"The Secret Pro" on Katusha and doping

[JimmyFingers]

The guy isn't an English speaker so you can discount the Aussies.

Who says so? Have you heard Aussies speak?

 

[Grand Tourist]

The Guardian run a similar column called The Secret Footballer. It's all rubbish. I'm certain that both the Secret Footballer and the Secret Pro are both journalists.

That's almost certainly Dave Kitson.

 

[DirtyWorks]

It is great to know that Merikah is the best at doping. Well best at it until he got busted.

Thom Wiesel is your man behind the scenes! Every cycling team the guy was behind has had numerous doping allegations follow them. USPS was the only one that got busted, and he gets away Scot free!

The Secret Pro is another variation on the UCI's "cleanest peloton ever." Until the 2012 Sky scandal breaks open.

 

[will10]

Could be Matt Lloyd. He is someone enigmatic enough to be the Secret Pro and roomed with Evans. Also is known to have associated with Wade Wallace.

You have got to be kidding me.

"You might think I sound like a fool, but [doping] just does not happen on my team."

Lampre. Lampre.

 

[johnsiviour]

Rather than speculate on the identity, I suggest far more fruitful to examine the original post.

Taken at face value I am prepared to accept that the thoughts are that of a current pro and I am grateful to receive some insight on the attitude of this pro. Such comments are also likely representative of a significant proportion of the peloton. As such...these thoughts are useful insights into some of the current attitudes prevalent in the peloton.

The post seems to reflect an attitude somewhat congruent with Horner and O'Grady. And we are left with the same old problem...How do we discern the outright honest rider from somewhat defensive rider from the head in the sand omerta upholder from the previous doper from the current doper?

As others have indicated previously, each "generation" repeats the mantra: cycling is cleaner/much cleaner/clean and is upset when confronted with contrary opinion/evidence. Even now we have riders testing positive for EPO etc, And I/we believe/know that testing, at least up to the immediate past, detects only a small fraction of those that are doping.

Therefore a reasonable conclusion is that current testing and "dobbing in" is still only revealing some of dopers. Maybe the peloton is "cleaner", my guess is yes, but we still have a way to go.

Measured against the above, the Secret Pro's thoughts are indeed informative...that the peloton has a way to go in developing a truly anti doping posture.

Edit: I advocate ceasing speculation on the who. Rather we welcome the continue dialogue and focus on what the thoughts/window on the peloton reveals.

 

[Benotti69]

Lampre clean? No chance!

 

[hrotha]

You have got to be kidding me.

"You might think I sound like a fool, but [doping] just does not happen on my team."

Lampre. Lampre.

So? No matter how dirty his team is, he'd say the same thing.

 

[will10]

So? No matter how dirty his team is, he'd say the same thing.

Dunno about that, the Italian riders have kept pretty quiet while Mantova rumbles on.

 

[The Hitch]

i swear in Britain the first thing that comes.up is - contador doping

For.me.doping comes.first.

 

[The Hitch]

Could we quit with this silly reverse racism sh!te!

-It is patently obvious that the most notorious doper of recent vintage was an American, on an american team, with a western european DS.

We can all name Irish, British, american and Australia riders who have doped, and done so on a pretty serious level. Many have continued doubts.

But if you are seriously trying to avoid the reality of a serious and obvious cultural problem in, for example, cycling in Spain and Russia, you are kidding yourself.

So enough of this "anglos v slavs" or "anglos v latins" bullsh!t, and actually address some issues - i don't gick a fiddler's f*ck where a doper comes from; i just want them caught and thrown out. And if that means certain teams and certain countries take a bigger hit because there is worse historic problem, tough t*tty.

That goes for American Sprinters, Chinese Swimmers, Argentinian footballers, Greek athletes, Bulgarian and turkish weightlifters, Irish eventers, British rugby players..and yes, spanish and russian cyclists.

There. Now I'm racist against everybody, including myself, ok? now let's get on with it.

Bizzare post. You attack him as a racist for saying all riders dope regardless of nationality then disprove your own racism by saying you akanowledge all.riders dope regardless of nationality.

And you attack the Latins for what you call " latins vs anglos" i know your not in the habit of reading peoples posts before you flame them but parullo did actually give an example of the blogger in question promoting the idea that Latin riders are more.likely to be dopers than Anglo ones.

And as a latin poster parullo has a right to be offended by such comments.

 

[del1962]

Bizzare post. You attack him as a racist for saying all riders dope regardless of nationality then disprove your own racism by saying you akanowledge all.riders dope regardless of nationality.

And you attack the Latins for what you call " latins vs anglos" i know your not in the habit of reading peoples posts before you flame them but parullo did actually give an example of the blogger in question promoting the idea that Latin riders are more.likely to be dopers than Anglo ones.

And as a latin poster parullo has a right to be offended by such comments.

