JPM London said:I don't agree one bit.
The clean riders who got stuck with half a career and no money - they got the raw deal.
The fans - who still 15 years after Festina and more than 20 years after EPO entered the scene have no reason to trust anything about the sport - they got the raw deal.
Cheats who got caught didn't get a raw deal simply because someone else didn't get caught. Cycling as a sport didn't get the raw deal just because no other sport has been dragged through the mud (yet). Dopers and cycling got their just deserts - problem is that there are still plenty of people who haven't been served yet... And the clean athletes and the fans got a raw deal because it hasn't happened yet...
That Rasmussen has admitted his doping while clearly still lying through his teeth about it shows how little of a raw deal he got. Ex-colleagues have gone on record to describe he was no doubt doping prior to 98. What does he do? He claims they're lying. Sorry mate, game's up. If anyone has less credibility than LA it'd be MR... Hands down...
They certainly still got a raw deal compared to others, and given that "raw deal" is an entirely subjective concept, it's not out of this world that they might be considered to have gotten a raw deal. Compare the way Rasmussen has been handled to the way someone like Scarponi is and it's hard for me not to feel a bit sorry for the poor Chicken.