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Thomas Dekker to Garmin

Page 3 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Mar 31, 2010
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ergmonkey said:
It will fit in easily enough with Garmin's public persona. Expect to see Vaughters pontificating about how sad it would be for cycling to lose one of its greatest young talents to the enormous pressures and evils of doping.

Vaughters will talk to cyclingnews in numerous front page story interviews about how he felt compelled to set Dekker straight and prove to him and the world that, as long as you ride with 'the best team in the world' and do exercise 'perfection' in your race plan (See painful Garmin Milan-San Remo video), then you or Thomas Dekker can succeed clean.

This will give Garmin a whole new reason to stay in the press talking about their anti-doping/reformation of cycling culture stance.

vaughters is a hypocrite sack of sh*t as he even stated to cervelo that tondo shouldn't be considered racing in a pro tour team. a rider that has actually NEVER been caught on anything.
 
Dekker_Tifosi said:
Dude, just no :rolleyes:

I'm 99,99% certain he was clean at espoir/junior level. From 2007 on it's a grey area to say the least
Oh it's settled then, D_T says he was clean.
Ryo Hazuki said:
kohl wasn't doping as an u23 and he has said in interviews(started at t-mobile) that the only place where doping wasn't around was rabo tt3/u23

and thomas was already a supertalent as a 16 year old junior, doping then as well? :rolleyes:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/344903/kohl-admits-he-started-doping-at-19.html

And yes, doping as a junior is definitely a possibility. He wouldn't have been the first one.
 
Nov 17, 2009
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Dekker_Tifosi said:
Dude, just no :rolleyes:

I'm 99,99% certain he was clean at espoir/junior level. From 2007 on it's a grey area to say the least

But if I remember correctly, you were pretty vehement in claiming he was clean right up until he admitted to doping. You seemed VERY upset that he was lying to you... to be honest I'm a bit suprised you seem to be defending him so strongly here.

I thought I remembered a long post on a pcmdaily thread along the lines of not ever being willing to trust that liar ever again.

Am I remembering incorrectly, or have you forgiven him?
 
Feb 15, 2011
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roundabout said:
What's that Frenchman's name who was arrested recently? He was pretty good as junior.

And it's a bit more difficult to get caught as a junior...

Fabien Taillefer
 
roundabout said:
Yeah, that's who I meant. Thank you.

2007
France Champion de France du contre-la-montre juniors
Paris-Roubaix Juniors
Classique des Alpes Juniors
Route de l'Avenir
Chrono des Nations juniors
Médaillé d'argent au championnat d'Europe sur route juniors
Sorry, you must have misunderstood. Frenchmen don't dope. And certainly young Frenchmen.
 
theyoungest said:
Sorry, you must have misunderstood. Frenchmen don't dope. And certainly young Frenchmen.

Ha.

But my point is that a rider with these results was certainly doping 2 years later (and I wouldn't bet a Zimbabwean dollar that he started doping only in 2009).

And suddenly we're not in Kansas anymore...

My fault I guess.
 

Dr. Maserati

BANNED
Jun 19, 2009
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Dekker_Tifosi said:
Dude, just no :rolleyes:

I'm 99,99% certain he was clean at espoir/junior level. From 2007 on it's a grey area to say the least

2007?

By 2006 Dekker was already moving to Italy to work with Cecchini (at age 21) - of course he was only going there to train with him....
"I'm only concerned with him on training matters. He is not my doctor, but my trainer. The past few years have seen new times in cycling. Look how easy it is for young riders to reach the top. For me, that is proof that you can win in this sport without doping."
Ooops.
 
kurtinsc said:
But if I remember correctly, you were pretty vehement in claiming he was clean right up until he admitted to doping. You seemed VERY upset that he was lying to you... to be honest I'm a bit suprised you seem to be defending him so strongly here.

I thought I remembered a long post on a pcmdaily thread along the lines of not ever being willing to trust that liar ever again.

Am I remembering incorrectly, or have you forgiven him?
I spoke to him at the beginning of this year, face to face. That changed a lot. Not everything though. I don't believe every word of him and always said from the beginning when he was caught, I don't believe he doped 'just once'.

But as junior and espoir, no way.
 
Mar 11, 2009
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D_T, why don't you hop on over to London and meet me face to face. I have a fantastic investment opportunity I'd like to offer to you. It's a bridge.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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Rabobnak continental get the pick of the espoir talent pool of the Netherlands. They also have a much more "pro" setup than other teams.

In any case here in NL there are only a couple of continental (elite/espoir) teams that can compete with Rabo - mostly it's just Rabo, Piels and VanVliet beating up on club riders. There are sometimes embarassing races where Rabo get all their riders in the top 10 etc.

The idea that there is no doping at espoir level in NL is naive. Most of these guys are mentored by ex pros (from the 70's/80's), are often the sons of ex pros, and the more gifted ones are usually trying to act like "professionals" from their late teens.

The way Dekker was apparently riding as a teenager and espoir makes me think he was either a lemond like freak of nature, or was dabbling from an early age like Kohl. It doesn't have to be on team level - there are all sorts of old school "trainers" lurking around trying to help hugely ambitious young riders make it as a pro.

The espoir / elite scene in NL is so competitive. There are some guys here who are good enough to go pro but won't get the chance, as it's one of Rabo, Vacansoleil or Shimano, and Rabo tend only to promote from their own espoir squad (1 or 2 per year - so plenty don't make the cut) or hire foreign big names, Vacansoleil cut lots of Dutch talent last year to make room for veteran Belgians, and Shimano are obliged to take Japanese, german and french riders too. so the number of places are limited.

A Dutch espoir knows he has to win some serious races to get a chance as a pro....
 
Jul 14, 2009
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I wonder if David Millar charges money for his script or he just helps guys do and say the right thing to be reemployed. Is the talent pool so shallow that all ex dopers get jobs at the top level?