theswordsman said:
It sure didn't take long for someone to rip off the Specialized video and put it on youtube.
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4...bike-motor-story-others-debate-the-issue.aspx
Thanks for that link. there are some interesting quotes in that article.
“'It is so crazy that I don’t have words for it,' [Cancellara] told Het Nieuwsblad. 'I don’t want to speak too much about this and dwell on a story that’s so stupid.'"
"The rider’s Saxo Bank mechanic assured that there is no basis for the questions. 'I guarantee you 200 percent – this is completely wrong,' said Christophe Desimelaere to Het Nieuwsblad. 'Until a few weeks ago, everybody laughed so much. But I, as a mechanic, cannot laugh. Look,
about doping, I can’t say anything, since people can do what they want. But with the bike, absolutely not. I am aware of everything and I guarantee you that this story is not true. It is outrageous that they dare insinuate such a thing. The people who say this are crazy.'"
It's pretty obvious the Italian video started out as a joke, an April Fools joke. Turns out there are fools not only in April, and the story took on a life of its own. The video's creators must have assumed it would be harmless fun because it is so patently absurd. (That's the only patent here.) And it would be absurd and obvious were it not for one thing: doping.
Everyone dopes, everyone knows everyone dopes, and those that know accept it as a part of racing - hence the mechanic's statement, which could easily be construed as, "Yeah, he might be doping his *** off, they all are, but the bikes are a different issue altogether." Because doping has been so rampant for so long, and more or less accepted by those within the sport, we now assume that no one in racing has any integrity whatsoever.
The reason the story has any legs at all is because we all know that if it were possible to do, Barne Riis would be on the phone in a second, trying to buy these for his team and trying to talk Cancellara into using it. I can so picture that happening.
This bike motor story really is a joke, and the funny part is the bit where you (I) took it seriously enough to actually look into it and think about it and determine that it isn't for real. Gotcha. Pro cycling is clearly losing its credibility.