The Cobra Strikes - Ricco`'s latest

[davidw]

Via the Italian bike racing newsgroup:

http://www.cicloweb.it/art1409.html#10

The guy's in fine form as ever:

"Cunego ought to go home and train for some other race ..."

"Basso and Pellizotti should come to an agreement, because they're racing 'like dogs'" (literal translation).

"Gibo is old, but I say it with respect"

"Scarponi is out of shape"

Regarding the Milano stage, he calls the group a "flock of sheep".

And so on and so forth...

 

[Animal]

Oh, he's going to be welcomed back with open arms isn't he? He always was a popular guy I believe!

 

[Anonymous]

like anyone cares for the opinions of a cheating druggie sat on his porch.. :/

 

[St. Elia]

I love the guy, he pulls no punches. At least he fessed up to his EPO use/abuse. Arrogance is a part of sport and more so in bike racing then any other in my opinion. if you want British understatement read what Cav has to say.

L

 

[bikepure]

you love this guy?

WHAT, ! you are a muppet. he destroyed the Tour de France and was doping in the Grio.
Ricco =Little brat is sitting at home brooding and angry at how he wasted his own talent.

Other than the "mess in milan" the Giro is fantastic racing. Edge of your seat, real bike racing. Just what the fans love and all the better for him being out of it- as all cheats.

 

[St. Elia]

they all cheat. I like that he has an opinion and he is always interesting. As far as him ruining the tour.... He and many others over the years have done that. Yes he doped and yes he admitted it unlike so many others. People (mostly Brits) love David miller for admitting he doped but hate Ricco, that my Muppet friend is BS.


There is no doubt that Ricco is over the top, and I'm not saying I want to be friends with the guy, but to go out and say the sh*&^ he does and then deliver when he obviously has no friends in the peloton, I think that deserves respect. As for making bold statements, Cav has been know to make a few in his life as well and so do many spriters, robbie M for example. I think if you are going to be good at bunch spirits you have to have that cockiness. Ricco obviously is trying to be another Panttani and in many ways he seems he is, I hope that he doesn't end the way Marco did but I do hope he comes back to his former form. You have to admit he keeps things interesting.

 

[Anonymous]

but miller did not spend the two years he was suspended sitting on his porch dissing other riders peformances...

Id very much doubt a clean ricco could keep up with di luca, menchov et al over the last few stages...

yes, if he comes back clean, after serving his ban, he deserves the same chances the rest have had.. but spending his ban saying other riders are no good.. nah.. he can shove it..

 

[Anonymous]

but to go out and say the sh*&^ he does and then deliver when he obviously has no friends in the peloton, I think that deserves respect.

can you tell me, one thing, ONE SINGLE THING, that Ricco has delivered, and dont say the performances in the giro last year.. delivering doped up is NOT delivering.. thats cheating..

as for millar.. im a brit, i dont love him for admitting he doped...
i loved him originally (in a purely heterosexual way), was highly dissapointed when it turns out he'd been cheating, but he has now got most of my respect back.. But i dont love him for fessing.. I wish the silly fool had never done it to start with..

 

[BroDeal]

can you tell me, one thing, ONE SINGLE THING, that Ricco has delivered, and dont say the performances in the giro last year.. delivering doped up is NOT delivering.. thats cheating..

You don't seem to have a problem with Armstrong...

What would the Giro be without riders using the press to wage war? This adds to the drama of the race, and this Giro is in dire need of that. I cannot wait for the response from riders like Cunego.

 

[Anonymous]

You don't seem to have a problem with Armstrong...

What would the Giro be without riders using the press to wage war? This adds to the drama of the race, and this Giro is in dire need of that. I cannot wait for the response from riders like Cunego.

armstrong was 99... id be amazed if anyone was clean in 99... cycling has come a long way...

ricco last year was blatently, so ridiculously blatently up to his eyeballs in the mountains, when, i hope, the majority of the pelaton was trying to clean up its act.. doesnt make the guys in 99 right, but they where all at it.. same as it doesnt make merckx or any of the rest of the right, but they where all at it..

someone who in todays pelaton is willing to take such ridiculous risks and be so obvious about it deserves no sympathy.. but thats not my point anyway...

millar, basso, the rest of em who have been banned, didnt spend there ban having a go at other riders and saying they where crap... maybe ricco should shut his mouth until he comes back clean, then lets see how he performs...

as for cunega and the rest of em.. they will probably just suggest that ricco should shut his mouth.. and i would agree with them..

 

[St. Elia]

Dim

well, my opinion about dope in general is not quite so sanctimonious, I think they all dope as I stated, so you can't wipe out what he did against other doped riders. Anyway, don't take what I say to seriously, I never said he was my hero or anything I 'm just saying he is interesting and fun to watch. People get so upset about bike racing and what the pros do and say some times it's just fun to watch when this cocky Italian comes a long and says stuff that is just right in your face, it's hilarious. If you ever watch a sports show and interviews with football player or what ever sport they just don't say anything. "ya, we tried to win the game and we got more goals then the other team so we did what we wanted.... bla bla bla" pretty boring really.

Ok so you are British and you don't respect millar but many others have stated that they respect him for coming clean and I do a bit as well. I wish all of them would. I do believe there is a double standard however.

 

[lookkg386]

For what he did I hate this guy with as much passion as I once liked him....

