UCI screws Astana

[Hugh Januss]

I believe that all of these positives are just a coincidence and proves that everybody in Protour are clean.

Just a few bad apples, but they are being weeded out. Bad racers too, as none of them have really won very much. UCI's new moto "only (the) losers dope".

 

[doperhopper]

as MacQuack once said: I can make anyone positive

 

[Granville57]

I have a suspicion that cheating is a way of life in some Eastern European countries...

Never trust those Easterners.

 

[Granville57]

it is sooo obvious the UCI is out to get Astana. Hopefully they won't start doing the same to Saxo because of Bjarne (and Oleg)

Um...didn't you leave someone out of that list?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Um...didn't you leave someone out of that list?

?

who?

Alberto?

 

[Dr. Juice]

Never trust those Easterners.

All we can say is that there was a "winning at every cost" mentality in both the USA and UDSSR. Each super force wanted to be better than the other.
In the US there is still a lot of that "just the 1st place counts" attitude. It may be the same in the ex Soviet states - things like that don't change immediately.

 

[Miburo]

It's kinda like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Cookson called Vino and Bjarne out, and Vino is getting hammered. When is it Bjarne's turn? Maybe as Sceptic says there's too much Oleg money floating around?

Does seem incredibly fortuitously coincidental.

Don't they shoot in their own foot? Eliminating AC and NIbali would hurt a lot unless they think froom and quintana can carry

Anyway this is hilarious, that's way too many to be a coincidence and i'm referring to the UCI of course LOL

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Don't they shoot in their own foot? Eliminating AC and NIbali would hurt a lot unless they think froom and quintana can carry

Anyway this is hilarious, that's way too many to be a coincidence and i'm referring to the UCI of course LOL

TdF will be completely unaffected by removing Contador and Nibali.
The July fans will tune in regardless.

How hard can it be to understand?

 

[BeagRigh]

Feckin' hell. We should start a sweep on how many Astana +ves there will be before the end of 2014!

 

[mrhender]

oleg tinkov ‏@olegtinkov 48 min.48 minutter siden
i have no idea what would i do if i'm astana owner, but good thing they have no owner #astana #doping #greed

Lol..................

 

[the sceptic]

TdF will be completely unaffected by removing Contador and Nibali.
The July fans will tune in regardless.

How hard can it be to understand?

If the UCI wanted to get rid of Nibali they could make him test positive instead of all these other guys no one has heard of.

But the july fans has been told the sport is now clean, so if the most recent tour winner tests positive it would make them confused.

I think ideally the UCI wants to get rid of Astana by taking awya their licence, and then Nibali can move to a clean team like Katusha.

 

[mrhender]

Veloropa ‏@veloropa 13 min.13 minutter siden
This weeks Astana-related positive; Artur Fedosseyev http://www.uci.ch/pressreleases/uci-statement-artur-fedosseyev/ …

"This weeks"

 

[Dazed and Confused]

If the UCI wanted to get rid of Nibali they could make him test positive instead of all these other guys no one has heard of.

But the july fans has been told the sport is now clean, so if the most recent tour winner tests positive it would make them confused.

I think ideally the UCI wants to get rid of Astana by taking awya their licence, and then Nibali can move to a clean team like Katusha.

TdF fans couldn't care less. Its July and summer. Everybody feels good and tunes in. Somebody will rise to the top.

Remove Contador, Nibali, Froome and Quintana and they will still tune in.

I still don't understand why this is an issue.

 

[LaFlorecita]

TdF fans couldn't case less. Its July and summer. Everybody feels good and tunes in. Somebody will rise to the top.

Remove Contador, Nibali, Froome and Quintana and they will still tune in.

I still don't understand why this is an issue.

who says it is an issue?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

who says it is an issue?

Can you read?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Can you read?

I don't understand why you posted "I still don't understand why this is an issue." as a reply to someone explaining that it isn't really an issue, except: "But the july fans has been told the sport is now clean, so if the most recent tour winner tests positive it would make them confused. "

So the question is, can you read?

 

[sjafafa]

This is funny stuff. I guess Nibali testing positive would reflect badly on the UCI, so they are taking down all these no names instead.

Why would Nibali testing positive reflect badly on the UCI?

 

[Miburo]

TdF will be completely unaffected by removing Contador and Nibali.
The July fans will tune in regardless.

How hard can it be to understand?

Contador is the most popular rider of this generation. It will have effect. And nibali is italian so almost no italian will watch.

You've the potential for a 4 way battle in a GT. When is the last time that happened? Where all 4 riders already won a GT and have a legit chance of winning it, no overwhelming favorite. How long?

 

[Mellow Velo]

They don't call them 3 week fans for nothing.
Most couldn't recognise Alberto Contador from a steak sandwich.
The TDF is the main reason the UCI has global aspirations and seek to simplify it; half the world tunes in, half the knowledgeable fans go on Summer vacations.

 

[Miburo]

They don't call them 3 week fans for nothing.
Most couldn't recognise Alberto Contador from a steak sandwich.
The TDF is the main reason the UCI has global aspirations and seek to simplify it; half the world tunes in, half the knowledgeable fans go on Summer vacations.

I'm not disputing that july fans exist but claiming that no AC and no Nibali and thus no potential hyped up 4 man battle won't have any effect at all on the viewership is ridiculous.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I'm not disputing that july fans exist but claiming that no AC and no Nibali and thus no potential hyped up 4 man battle won't have any effect at all on the viewership is ridiculous.

Removing them will have minimal impact.

60% of July fans just wants to see the country side and listening to some history.

Large portion of fans just tunes in because thats what they have always done. They will continue to operate the remote regardless of who participates

Then we are left with hardcore, newbie and serious nationalistic fans.

Impact less than 5%.

Giro will have upside if Contador participate. Same with Vuelta and prep stage races.

Tour? Blip.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Removing them will have minimal impact.

60% of July fans just wants to see the country side and listening to some history.

Large portion of fans just tunes in because thats what they have always done. They will continue to operate the remote regardless of who participates

Then we are left with hardcore, newbie and serious nationalistic fans.

Impact less than 5%.

Giro will have upside if Contador participate. Same with Vuelta and prep stage races.

Tour? Blip.

BUT as the sceptic noted, their "new cycling" propaganda would turn out to be meaningless

 

[Dazed and Confused]

BUT as the sceptic noted, their "new cycling" propaganda would turn out to be meaningless

Again, the July fans couldn't care less.

Can't spell it clearer for you. Think business. Forget sporting element or credibility.

Hardcore fans will get involved and claim deja vu. On CN no doubt, me included.

But TdF will continue as always.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Why would Nibali testing positive reflect badly on the UCI?

Because they said Nibali's TdF was cleans. It would be THE MOST visible credibility problem for the UCI since Armstrong and directly impact the July fans.

Some poor Continental guys that have an almost non-existent fanbase, aren't bringing in WT sponsor revenue, can't afford a vigorous defense don't affect the UCI's credibility and provides enough technical and PR trouble to deny Astana a WT license.

Why they are aggressively pursuing Astana is an open question. Maybe IOC-level politics involved, maybe ASO wants them gone.. Lots of maybes.

Let's be fair to the 2014 TdF performances, 2nd-5th was reasonably cleans. Some rightly argue Nibali was clean-ish. There is another thread for that though.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Again, the July fans couldn't care less.

Can't spell it clearer for you. Think business. Forget sporting element or credibility.

Hardcore fans will get involved and claim deja vu. On CN no doubt, me included.

But TdF will continue as always.

No one is arguing otherwise. For god's sake.