- Aug 1, 2009
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So anyone who won't believe that Wiggins is clean is a ****ing ****er and a bone-idle **** with a worthless life.
Just like anyone who won't admire the emperor's new clothes is either incompetent to do his job or unforgivably stupid.
Well. Here is my anonymous internet advice to you, Bradley Wiggins: Lose the mullet, drink some milk and wash your mouth with soap if you don't want people to think you are a drug addict.
Just like anyone who won't admire the emperor's new clothes is either incompetent to do his job or unforgivably stupid.
Well. Here is my anonymous internet advice to you, Bradley Wiggins: Lose the mullet, drink some milk and wash your mouth with soap if you don't want people to think you are a drug addict.
- Mar 19, 2009
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Its refreshing from the typical PR speech, but I think Evans takes the cake from a couple years back.Benotti69 said:It might come out slightly different;
" to all you C***s on twitter who didn't think i could do it, F*** You " or similar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fe79ZuDKfk
I think that the following, which used to be on the British Cycling website, gives some revealing insights into how much Wiggins attitudes have changed since he was transformed from a rider who finished 'an hour down most days' and was very vocal in his opposition to doping, to the rider we see today who regards those who are sceptical that it is possible to win the Tour clean as being 'c**ts and 'f**king w**kers'.
Given that Geert Leinders works for Sky the 'old' Wiggins would have even been happy to see Sky banned from the Tour on the grounds that 'If there's a 1% suspicion or doubt that a team is involved in any way in a drugs ring or doping or working with certain doctors, then they shouldn't be invited to the Tour de France - as simple as that'. How times change!
Bradley Wiggins - Press Conference Transcript
This is a transcript of the key questions at the press conference held by Bradley Wiggins on27 July 2007 at Manchester Velodrome, following his return to the UK from the Tour de france.
BW: I came back from France yesterday afternoon, obviously a lot of things have happened in the last few days. There's been a lot of requests and the phone has been non stop. I came here to respond to everything that has happened and I just thought it would be a good chance to get everyone together and give everyone an equal amount of time to give a response about the last few days.
Q: Are you still in a state of shock that you're here and not on a stage that you might well have had a chance of winning?
BW: Yeah, it's been a hectic last 48 hours - Wednesday finishing a 7 Pyrenean stage to being told straight away at the finish that we've got to go straight to the police station. Then being dragged out of France after being questioned and flew home yesterday. I'm kind of pleased that I'm here now and out of what is going on watching it on the telly last night there was no regret that I still wasn't there - its not a nice place to be anymore and the whole thing has lost complete credibililty. Noone has got any faith in who is Yellow now. I think the whole thing is now null and void as far as this year is concerned. Up to the point I'd left it had been a fantastic race for me on a personal level. The start we had in London was amazing but I think that things slowly started to deteriorate after 10 days really.
Q: Would you share Greg Lemond's view that actually there shouldn't be a winner this year?
BW: It's hard to say. As we stand Vinokourov has gone positive, Rasmussen hasn't gone positive but has been thrown off the race under suspicion because he's missed tests and as we site here today, Contador is going to be a worthy winner because he hasn't failed any tests but unfortunately now the suspicion is out there that you can't win the Tour de France unless you're doing something. That's unfortunate if he is clean but at the same time you can't blame people for the doubt that's there. Whether Greg's right or not, I think people have already made their minds up that it's kind of a null and void Tour de France.
Q: Will you go back to the Tour de France now Bradley?
BW: I certainly won't go back next year but that decision was already made with the Olympic Games next year - that's my priority. As I sit here today I think the first 24 hours after it happened my initial reaction was that I was going to get out of the sport just through sheer anger and everything, but coming home and seeing the family and things I began to settle down. I'm willing to see this thing through and prove that there are enough of us out there to make a big difference. Right now there are five people who have spoiled it out of nearly 200 guys who started it in London - it is a minority but it's that minority that are winning stages and taking Yellow jerseys. Its disappointing because there was enough of us there in this Tour de France to make a difference.
Q: Are you going to be there in 2 years?
