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RobbieCanuck said:Masserati you fail to understand that the Armstrong case has become the poster child case for all that is wrong with cycling. Sure we know there are a plethora of problems with the UCI, with other prominent riders who doped, with owners who want fame and notoriety and are willing to turn a blind eye, and support staff who facilitate the doping.
But outside of Operacion Puerto, the LA scandal is the prototype doping scheme and the one getting all of the attention. It is the largest fraud in sporting history.
For those reasons and because LA continues to arrogantly prevaricate in being truthful it and because LA was the poster child of cycling, his scandal has brought matters to a head. Cycling is in a huge mess, and has been for some time. It will probably be kicked out of the Olympics (Pat would lose his seat on the IOC and all the perks that go with it, which his a good thing)
But the one thing Shades 1 is correct about is his statement,
"i think what LA has done has damaged this sport beyond repair and it will take a lot of years of totally clean racing before any rider will ever get to win again without being under suspicion."
There are a lot of cyclists who agree with this statement including Wiggins. I think your optimism is not well founded. I suspect it will take at least 10 to 20
years of "squeaky clean" before cycing can ever hope to establish itself as a legitimate sport.
Look up from the cycling. For a moment, follow me, please.
Look at athletics. Big Ben didn't sink it. BALCO and THG didn't sink it. Montgomery and Jones didn't sink it. You think 7 'vacant' tours look bad - try 'vacant' olympic golds.
Hell, GDR turning a woman into a man didn't sink it.
Look at weightlifting. Riddled, top to bottom. and yet, it continues, and the Olympic let it stay. IOC won't kick out cycling; not a chance, no matter what Pound says.
The only people who can save cycling are people who already care about cycling - no white knight is coming. in 98' the sport had an opportunity to change - and it had HV and Armstrong come along and screw it to the wall.
This is another chance - no more than that, no less. And if the highly public and embarrassing nature of LA's fall from grace is what's necessary to save it, so be it.