Ullrich confessed

[kingjr]

I sense a bit of ambulance chasing here. Not aware, obviously, of any pressure in Germany, but he has raised nothing new nor anything one didn't already suspect.

Is there really anything he could have said that one didn't already suspect?

 

[Granville57]

He and the others created the culture of doping that still permeates the sport today, and has made cycling the laughing stock of sports.

Have you watched any tennis lately?

 

[thehog]

Is there really anything he could have said that one didn't already suspect?

Probably better to wait for the full interview on Monday.

 

[alitogata]

Transfusions without EPO are pretty pointless. You need to stimulate production as well to get a real boost out of it. Of course he was on a full program. His balls have shriveled up too much to admit it.

I agree.. and I think that he was indeed on a full program, because his team made the program for him and he didn't made the transfusions by himself but he had for sure the help of a doctor. I don't think that this doctor was that stupid to do half work.

 

[Granville57]

Probably better to wait for the full interview on Monday.

So that gives us what, about 35 hours to speculate, distort and make up our own version of what Jan has to say?

Well, let's get crackin' then. Time's a wastin'!

 

[gooner]

I'm not a mind reader, but I'd guess that was referring to his nearest GC rivals.

And what about the guys in the gruppetto?

How was it a level playing field to some of them?

He wasn't just racing against GC riders in the top echelon you know.

 

[gooner]

Some reactions to it.

"For a truly credible confession, Jan Ullrich had his opportunity a few years ago," said Thomas Bach, president of the German Olympic Federation.

"He missed his chance and now, as far as I am concerned, he's trying to work with some rhetorical manoeuvres, which helps neither him nor the sport of cycling."

Ullrich was barred from the 2006 Tour de France amid speculation that he had used illegal substances and Rudolf Scharping, president of the German Cycling Federation, said the confession should have come five years ago.

"It is far too late to try and clean things up," he said of the cyclist who retired in February, 2007, denying that he had ever cheated.

"He could have helped the sport of cycling if he had laid everything out on the table much earlier.

"2007 or 2008 would have been an appropriate time.

"He would have also been able to help himself, but now this is just the repetition of things long-since known, except this time they come from his mouth."

I have never heard a former teammate talk badly about Jan. They all like him.....But Jan did also hire a bunch of lawyers who went after critics, just like lance

Anti-doping campaigner Werner Franke, who received a gagging order in 2006 by a German court after accusing Ullrich of doping, said the German cyclist has set "a new European record in lying".

Franke has insisted Ullrich used aggressive tactics, similar to Armstrong, in order to keep any opponents silent and was scathing of the lawyers who helped him maintain the silence.

"These are the biggest crooks who have gotten him into this mess of lies," said Franke.

http://www.supersport.com/cycling/i...623/Ullrichs_confession_draws_sharp_criticism

 

[BroDeal]

And what about the guys in the gruppetto?

How was it a level playing field to some of them?

Life is hard. People all over the world have crappy jobs that require them to do crappy things to put food on the table. You cannot be a coal miner and complain about getting dirty. The very few non-doping riders at that time were not naive. They knew everyone else was doping. They knew that before they turned pro. They made a conscious decision to race at a disadvantage.

 

[Race Radio]

I'm not a mind reader, but I'd guess that was referring to his nearest GC rivals.

if there are 200 riders in the Tour and only 10% are able to blood dope how is that equal?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

All you cats have good comments on this. So I'll get cracking . On the grupetto, we have heard confessions of doping by some in the grupetto (e.g. Andreu), so I'll bet others in the grupetto were doping just to keep up with others like Frankie who did. I wish winning the megamillions lottery was so easy to guess correctly.

 

[Race Radio]

On the grupetto, we have heard confessions of doping by some in the grupetto (e.g. Andreu),

Frankie never transfused. Either did VDV, or Dave Z. The list of riders who took EPO is long, very long. Transfusions? Not so much.

 

[Miburo]

Well the fact that jan used lawyers is understandable to the point that people might ask the question "why is he not doing it? Does that mean he's guilty?"

But hiring lawyers to shut down critics is still something entirely different than what Lance did.

 

[TheBean]

Why Now?