BW: Yeah I think in 2009, the Tour de France will go through a whole lot of changes and I think that Christian Prudhomme and the organisers are going to have to have a big rethink about who they invite back and what kind of race they want in the future. Going into this year's race there was always suspicion on Astana, through their involvement with Ferrari - basically the team they were last year was Liberty Seguros which got withdrawn from the race before in Stratsbourg. That team then became Astana and the manager of that team was Manolo Saiz who was heavily involved in Operacion Puerto. All these things you start asking questions of really. For me as a rider, that posed doubt for me before the start. For them to get 2 weeks into the race and one of them to go down with blood transfusion and then there's suspicion on the rest of the riders - that should never have been there from the start really. ASO should have made the decision before the start and I think in terms of the future I think they need to have a big rethink in terms of who they invite back to the race for the credibility of the Tour de France in the future and the future winners of the Tour de France. I think it's gonna be a tough time from now but I don't think it's the end of the Tour and I don't think it's the end of Cycling. As I say I think there's a lot of people out there that are angered by this - a lot of the riders are angered by this and ASO are certainly willing to try and do the best they can do - unfortunately they've made a few bad calls this year.
Q: Do you think that all cyclists have been tainted by the same brush?
BW: I don't think so and I think you've just summed it up in the question really by saying you're all taking drugs - so you're kinda pointing the finger at me really. A lot of it is kind of insinuation with questions like that. I can't blame people for perhaps thinking that. I think I've been pretty open in the past in terms of where I stand with the whole situation with drugs and I think other riders have as well. There are five riders so far in this Tour de France that have tarnished the sport and tarnished the Tour de France out of nearly 200 guys who started in London. It's difficult to say that everyone is doing it and it's wrong to say that everyone is doing it because I've been affected by someone that's doing it in my team that's done it and there's 26 riders on each of the teams and you can't control what 25 other riders are doing when they are away from you. The guy in our team Christian Moreni - I haven't seen since we were away on a training camp in January - the first time I've seen him again is in London at the start of the Tour de France - what he's been up to in that time I have no control over and certainly the bosses of the team have no control over - they've tried to have control over it with internal testing and things like that but he's obviously slipped through the net.
Q: Are you embittered by the whole thing?
BW: I wouldn't say I'm bitter - I'm angered by it and it's made my determination to come through this whole thing and to prove that there can be clean winners in this sport. A lot of others I've spoken to in the last 24 hours - I've spoken to Geriant Thomas who's still out there on the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish - and they're all pretty ****ed off as well. I still believe that there is a minority out there who are willing to push the boundaries - that minority all seem to be over 30 years of age - coming toward the end of their careers - I think that shows a generational thing - 10 years ago it was rife in the sport and there's a new generation coming through now and unfortunately it's the older guys who were there back in 1998 that are still willing to push the boundaries and see how far they can go without being caught. Hopefully the new generation that are coming through - the guys you saw protesting on the line are the guys that are going to be the future of the sport and the Tour de France.
Given that Geert Leinders works for Sky the 'old' Wiggins would have even been happy to see Sky banned from the Tour on the grounds that 'If there's a 1% suspicion or doubt that a team is involved in any way in a drugs ring or doping or working with certain doctors, then they shouldn't be invited to the Tour de France - as simple as that'. How times change!
Bradley Wiggins - Press Conference Transcript
This is a transcript of the key questions at the press conference held by Bradley Wiggins on27 July 2007 at Manchester Velodrome, following his return to the UK from the Tour de france.
BW: I came back from France yesterday afternoon, obviously a lot of things have happened in the last few days. There's been a lot of requests and the phone has been non stop. I came here to respond to everything that has happened and I just thought it would be a good chance to get everyone together and give everyone an equal amount of time to give a response about the last few days.
Q: Are you still in a state of shock that you're here and not on a stage that you might well have had a chance of winning?
BW: Yeah, it's been a hectic last 48 hours - Wednesday finishing a 7 Pyrenean stage to being told straight away at the finish that we've got to go straight to the police station. Then being dragged out of France after being questioned and flew home yesterday. I'm kind of pleased that I'm here now and out of what is going on watching it on the telly last night there was no regret that I still wasn't there - its not a nice place to be anymore and the whole thing has lost complete credibililty. Noone has got any faith in who is Yellow now. I think the whole thing is now null and void as far as this year is concerned. Up to the point I'd left it had been a fantastic race for me on a personal level. The start we had in London was amazing but I think that things slowly started to deteriorate after 10 days really.
