Why lack of enthusiasm for Vino's return?

[I Watch Cycling In July]

The doping control test for viagra is real simple.

Now I know what the podium girls are for...

 

[scribe]

Now I know what the podium girls are for...

You come into the urine test with a lead pipe and you're out of the tour. Everyone's on notice.

 

[Epicycle]

Towards the end, Vino took the piss to an extent that even casual cycling fans couldn't avoid it. His Vuelta win in 06 where they disappeared before the testers arrived; the Dauphine business in 07 where his form bounced around bizarrely; and frankly the changes to his body shape which occured after leaving TMO - in 2007 it was painful watching him pedal, his leg muscles had completely altered.

It's one thing to be obviously doping to the hard-core cycling community; it's a completely different thing when you make it so obvious to the casual fan. That's unforgivable as far as the cycling publicity machine is concerned and that's why they hit him and Kash with the full barrage of tests in 07.

It was also exposed before the Tour that he was with Ferrari. Also if I remember right Jaksche implied that Vino had worked with Fuentes while on Liberty Seguros too. Vino spent so much LS money doping with Fuentes that Saiz had to cut him off.

Plus those egomaniacal Vino 4ever kits haven't helped his image any. Even Armstrong wouldn't wear a shirt with a big picture of himself on it and the phrase Vive Le Lance or something like that.

 

[mherm79]

Then, all of the sudden, Vino announces his return to the team in a press conference right before Johan's press conference about the future of the team. Vino announces, (paraphrase) " I am back, I am the man in charge, anyone who doesn't like it can take a hike".

+1 - his good to watch. but arogant as all hell. the sport doesn't need people like that.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I hope vino has little impact on the race. Same with Basso Once a doper you can never really trust a former doper even if they are riding clean now.

 

[Blakeslee]

I think the negative reactions to Vino's return have less to do with nationality and more to do with how he chose to deal with his positive drug test. The riders who I have the most dislike for (Valverde, Virenque, DiLuca to mention a few) are the ones who in the face of a positive test continue to assert their innocence when there is clear evidence against them and there is little doubt that they cheated. Riders like DiLuca and his ridiculous conspiracy theory statements end up doing more damage to their reputations than they would have if they had just come clean and been up front about what they had done in the first place.

I have a lot more respect for riders like Kohl, Millar, and even Ricco who largely came clean about what they had done. Though these riders are no less guilty of cheating than the other riders I mentioned above, I am much more inclined to give them a second chance due to their honesty.