The "Gomer Pyle" Penalty

[BotanyBay]

Maggots, you have failed to properly train your teammate!

Now, whenever Private Pyle screws-up, I will no longer punish him! I will punish you!

In light of what's happened with Riccó, and the speculation having to do with his team (and what might happen to it), I'm now beginning to lean heavily towards a zero-tolerance policy applied to the team of the offending cyclist. If a team's rider gets caught, it is the TEAM that has failed. Not the rider. Let's think back to what a team is supposed to be.

If this means that the team has to rent a big a** house and employ a security team to monitor the riders as they all live together (Japanese Keirin-school-style), then so be it. If a team feels confident that its riders can be trusted, then so be THAT. Perhaps you just might want to "get to know" your prospects before you sign them, and it will force you (the team owner) to be more involved in the day-to-day activity of your teams. It might also involve sticking to signing riders who are from your region. I don't care.

But perhaps if the riders feared getting a little "tune-up" from their teammates, they might be less inclined to dope as an indie.

Just sayin.

 

[bhilden]

A few years back, I proposed to the UCI that if a rider tests positive then his team should be suspended from competing in the next two Pro Tour races. I also floated this past several Pro Tour team owners and managers.

The most common response was that sponsors would not be very happy to see their team excluded from two Pro Tour races because a rider tested positive.

Of course, that was the motive behind the suggestion. Teams would have to be much more diligent in policing their rider's behavior. No more "we can't keep track on our riders 24/7."

 

[Benotti69]

A few years back, I proposed to the UCI that if a rider tests positive then his team should be suspended from competing in the next two Pro Tour races. I also floated this past several Pro Tour team owners and managers.

The most common response was that sponsors would not be very happy to see their team excluded from two Pro Tour races because a rider tested positive.

Of course, that was the motive behind the suggestion. Teams would have to be much more diligent in policing their rider's behavior. No more "we can't keep track on our riders 24/7."

I like that. Or a team with a doped rider cannot ride the next GT that year or if the riders test positive after the GT's are finished the next one the next year.

i propose something similar, that a team gets relegated when 2/3 riders are proved to have doped while members of the team. So a Pro team down to continental etc...

 

[D-Queued]

A few years back, I proposed to the UCI that if a rider tests positive then his team should be suspended from competing in the next two Pro Tour races. I also floated this past several Pro Tour team owners and managers.

The most common response was that sponsors would not be very happy to see their team excluded from two Pro Tour races because a rider tested positive.

Of course, that was the motive behind the suggestion. Teams would have to be much more diligent in policing their rider's behavior. No more "we can't keep track on our riders 24/7."

I suggested the same thing to the Cdn Team after Chris Sheppard tested positive. He is back riding (after announcing his retirement) and that suggestion went nowhere.

Peer pressure would turn everything around.

Dave.

 

[Nederick]

How about any rider testing positive in post race control, their team is stripped of any UCI ranking points earned by any other team riders in that race? This would maybe be a kind of middling approach to getting sponsors to work harder on cleaning up their team rosters?

 

[Oldman]

A few years back, I proposed to the UCI that if a rider tests positive then his team should be suspended from competing in the next two Pro Tour races. I also floated this past several Pro Tour team owners and managers.

The most common response was that sponsors would not be very happy to see their team excluded from two Pro Tour races because a rider tested positive.

Of course, that was the motive behind the suggestion. Teams would have to be much more diligent in policing their rider's behavior. No more "we can't keep track on our riders 24/7."

Great idea if the UCI wasn't in the business of extracting favors from teams and manipulating test results. Would work if completely independent agency was monitoring and announcing test results. While it's difficult to track the rider's whereabouts the team response would likely be strong enough to police them.