Q: Would you share Greg Lemond's view that actually there shouldn't be a winner this year?
BW: It's hard to say. As we stand Vinokourov has gone positive, Rasmussen hasn't gone positive but has been thrown off the race under suspicion because he's missed tests and as we site here today, Contador is going to be a worthy winner because he hasn't failed any tests but unfortunately now the suspicion is out there that you can't win the Tour de France unless you're doing something. That's unfortunate if he is clean but at the same time you can't blame people for the doubt that's there. Whether Greg's right or not, I think people have already made their minds up that it's kind of a null and void Tour de France.
Q: Will you go back to the Tour de France now Bradley?
BW: I certainly won't go back next year but that decision was already made with the Olympic Games next year - that's my priority. As I sit here today I think the first 24 hours after it happened my initial reaction was that I was going to get out of the sport just through sheer anger and everything, but coming home and seeing the family and things I began to settle down. I'm willing to see this thing through and prove that there are enough of us out there to make a big difference. Right now there are five people who have spoiled it out of nearly 200 guys who started it in London - it is a minority but it's that minority that are winning stages and taking Yellow jerseys. Its disappointing because there was enough of us there in this Tour de France to make a difference.
Q: Are you going to be there in 2 years?
BW: Yeah I think in 2009, the Tour de France will go through a whole lot of changes and I think that Christian Prudhomme and the organisers are going to have to have a big rethink about who they invite back and what kind of race they want in the future. Going into this year's race there was always suspicion on Astana, through their involvement with Ferrari - basically the team they were last year was Liberty Seguros which got withdrawn from the race before in Stratsbourg. That team then became Astana and the manager of that team was Manolo Saiz who was heavily involved in Operacion Puerto. All these things you start asking questions of really. For me as a rider, that posed doubt for me before the start. For them to get 2 weeks into the race and one of them to go down with blood transfusion and then there's suspicion on the rest of the riders - that should never have been there from the start really. ASO should have made the decision before the start and I think in terms of the future I think they need to have a big rethink in terms of who they invite back to the race for the credibility of the Tour de France in the future and the future winners of the Tour de France. I think it's gonna be a tough time from now but I don't think it's the end of the Tour and I don't think it's the end of Cycling. As I say I think there's a lot of people out there that are angered by this - a lot of the riders are angered by this and ASO are certainly willing to try and do the best they can do - unfortunately they've made a few bad calls this year.
Q: Do you think that all cyclists have been tainted by the same brush?
BW: I don't think so and I think you've just summed it up in the question really by saying you're all taking drugs - so you're kinda pointing the finger at me really. A lot of it is kind of insinuation with questions like that. I can't blame people for perhaps thinking that. I think I've been pretty open in the past in terms of where I stand with the whole situation with drugs and I think other riders have as well. There are five riders so far in this Tour de France that have tarnished the sport and tarnished the Tour de France out of nearly 200 guys who started in London. It's difficult to say that everyone is doing it and it's wrong to say that everyone is doing it because I've been affected by someone that's doing it in my team that's done it and there's 26 riders on each of the teams and you can't control what 25 other riders are doing when they are away from you. The guy in our team Christian Moreni - I haven't seen since we were away on a training camp in January - the first time I've seen him again is in London at the start of the Tour de France - what he's been up to in that time I have no control over and certainly the bosses of the team have no control over - they've tried to have control over it with internal testing and things like that but he's obviously slipped through the net.
Q: Are you embittered by the whole thing?
BW: I wouldn't say I'm bitter - I'm angered by it and it's made my determination to come through this whole thing and to prove that there can be clean winners in this sport. A lot of others I've spoken to in the last 24 hours - I've spoken to Geriant Thomas who's still out there on the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish - and they're all pretty ****ed off as well. I still believe that there is a minority out there who are willing to push the boundaries - that minority all seem to be over 30 years of age - coming toward the end of their careers - I think that shows a generational thing - 10 years ago it was rife in the sport and there's a new generation coming through now and unfortunately it's the older guys who were there back in 1998 that are still willing to push the boundaries and see how far they can go without being caught. Hopefully the new generation that are coming through - the guys you saw protesting on the line are the guys that are going to be the future of the sport and the Tour de France.