One possible explanation for Jan's timing is that there is impending change in the top management of the UCI.

Jan's suggestions that the UCA protected Armstrong reads like a huge vote for change, in my opinion.

The many posts that know his "half-confession" and "stating of the obvious" are all good points. But, they don't answer the question of timing.

I can't recall another rider from that era so openly stating that there was a perceived - or proven - policy of protection for LA. Even after the money trail shoed LA's generous donations to the UCI following the Suisse positive (or adverse analytical finding).

It seems Jan is doing what he can to help clean house and steer the UCI in a better direction without implicating any riders who have chosen to remain tight-lipped and not throwing any of his colleagues under the bus.

 

[fruit bars with eyes]

Just another counter in the past doping sheet, nothing more. He's kept his story the same but only now filled in the check box acknowledging what everyone knew.

Zzzzz...

this is more or less the picture- IMO this pattern is mostly externally driven, rather than simply the 'way of the doper'- these guys will all be under legal advice - their whole lives are closely entwined with financial gains from cycling and continued earning associated with the 'brand'- I'm sure the repeated similarity in timing and extent of admissions is strategic. It is hard to imagine anyone admitting anything before a) they absolutely have to and b) they feel the damage limitation can be managed. For example one day a certain old man of the peleton will 'come clean' but now is not the time - no smoking gun, no firm inquiry, no business reason to change tack. One day this will happen and you can zzzzzz all over again.

 

[Berzin]

I find the hyper-moralizing really comical, as if an ex-professional bike rider is supposed to have ethical standards many times above politicians and church leaders. You know, the institutions that actually affect people's lives.

Let the guy say what he has to say and leave it at that. I think the reason some are so upset is they bought into the whole "he's the most talented rider of his generation" crap. Or that he seems to be such a nice guy. EPO and blood transfusions made him the Tour rider he was, not just talent.

He's a hero to some because he didn't conduct himself like Lance, but that doesn't make him a hero by any stretch of the imagination. He also lacked discipline and focus, disgustingly displayed almost every year when he would show up at the starting line of some early season races looking like me on an uber-fit day.

Yes, I like many others would love to know how the whole T-Mobile doping apparatus went down, but that type of information is always exposed by external pressure-a reporter or a legal investigation. And even then we hardly get at the whole truth.

Don't expect any revelations from Ullrich. He said what he said as an insider whose view of life and doping are much different than someone behind the keyboard screaming for blood and being disappointed that these confessions don't turn into a Roman Coliseum bloodletting.

 

[Race Radio]

I find the hyper-moralizing really comical, as if an ex-professional bike rider is supposed to have ethical standards many times above politicians and church leaders. You know, the institutions that actually affect people's lives.

Let the guy say what he has to say and leave it at that. I think the reason some are so upset is they bought into the whole "he's the most talented rider of his generation" crap. Or that he seems to be such a nice guy. EPO and blood transfusions made him the Tour rider he was, not just talent.

He's a hero to some because he didn't conduct himself like Lance, but that doesn't make him a hero by any stretch of the imagination. He also lacked discipline and focus, disgustingly displayed almost every year when he would show up at the starting line of some early season races looking like me on an uber-fit day.

Yes, I like many others would love to know how the whole T-Mobile doping apparatus went down, but that type of information is always exposed by external pressure-a reporter or a legal investigation. And even then we hardly get at the whole truth.

Don't expect any revelations from Ullrich. He said what he said as an insider whose view of life and doping are much different than someone behind the keyboard screaming for blood and being disappointed that these confessions don't turn into a Roman Coliseum bloodletting.

I am not sure Jan would be much help with info on the T-Mobile program. He went independent very early. He is hardly mentioned in the Frieburg report.

It would be very interesting to hear what his real program was. I would love to know what he took in 97. Or what he did to win the Giro TT.

 

[TheBean]

Excellent point about the Giro TT.

The week prior to that TT, he was a "pack-rat" who looked to be hanging on for dear life at times. He appeared overweight, unmotivated, suffering, and - to put it bluntly - just plain bad compared to the remarkable performances we had seen from him in years prior.