In thre light of your response and after re-reading what the secret pro says and Pauraullo's posts, I find your interpretatio of events bizairre,

Firstly, there is no mention of southern europeans in the secret pro's article, just something about Katusha and why they failed for ethical reasons, no details, so this is stangely interpreted as anti Eastern Europeans and Southern Europeans by Paurullo, quite bizairre

Then I look at Paurulo's decision about the blogger (not the secret pro), and concludes because he has doubts about Contador's cleanliness in 2009 (a rider who has links tho Fuentes who somehow managed to escape this), rides with Armstong for Brunyeel, but was later to be found guilty of a doping offence, and this is turned into being anti-southern European / eastern European, (at this point I bang my head against the wall), oh and he hasn't decided wiggins is a doper then (because as a cllinic cynic you have to conlcude (despite the fact there is no evidence) that Brad dopes

 

[martinvickers]

Bizzare post. You attack him as a racist for saying all riders dope regardless of nationality then disprove your own racism by saying you akanowledge all.riders dope regardless of nationality.

The phrase I used was "reverse racism". At no point did i call him a racist - i.e. reverse racism, he put up a 'racist' strawman argument ("oh, you say british riders are morally superior and would never dope") in order to avoid the real argument.

And you have the gall to suggest others ought to read before they flame. You're a joke.

And you attack the Latins for what you call " latins vs anglos" i know your not in the habit of reading peoples posts before you flame them but parullo did actually give an example of the blogger in question promoting the idea that Latin riders are more.likely to be dopers than Anglo ones.

And as a latin poster parullo has a right to be offended by such comments.

As a human being, I've a right to be offended by your mendacity, but offence is like that. I couldn't give a f&ck about who get's offended - especially if they get offended at something I didn't write. AS I said before, tough t*tty

Parullo tried to act hurt, at a racist charge that was never made. I didn't attack 'latins' or 'arabs' or f*cking 'martians', but I'm not going to back down in front of fake offence, and I'm certainly not taking a lecture from yourself.

Nowo if you want to address what i actually wrote, rather than what you wish i wrote, go right ahead.

 

[workingclasshero]

stop with the "in my country what comes up first is ....."

It is different from computer to computer, google is clever, it knows what you like, what you usually look for etc.

So if you do get Contador doping first, then it's maybe coz Google has found you to be interested in the topic of doping, so will push that suggestion to the top.

And yes, the Secret Footballer is Dave Kitson. People seriously think the Guardian would make up a column like that.

 

[The Hitch]

.

Nowo if you want to address what i actually wrote, rather than what you wish i wrote, go right ahead.

ready when you are.

 

[winkybiker]

Going mountain biking because it is cold and windy. Sounds like Ryder at home in Victoria (BC) to me.

 

[taiwan]

Going mountain biking because it is cold and windy. Sounds like Ryder at home in Victoria (BC) to me.

Hesjedal rode the Tour of Beijing in October, but the blogger (claims that they) took that month off.

Actually my guess Steve Cummings could be ruled out for the same reason.

Fun game though.

 

[workingclasshero]

remember when you play this game, there will be some red herrings in there a.k.a. lies to send you nosy idle w....nkers off track

 

[proffate]

But, I would love someone to tell me how this first post is any better than what Chris Horner recently said in his interview...?

that's the joke

 

[taiwan]

remember when you play this game, there will be some red herrings in there a.k.a. lies to send you nosy idle w....nkers off track

Thing is if some stuff is made up, they may as well make the whole thing up. It's not really a blog if it has been embellished. So either you take everything at face value or consider it entirely fictional.

 

[Parrulo]

i was going to respond but at the moment i can't get over how butchered my user name was on the last 5 or so posts. . . .

 

[Galic Ho]

Could be Matt Lloyd. He is someone enigmatic enough to be the Secret Pro and roomed with Evans. Also is known to have associated with Wade Wallace.

It isn't Matt Lloyd. Can't be. He had a suspicion index of 8 on the leaked 2010 UCI Tour Suspicion list.

Tone of the article suggests they won't be in Australia. Why netserk thought to google names is beyond me. That is just stupid. Google algorithms change all the time. We weren't given a time index of when those two searched google to find info. Thus drawing any conclusions is a waste of time. Also, the rider the author referred to could have been anyone from hundreds of riders. Not necessarily a big name. Stupid logic use right there. Netserk's assumption was a bad move. I'd look at what he does say. The weather is cold. It isn't cold in Australia right now. It's warm and hot which is good considering last summer barely had a hot day.

So if the guy is an Aussie, he sure as hell isn't in Australia. A quick google check tells me Lampre are coming to Australia. Matt Lloyd is a former stage winner and national champion. I'd bet good money he is on the team. One of the few times of year he can get a win and some exposure. The author is not heading our way. They're in Europe. So IMO, they're European or American. But which American isn't currently facing a ban who could write that and have been riding long enough to know the game. They mention back as far as 2005 and 2006. That's another clue.