Continued...
Q: Can the Tour ever redeem itself?
BW: It's going to be difficult and you can't blame people for doubting the credibility of the Tour for perhaps the next 5,6,7 years but what do we do? Do we just cancel the Tour de France now? I think from the sport's point of view the Tour de France is essential - it's the one race in the year that everyone watches - it's the one race that attracts the sort of financial backing that it does but on the downside, the financial rewards of winning something like the tour are so great that it tempts people to do what they do. If you compare it to something like the Olympic Games, the financial rewards of the Olympic Games are peanuts to winning something like the Tour de France. If you win something like the Tour de France you are almost guaranteed for 3 years to be on a E1,000,000 contract - that's quite attractive and lucrative to some people to take the risks they do. Unfortunately - or fortunately - people get caught in these situations - it's unfortunate to the sport that it brings such a bad name to the sport but for me as an athlete it's encouraging that the testing procedures work to the degree that they do.
Its also reassuring to know that a rider in my team that went positive for testosterone - straight away after the finish the whole team was taken straight to the police station - the bus - the team truck was taken away for searches - it was stripped apart - we were locked in our rooms - our stuff was searched. It's reassuring to know that that's the seriousness with which the police take it out there in France. The whole thing is a criminal offence and it's not just the case that someone has tested positive. It's got a long way to go to restore credibility. I think the generation that's already in place have all got very similar attitudes to me - the young guys who were in the Tour from Britain this year. And they're going to be the stars of the Tour de France in 5 or 10 years time. I think the older generation - when they came into the sport it was already rife in the Tour de France and they grew up with it - it was normality to them - they were in the late 90's taking drugs - now the sport's cleaning it's act up it's difficult for them to ever imagine trying to win having done what they've done in the past. It's difficult but hopefully these guys will get life bans - Vinokourov - hopefully we'll never see him back in the sport which is encouraging for me really. These guys are looked upon as heroes to some young guys - but for me they're not the heroes of the Tour de France - they never were for me. I spent a lot of time in the group finishing an hour down most days and that's where the heroes are for me. Guys like Geriant Thomas, 21 years old - for the last two weeks I've watched him drag himself through the Alps and the Pyrenees on nothing but bread and water - for me - they are the real heroes of the Tour de France - not the guys on the million Euro contracts who are being done for blood transfusions and things like that.
Q: You've talked about life bans - What else can organisers do?
BW: I think they need to take a long look at who they invite to the race over the next few years. If there's a 1% suspicion or doubt that a team is involved in any way in a drugs ring or doping or working with certain doctors, then they shouldn't be invited to the Tour de France - as simple as that - they shouldn't even be given a racing licence until they can prove that they are, through stringent testing procedures, that they are not involved in any wrong doing - until then the ASO shouldn't have them in the Tour de France and the UCI should not have them in the sport.
After the Time Trial I was 2 minutes down on Vinokourov and I was pretty annoyed after that - I doubted from the start. I wouldn't speak the press afterwards because I was scared of what I might say. 2 days later my suspicions were confirmed. If my wife's flight hadn't been booked to Paris, I'd have climbed off and gone home - I did not want to be a part of that race any more. That's how annoyed I was. People's lives are at stake here, people's jobs and things like that. I'm at the end of my contract with Cofidis coming to negotiate, next year for example with Cofidis, I'd asked for a figure for example off my team manager. And he said, 'You didn't win the Prologue and you were fifth in the time trial,' and I'm like, 'But I'm clean, would you rather I take risks and win the prologue and win that time trial and not get caught and then would you be paying me the million Euro contract for next year?' So there's all these things that go into account you know, that was all ****ing me off to be honest. I think the team managers have to take responsibility for this as well because they're willing to pay these guys who are under suspicion and have been involved in previous years in doping scandals. Ivan Basso, last year got thrown off the Tour is disgrace - Brunyeel this year goes and signs him on a million Euro contract. The hypocracy in that is unbelieveable. These guys are running some of the biggest professional cycling teams in the sport. What's their motivation within the sport if they are willing to sign someone who they knew was under investigation of who had been thrown out of the Tour the previous year. Not every team manager thinks that way but it seems that there is a minority out there who aren't willing to play by the rules - including the team managers.
