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Thomas Dekker like you've never seen him before

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Dekker_Tifosi

Dekker_Tifosi

Mar 13, 2009
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Yes, but I don't think Basso etc were as mentally fragile as Dekker.

Dekker on one hand is an egocentric sportsman, but on the other hand also very loyal to the people who support him. He is loyal to Cecchini, he is loyal to his parents and friends, and he very clearly feels like he has dissapointed them and is afraid to do so again.

He is too much thinking of what his friends/family think of him or what the consequences of that will be, rather than focussing on himself and his comeback.
 
Benotti69

Benotti69

May 26, 2010
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Dekker_Tifosi said:
Yes, but I don't think Basso etc were as mentally fragile as Dekker.

Dekker on one hand is an egocentric sportsman, but on the other hand also very loyal to the people who support him. He is loyal to Cecchini, he is loyal to his parents and friends, and he very clearly feels like he has dissapointed them and is afraid to do so again.

He is too much thinking of what his friends/family think of him or what the consequences of that will be, rather than focussing on himself and his comeback.
Click to expand...

Is there another positive looming on the horizon :rolleyes:
 
Dekker_Tifosi

Dekker_Tifosi

Mar 13, 2009
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JRTinMA said:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/thomas-dekker-a-dopers-desire-for-redemption

Is he still trying to convince people he only doped when he was riding like crap in 2008?
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Rode like crap? You mean finishing top 5 in all ardennes bar LBL, finish 3rd in Castilla y Leon (behind Contador and Soler) and Pais Vasco (behind Contador and Evans)?

Meh, I assume the doping really helped him there to be honoust. He was tired in Romandie and crap in Suisse, but in the in spring season he was the strongest he has ever been. Clearly the result of doping.
 
Dekker_Tifosi

Dekker_Tifosi

Mar 13, 2009
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and he is being treated like a prince by his parents... some times parents spoil their kids too much.

Happy with his managers tho. Berkhout brothers are so much better for him than Hanegraaf. In his book Dekker also tells how much of a bad influence Hanegraaf has been.

Confrontation with Martijn Berkhout in the end was good.
 
canyonball

canyonball

Oct 17, 2010
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The relationship with his parents was actually one of the things I found more interesting in the documentary. You never get to see this...how the positive impacts the family and those around.

Anyway, Dekker most definitely has some maturing to do. Or maybe that's just his personality. Hope he can figure it out and comeback clean.
 
Spine Concept

Spine Concept

Apr 28, 2010
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orbeas said:
A friend of mine road against Deker when he was an amateur, and he would not believe that my friend was riding without doping, and explained what doping regime he was on .
So he was on drugs long before 2008.
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That's not exactly a reliable source for the rest of us who are not acquainted with this character. Thus, I cannot take your post seriously.
 
O

on3m@n@rmy

Jun 17, 2010
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Dekker_Tifosi said:
Yes, but I don't think Basso etc were as mentally fragile as Dekker.

Dekker on one hand is an egocentric sportsman, but on the other hand also very loyal to the people who support him. He is loyal to Cecchini, he is loyal to his parents and friends, and he very clearly feels like he has dissapointed them and is afraid to do so again.

He is too much thinking of what his friends/family think of him or what the consequences of that will be, rather than focussing on himself and his comeback.
Click to expand...

Then friends and family should tell him over and over until it sinks in that they'll be happy with whatever he does (in any life endeavor) or with race results as long as he tries his best. Maybe they have done or are doing that. Sometimes those who come up short of their goals are winners too because they have probably given it their best. If they have given their best then that's just as good as a win in my book. Good luck to him.
 
Roninho

Roninho

Jul 28, 2009
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Interesting. Especially that to me it seemed like he had absolutely no remorse for taking doping in the sense that it was cheating. He definitely had remorse for putting his family and friends in this situation, but imo he gave some pretty good insights in what is really happening in cycling.
Things like:
-saying Ann Gripper (the uci anti doping head at the time) "ruining his life"
- Making a calculated choice for doing 2 years and not telling in stead of getting 6 months less and tell
- Getting really annoyed when the announcers on tv during LBL being very negative about Vino (winning after a doping conviction)
- He had no problem that he had lied so much about doping, he even said it wasn't lying.
- Overall he just sounded like a guy who just felt like he was cheated by others as in everybody else is doing it, and i get busted with a retro-test.