Also look at the teams mentioned. BMC, Greenedge and Sky. I'd wager this person does not ride for any of them. Slight probability that they may have mentioned their own team to throw off suspicion. But look at the talk about Katusha. Pick on them for doping but name your own team (BMC and Sky both have suspicious riders on their squads)...yeah that is dumb! Why? Because if you get named, you're going to cop a *** ton of flack. After all they declare their team as clean and then parade the whole super support mantra...well actually that sounds like Sky. Porte anyone?

So that basically removes all of Netserk's assumptions about big named riders room mates unless you're willing to reverse the intent of their doping PR spin back and say it's a doper talking about being clean...like Porte. Note no mention of Contador. But Schleck and Cadel got a whiff. So IMO, that rules out Porte as well as Rogers. Thus if this person is an Aussie, then they're either not on a Pro Tour team (it's implied they are by the tone of the article) or they will be one of the few Aussies who don't race in Adelaide next month.

Also the talk about contracts and what happens pretty much excludes Matt Lloyd entirely. After all he has intimate knowledge of trouble with contracts. I'd expect him to be more forthcoming with details that are specific but still generic enough to confuse identity.

IMO not an Aussie. But one post in an article from 2011 mentioned AUD. Was that one the same author? If the whole site is the one author the racing results could suggest a lot. Hence why people think the poster is an Aussie (at least I am assuming that is the go). But I read multiple articles and I get the impression that one post was by a guest. English speaker no doubt, but not an Aussie. How about a Kiwi?

 

[Galic Ho]

I felt the same way until I had a detailed talk with some friends on the team. They all swear they have not seen any dope on the team nor is there any pressure to dope. Och is an expert in plausible deniability.

His comments on the sport are accurate, it is much cleaner then many think....but calling out journalists as bitter is a joke. They have been around the sport for decades, they have been burned over, and over, and over.

Wade's site is one of the best on the internet. He is a great guy and really gets the sport.

My guess......Adam Hansen

It's funny you say that. That was my guess when I read the article. Then I saw your post.

I was under the impression that Hansen rode for Lotto and would be a definite starter for the Aussie nationals in Ballarat and the TdU in Adelaide. He is almost every other year. Wouldn't that exclude him? If the author is an Aussie, he's my bet.

Does anyone know where Hansen is ATM?

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Does anyone know where Hansen is ATM?

At his home in the Czech Republic. He told me he will be riding the Australian Nationals and TDU.

I do not think it is him.

Susan

 

[Galic Ho]

So? No matter how dirty his team is, he'd say the same thing.

No he wouldn't. I'd agree if pushed he'd say an abridged version of what we've been hearing, but this guy volunteered, putting him in special company. Only the real idiots run out and volunteer that level of omerta PR that has been piled on post 2012 Tour. The riders on the dirty teams generally in the English speaking world tend to keep their mouths shut and have been the last 6 months. Cadel almost refuses to talk about doping. So do a lot of the bigger name pros. They know they open that door and it's like flying into a black hole. Gravity and everything around you gets pulled in. Some guys have been dumb enough (non convicted guys BTW) of opening their flapper and spraying from the tongue. I have not heard one Lampre guy say squat. There is a good reason why...you open the door to rigorous questioning and looking like a huge hypocrite. Most people, even daft individuals, have enough self awareness to know that.

The only teams that go on with that crap are Sky or individuals who aren't terribly bright. Like some of the Garmin boys and Chris Horner. Most shut up. Do I think the authors view is indicative of a lot of riders. Yes. they quietly are selling the company/UCI omerta line, but most try not to talk about it.

So what does this tell me? Smaller Pro Team that looks mostly clean. Could be a Rabo rider. Or Skil Shimano or Argos. Maybe a Lotto rider. Blackcat said Clarke. Might be him or that Dutch guy he referred to.

Blog owner I am guessing is an Aussie. Heavy focus on Aussie stuff on the site. So secret pro I am guessing has been Down Under in the past. But not for this up coming season. Hmmmnnnnn. Interesting indeed!

 

[Galic Ho]

At his home in the Czech Republic. He told me he will be riding the Australian Nationals and TDU.

I do not think it is him.

Susan

Thanks. That's what I was figuring would rule him out. He usually rides Down Under in January and the author said they weren't.

Actually I think it's safe to rule out all the obvious Aussies listed by people. Can't talk about Clarke though or some Kiwis. I'm going with a Belgian but more likely a Dutch rider. Could it possibly be a German rider? Maybe one of Greipel's team mates at Lotto? Someone who was Down Under in years past, but won't be in 2013 during January?

The people on the forum who know the riders locations and historic races in detail might be able to provide a name or two. I'm going with smaller Pro team that is for most parts clean (I believe that part of their story) but who is saying what the bigger teams PR departments are claiming and have been post 2012 Tour and USADA reasoned decision. Pretty safe to say they aren't Russian and by that connection aren't Spanish either (Katusha has Spanish and Russians and they don't pick on their own). They do seem to like Cadel, Schleck and Cancellara though. Hence why I thought Hansen. Sounded like a Lotto rider and the only questionable Lotto rider is JVDB.