Q: What has persuaded you to carry on?
BW: I always have this massive outlet that is coming back to British Cycling, who in the past have made their stand on doping 100% clear. That is something that keeps me going - the Olympics as well - the Oympic movement is the most credible thing. Going to the World Championships, wearing the GB jersey and representing Britain is great because of what it stands for. When you come back here and see the young academy lads and what they're aspiring to be - they're aspiring to the Tour de France and they're the future of the sport. It's a shame for them. I grew up idolising the heroes of the Tour, Indurain and everyone like that - it was a childhood dream to ride the Tour de France. In the last two years, my childhood dream that's become a reality has been ****ed all over by certain riders. Three days away from being a fabulous Tour de France for me. Looking forward to Paris and celebrating in Paris with my wife - coming back and talking to my club about coming fifth in the Time Trial, fourth in the Prologue, my long breakaway, that's just been ****ed all over by certain members of the peleton. It makes you angry and its frustrating that you can't do anything about it. You just have to have faith in the people in the UCI and the ASO that this kind of thing is never going to happen again. I sat here last year after the Landis affair and said exactly the same thing and here we are 12 months down the line. It's difficult to imagine where the sport can go from here but at the same time my role as an athlete and some would say as an ambassador for the sport is do just go out there and continue plugging away, continue trying to win races clean and make an example that way.
Q: Can the Tour ever redeem itself?
BW: It's going to be difficult and you can't blame people for doubting the credibility of the Tour for perhaps the next 5,6,7 years but what do we do? Do we just cancel the Tour de France now? I think from the sport's point of view the Tour de France is essential - it's the one race in the year that everyone watches - it's the one race that attracts the sort of financial backing that it does but on the downside, the financial rewards of winning something like the tour are so great that it tempts people to do what they do. If you compare it to something like the Olympic Games, the financial rewards of the Olympic Games are peanuts to winning something like the Tour de France. If you win something like the Tour de France you are almost guaranteed for 3 years to be on a E1,000,000 contract - that's quite attractive and lucrative to some people to take the risks they do. Unfortunately - or fortunately - people get caught in these situations - it's unfortunate to the sport that it brings such a bad name to the sport but for me as an athlete it's encouraging that the testing procedures work to the degree that they do.
Its also reassuring to know that a rider in my team that went positive for testosterone - straight away after the finish the whole team was taken straight to the police station - the bus - the team truck was taken away for searches - it was stripped apart - we were locked in our rooms - our stuff was searched. It's reassuring to know that that's the seriousness with which the police take it out there in France. The whole thing is a criminal offence and it's not just the case that someone has tested positive. It's got a long way to go to restore credibility. I think the generation that's already in place have all got very similar attitudes to me - the young guys who were in the Tour from Britain this year. And they're going to be the stars of the Tour de France in 5 or 10 years time. I think the older generation - when they came into the sport it was already rife in the Tour de France and they grew up with it - it was normality to them - they were in the late 90's taking drugs - now the sport's cleaning it's act up it's difficult for them to ever imagine trying to win having done what they've done in the past. It's difficult but hopefully these guys will get life bans - Vinokourov - hopefully we'll never see him back in the sport which is encouraging for me really. These guys are looked upon as heroes to some young guys - but for me they're not the heroes of the Tour de France - they never were for me. I spent a lot of time in the group finishing an hour down most days and that's where the heroes are for me. Guys like Geriant Thomas, 21 years old - for the last two weeks I've watched him drag himself through the Alps and the Pyrenees on nothing but bread and water - for me - they are the real heroes of the Tour de France - not the guys on the million Euro contracts who are being done for blood transfusions and things like that.
Q: You've talked about life bans - What else can organisers do?
BW: I think they need to take a long look at who they invite to the race over the next few years. If there's a 1% suspicion or doubt that a team is involved in any way in a drugs ring or doping or working with certain doctors, then they shouldn't be invited to the Tour de France - as simple as that - they shouldn't even be given a racing licence until they can prove that they are, through stringent testing procedures, that they are not involved in any wrong doing - until then the ASO shouldn't have them in the Tour de France and the UCI should not have them in the sport.