He shouldn't even be getting any time with media either!!!

 

[St. Elia]

What did he do? He doped, so did about 6 other guys (that got caught) at the tour. Hate is a strong word, do you really care that much?

 

[lookkg386]

What did he do? He doped, so did about 6 other guys (that got caught) at the tour. Hate is a strong word, do you really care that much?

True Hate is tough to say, but it's the contempt he showed to all cycling fans!
Is he sorry?
Does he show remorse?

 

[Mellow Velo]

I wonder how many other riders out there continue to show contempt for cycling fans?
To many are happy to look through one way mirrors and a smokescreen, while castigating the odd scapegoat.

There are enough people on this forum and all the others, calling riders crap.
They are just expressing their views, so why can't he?

You can choose to listen to what he says or press the mental ignore button.
Some of us do that, every time Armstrong says something inflamatory.

 

[Zoncolan]

True Hate is tough to say, but it's the contempt he showed to all cycling fans!
Is he sorry?
Does he show remorse?

Maybe the other guy's remorse was false?
Never liked him too. Was glad when he got caught.
Hope he can't get a contract with a PT team when he comes back.

 

[Leopejo]

I enjoyed the link, as Riccò can offer great insights about the Giro, having been a protagonist in the last two years. Here is my translation of the complete interview in David's link (I can't watch the Youtube link at the moment). I don't find him dissing, just telling his opinion, which for me is worth no less than that of us forumists (though I disagree with much of what he says).

Di Luca today was splendid, but keep an eye on Menchov, as he is there every time without losing a meter... in my opinion in the TT Danilo will lose more than 3 minutes, but he can also surprise us, also because wearing the maglia rosa gives plenty of motivation - imagine how many motivations someone like him will get!
I didn't expect Lövkvist to lose so much, it must have been the big mileage of the stage. It's understandable, because it's the first time he races with such pressures put on him in a GT.
Cunego instead should go home and prepare some other race, as I don't see able to get a stage win here. I find other problems in Liquigas: Pellizzotti and Basso have to agree on a common strategy, as they are racing very poorly (as dogs)...
Garzelli instead did something wonderful. With the leg he had (=good shape yesterday), he could have been in contention for the stage win, but he made well to try. Simoni instead is becoming old, and I'm saying this with the utmost respect, while Scarponi is out of shape.
Finally something negative about the stage: it would have been much better with an uphill finish, it didn't have much sense this way. And for tomorrow I'll continue with Cavendish for my bet.

 

[Leopejo]

I wouldn't choose as the target of my hate one of the very few who actually are serving a two year ban.

 

[Angliru]

Leopejo, thanks for posting the entire quote. Sounds a bit more reasonable and less inflammatory. Actually sounds less offensive than a lot of the posts here in the forum. Most of the points he makes would fit in our forum as fairly tame by comparison.

Let it be said that I was impressed with Ricco in 2007 and beginning of 2008 but really tired of some of his over the top statements to the press that seemed to serve only to entertain himself and the media. It obviously didn't make him many friends in the peloton (which I'm fairly sure was the least of his concerns) and often represented his lack of respect for the established riders. I even recall a quote in one of the cycling mags from his father that Ricco should show more respect for his elders and his fellow competitors.

Regarding his admitting to his use of CERA, that was done IMO primarily as a means of hastening his return to the sport and not with the intention of showing any remorse. Like almost all the riders before him that were caught cheating he denied, denied and denied until the evidence against was indisputable. Likely after conferring with his attorney he found the best course of action was to admit his guilt and take his 2 year suspension (Or was it less than 2 years because he "cooperated" with the investigation?).

 

[nathanbloke]

The reason Ricco generates so much "hatred" is not that he is so arrogant, or that he doped, it is that he was so arrogant and outspoken about how good he was while he was doping.

 

[messisgod]

True Hate is tough to say, but it's the contempt he showed to all cycling fans!
Is he sorry?
Does he show remorse?

The cycling fans who believe in miracles only show contempt for themselves.

 

[ElChingon]

Ricco reminds me of the charater Andy Kaufmann portrayed at times "Tony Clifton". He was made to be hated and that alone drew people to see him.

As I stated before, Ricco started to draw more attention to cycling in a non-doping form, based on his antics of trash talking and grabbing reporters ears and mic's for that new comment of the day. Sure he doped and was caught, he is paying the price. Eventually he will be back just like Basso, et al.

 

[quadsRme]

Remember this guy, Ricco, is really young. He made a few mistakes. He really needs a coach to train him on what to say and when to keep his trap shut. I don't like or dislike the dude. It is kind of funny in a way that he is even being courted by the press. Not surprised by the press.

 

[franciep10]

Well did u guys really expect him to keep his mouth shut, cause i didn't I mean it's Ricco. As far as what he said he's right we've been saying the same thing maybe not about Gibo but that's Ricco, sounds like a tv sitcom title doesn't it. Now about the doping well he should've had some common decency like contador to not test positive yet

 

[jaylew]

Yes he doped and yes he admitted it unlike so many others.

Yeah, but does anyone think he came completely clean? He still claims to have been clean at the Giro which I don't buy for a second.

Anyway, I disliked the guy long before he got busted for doping. Guy's an a$$, probably always will be. Things were more interesting with him around, though.