All in all imo he looked as either pretty mentally weak or just totally mentally worn out due to the suspension. I also found it pretty strange that he went to italy again and basically lived there on his own, even though he admitted he was quite depressed after one of the failed conditioning tests. To me it looked like the kid could do some stupid things being depressed, having nothing to do, being alone in a foreign country and with way to much money to spend. He basically admitted that he did some pretty stupid stuff in the clubs and to his (ex?) girlfriend.

edit: oh and he actually looked sincere when he said cecchini had nothing to do with the dope...
 
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The Gnome

Oct 25, 2010
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Interesting film so thanks for posting...also thanks for putting up the english trascript link Dim...I feel sorry for the guy when so many others are out there running around and doing well...still, he still has his own problems...like all of us...if he is not training enough and party's alot...fine...but if his numbers during those tests are not up to snuff, there is not much to do...except train I guess...
 
Spine Concept

Spine Concept

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Pantani_lives said:
I'm sorry, but if he defends Cecchini it's hard to believe that he would be clean this time.
Click to expand...

He's defending the nature of his relationship with Cecchini, nothing more, nothing less. The knee-jerk remark you made is more related to his alleged involvement in doping scandals. Dekker never defended him in that regard.
 
Pantani_lives

Pantani_lives

May 3, 2010
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Spine Concept said:
He's defending the nature of his relationship with Cecchini, nothing more, nothing less. The knee-jerk remark you made is more related to his alleged involvement in doping scandals. Dekker never defended him in that regard.
Click to expand...

Ok, I just don't understand why he's still working with Cecchini.
 
Spine Concept

Spine Concept

Apr 28, 2010
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Pantani_lives said:
Ok, I just don't understand why he's still working with Cecchini.
Click to expand...

That's a personal thing with him. They have developed a father and son relationship according to Dekker. Many Dutch cycling pundits have frowned upon this and suggest that he ought to cease their acquaintance in order to move forward. However, he fervently defends their relationship saying they never speak about anything related to doping. I agree that it is shady, however, he will not budge.
 
Roninho

Roninho

Jul 28, 2009
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Spine Concept said:
That's a personal thing with him. They have developed a father and son relationship according to Dekker. Many Dutch cycling pundits have frowned upon this and suggest that he ought to cease their acquaintance in order to move forward. However, he fervently defends their relationship saying they never speak about anything related to doping. I agree that it is shady, however, he will not budge.
Click to expand...
Yeah, i must say that i always thought it was his excuse for visiting a doping doctor, but after this interview i actually believe him that he has a special relationship with Cecchini. I mean, he had a surgery on his knee in the documentary and his parents weren't there, but Cecchini was... If the relationship was purely based on doping then i don't see why Cecchini would be present at the surgery of a suspended rider....

And i also believe him that he got his dope from elsewhere (although i wouldn't be surprised if Cecchini advised him what he should get, and possibly where).
 
Dekker_Tifosi

Dekker_Tifosi

Mar 13, 2009
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I believe that, while Cecchini may have a shady past, his involvement in doping nowadays (the last 10 years) has been non-existent.

Cecchini is to Dekker what your favorite uncle is to you. If you understand what I'm saying. They don't talk about training and cycling etc. Just life.
Cecchini's son Stefano is one of Dekkers closest friends.

Anyway read his book and a lot more becomes clear.

The main goal is coming back at Garmin.
 
G

GJB123

Sep 30, 2010
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Some of the things highlighted by others already also struck me in the documentary. Him not wanting to tell how he obtained the drugs, his mental stability (or lack thereof), Cecchini, his anger towards someone that must have ratted him out, etc. What hasn't been mentioned yet, but what seemed to me avery interesting part in the film, was hen they discussed answering questions on doping (discussing amongst others Mart Smeets). Dekker was very adamant that cyclists should not be asked questions on doping and should just refuse to answer questions like that. He used the phrase that he wouldn't be asking Mart about his extra-marrital affairs on air (which are well known in the Netherlands). He also said, and that was interesting as well, that anybody in cycling knows the score including the journo's like Mart Smeets (who has been covering the Tour some odd 40 years) and therefore there was no need to ask, The way in which he said that and the loon on his face made it very clear that Dekker was on the juice much earlier and more often than the claimed one-off EPO-use he got busted for.

All in all it left me rather sad and although undoubtedly very gifted, I fear we will not see Dekker back at any good level soon (unless he gets back on the juice again).

Regards
GJ
 
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