are lying or not telling the whole truth), but it is much harder to organize and control orchestrated effort to lie same way by all of them.

 

[B_Ugli]

So where does this leave a certain mister Yates.

Named in the Hamilton book as referring LA to motoman and being photo'd with motoman outside his bikeshop with a Team Sky car?

As much as I respect what Brailsford is trying to do is stance re staff is rapidly unravelling as inconsistent, unenforceable pr fluff.

 

[Robert21]

If you have someone you think can't keep a secret then you keep them close and incentivise them to keep that secret.

Unless, of course, they are not yet a party to your evil plan. In which case finding out who might blab and then getting shut of them before they find out seems to be a good idea.

By the way, I was trying to make a joke.

Whatever, Brailsford's 'tell the truth and be sacked' policy almost seems designed to encourage people to stick to the omerta.

 

[B_Ugli]

I am beginning to think that their is Omerta within Omerta

Or even Omerta within Omerta within Omerta.

Either way there are a lot of characters falling into both of the above categories at the moment.

 

[42x16ss]

It could be entertaining if Ferrari goes nuclear and dobs in Rogers along with his other clients though...

 

[42x16ss]

possible reasons for confession:

1. he has suddenly grown some integrity
2. his wife forced him to confess (so he confessed the part she knew about)
3. sky forced him to fall on his sword (because otherwise their noise about expelling the dopers would be seen for the sham it is)

I doubt #1 on the basis that I think he lied about the years.

Maybe he's trying to show Brailsford how stupid and unrealistic his policies are on former dopers? A smart coach of Julich's quality and experience won't stay unemployed for long. He could even do well going into business for himself.

 

[rata de sentina]

So despite being dirty at USP, and riding in a dirty era, everyone one of these riders suddenly had a Pauline conversion and became clean.

Err, not really, JV said he doped at CA, Leipheimer said he kept doping, obviously Landis kept doping and so did Tyler. Seems like your "everyone" is a subset.

 

["Jeff"]

Err, not really, JV said he doped at CA, Leipheimer said he kept doping, obviously Landis kept doping and so did Tyler. Seems like your "everyone" is a subset.

Yes the few who didnt really have a long peak (Landis, JV, Hamilton).

Those with a longer cycling career (Leipheimer, Julich) did say they quit with doping and everyone knows why. They have much more to hide.

Hamilton, Landis and JV were only a product of doping anyway, barely talented.

 

[spalco]

They are only keeping the stink off of the team.

Yeah, keeping up appearences instead of actually doing something against doping, or Omerta in other words.

 

[Von Mises]

Hamilton, Landis and JV were only a product of doping anyway, barely talented.

Landis has said that he was clean, when came 2nd at 2002 Dauphine. I believe him and coming 2nd at Dauphine is more than barely talented.

 

[Swifty's Cakes]

I am beginning to think that their is Omerta within Omerta

Or even Omerta within Omerta within Omerta.

Either way there are a lot of characters falling into both of the above categories at the moment.

Somebody has been watching Inception a bit too much

 

["Jeff"]

Landis has said that he was clean, when came 2nd at 2002 Dauphine. I believe him and coming 2nd at Dauphine is more than barely talented.

C'mon dude, dont be so naive. He might not have used anything during that race but that's something different than being clean. This is how these people think. They doped so much and when they have a break, than in their way of thinking they are clean.

We would have never heard anything from Floyd if he didnt use doping in such a life risking way.

Limited rider.

 

[Nick C.]

Where are the rest of the Sky "confessions?" Is Julich the only guy who decided when the "sign this saying you never doped or get fired" edict came down it was better to throw in the towel on his own terms or was everyone else clean?

 

[Von Mises]

C'mon dude, dont be so naive. He might not have used anything during that race but that's something different than being clean. This is how these people think. They doped so much and when they have a break, than in their way of thinking they are clean.

We would have never heard anything from Floyd if he didnt use doping in such a life risking way.

Limited rider.

Landis testimony (and his previous e-mails and interviews) are very clear in this. Dauphine was not a "break", he has several times described how he started to doping - it started after Dauphine, not before, not during, but after.

You may believe it or not, but thats his story.

 

[del1962]

Where are the rest of the Sky "confessions?" Is Julich the only guy who decided when the "sign this saying you never doped or get fired" edict came down it was better to throw in the towel on his own terms or was everyone else clean?

Brailsford admitted on radio last night that he expects there will be others leaving who cant sign.