Then, PRESTO, he convincingly won the TT looking fresh and like a man with limitless power reserves. I had never witnessed a larger turn-around from one day to the next. I would also like to know what he did the evening prior to the TT.

p.s. My girlfriend would probably also like to know what he took and where she could get some to boost my performance to such a degree.

 

[Race Radio]

Excellent point about the Giro TT.

The week prior to that TT, he was a "pack-rat" who looked to be hanging on for dear life at times. He appeared overweight, unmotivated, suffering, and - to put it bluntly - just plain bad compared to the remarkable performances we had seen from him in years prior.

Then, PRESTO, he convincingly won the TT looking fresh and like a man with limitless power reserves. I had never witnessed a larger turn-around from one day to the next. I would also like to know what he did the evening prior to the TT.

p.s. My girlfriend would probably also like to know what he took and where she could get some to boost my performance to such a degree.

I would have to dig but I seem to remember that Fuentes files had an indication of a blood bag. The transformation was amazing. Even more amazing was he almost annual transformation in the 6 weeks leading up to the Tour. Amazing

 

[Bavarianrider]

Excellent point about the Giro TT.

The week prior to that TT, he was a "pack-rat" who looked to be hanging on for dear life at times. He appeared overweight, unmotivated, suffering, and - to put it bluntly - just plain bad compared to the remarkable performances we had seen from him in years prior.

Then, PRESTO, he convincingly won the TT looking fresh and like a man with limitless power reserves. I had never witnessed a larger turn-around from one day to the next. I would also like to know what he did the evening prior to the TT.

p.s. My girlfriend would probably also like to know what he took and where she could get some to boost my performance to such a degree.

Actually, the week before that TT Ullrich rode a brillliant TTT. He even looked quiet solid in the first hilly stages of the Giro. For Ullrich's satndards his shape wasn't bad for May.

 

[kingjr]

No one knows how hard he tried on the only real mountain stage up to that point. Fact is in the TTT he was one of the first four guys (which included Honchar and Rogers) to cross the line for TMO with Kessler as 5th coming in 2 seconds late cause he couldnt hold the wheels anymore which cost the team the victory on that day.

 

[roundabout]

54th on GC before the ITT.

 

[webvan]

And just after the ITT there was a mountain stage where it looked like he might be giving it a shot and then he gave up quickly.

I'm surprised you guys don't remember that it's because of the conversation by text that Pevenage had with Fuentes just after the ITT that his fate was sealed for the 2006 TDF, i.e. Pevenage telling Fuentes that Ullrich was happy with what he had taken for the ITT and wanting to do more of that than originally planned, presumably BBs.

 

[thehog]

Excellent point about the Giro TT.

The week prior to that TT, he was a "pack-rat" who looked to be hanging on for dear life at times. He appeared overweight, unmotivated, suffering, and - to put it bluntly - just plain bad compared to the remarkable performances we had seen from him in years prior.

Then, PRESTO, he convincingly won the TT looking fresh and like a man with limitless power reserves. I had never witnessed a larger turn-around from one day to the next. I would also like to know what he did the evening prior to the TT.

p.s. My girlfriend would probably also like to know what he took and where she could get some to boost my performance to such a degree.

He stated prior to the Giro it was only for training. He said he'd aim at the ITT and nothing else. In 2006 he was very lean early on and looked really good. He probably would have won the Tour that year.

Be he never stated the Giro as an aim. 2006 was Ullrich's best year in terms of pre-season.

What happened after the ITT was Puerto had its first leak. There were these mystery stories about text messages and code names. But nothing substantial at that point. Saiz had just been nabbed with his suitcase full of cash.

Also it was the fist year Pev was allowed to ride the lead car.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Ask Dim on twitter what Ullrich's 2006 Giro program was. He's got all the Fuentes doping plans.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Frankie never transfused. Either did VDV, or Dave Z. The list of riders who took EPO is long, very long. Transfusions? Not so much.

Correct you are. Now see, that's why I never win the lottery. To clarify my statement though, when I use the word "doping" I include every method, whether it is EPO, transfusions, or other, since the intent of any method is to either gain advantage on another or reduce another's advantage.