After the Time Trial I was 2 minutes down on Vinokourov and I was pretty annoyed after that - I doubted from the start. I wouldn't speak the press afterwards because I was scared of what I might say. 2 days later my suspicions were confirmed. If my wife's flight hadn't been booked to Paris, I'd have climbed off and gone home - I did not want to be a part of that race any more. That's how annoyed I was. People's lives are at stake here, people's jobs and things like that. I'm at the end of my contract with Cofidis coming to negotiate, next year for example with Cofidis, I'd asked for a figure for example off my team manager. And he said, 'You didn't win the Prologue and you were fifth in the time trial,' and I'm like, 'But I'm clean, would you rather I take risks and win the prologue and win that time trial and not get caught and then would you be paying me the million Euro contract for next year?' So there's all these things that go into account you know, that was all ****ing me off to be honest. I think the team managers have to take responsibility for this as well because they're willing to pay these guys who are under suspicion and have been involved in previous years in doping scandals. Ivan Basso, last year got thrown off the Tour is disgrace - Brunyeel this year goes and signs him on a million Euro contract. The hypocracy in that is unbelieveable. These guys are running some of the biggest professional cycling teams in the sport. What's their motivation within the sport if they are willing to sign someone who they knew was under investigation of who had been thrown out of the Tour the previous year. Not every team manager thinks that way but it seems that there is a minority out there who aren't willing to play by the rules - including the team managers.
Q: What has persuaded you to carry on?
BW: I always have this massive outlet that is coming back to British Cycling, who in the past have made their stand on doping 100% clear. That is something that keeps me going - the Olympics as well - the Oympic movement is the most credible thing. Going to the World Championships, wearing the GB jersey and representing Britain is great because of what it stands for. When you come back here and see the young academy lads and what they're aspiring to be - they're aspiring to the Tour de France and they're the future of the sport. It's a shame for them. I grew up idolising the heroes of the Tour, Indurain and everyone like that - it was a childhood dream to ride the Tour de France. In the last two years, my childhood dream that's become a reality has been ****ed all over by certain riders. Three days away from being a fabulous Tour de France for me. Looking forward to Paris and celebrating in Paris with my wife - coming back and talking to my club about coming fifth in the Time Trial, fourth in the Prologue, my long breakaway, that's just been ****ed all over by certain members of the peleton. It makes you angry and its frustrating that you can't do anything about it. You just have to have faith in the people in the UCI and the ASO that this kind of thing is never going to happen again. I sat here last year after the Landis affair and said exactly the same thing and here we are 12 months down the line. It's difficult to imagine where the sport can go from here but at the same time my role as an athlete and some would say as an ambassador for the sport is do just go out there and continue plugging away, continue trying to win races clean and make an example that way.
Last bit...
Q: With problems on the Tour are you worried that there might be problems at the Olympics?
BW: Well I think the Olympics is a different kettle of fish to be honest. The IOC is very strong and has taken a stronger stance on doping in the past, much more so that the UCI. Pat McQuaid has been left with a very difficult job and has been left with a lot of dead wood from 10 years ago. But he seems to be going about it in the right way - we seemed to be tested every other day - we gave blood and urine on the stages, which is how Vinokourov was caught. I think that's reassuring. It may have tarnished the sport but for me, that guy's gone and I've moved up a place in the time trial. For the clean athletes, it's great that the testing procedures are working.
Q: How about the Cofidis Team?
BW: We were angry more than anything because of what Cofidis stands for, with the problems they went through a few years ago and the testing procedures they put in place - but he (Moreni) slipped through the net on that one. It's difficult with 26 guys living all over Europe to keep tabs on everything they do but at the same time that's what were up against. Unfortunately for us were out the race now and there are 60-odd guys looking for jobs next year.
Q: When you return to the Tour in 2 years how suspicious will you be of your fellow riders?
BW: Hopefully by then, the Tour will have taken a different shape. Hopefully the credibility will have been restored where you'll be riding the tour with credible UCI Pro Tour teams. You might not have the big names like Vinokourov or Rasmussen but you might be talking about younger riders, clean riders like Charlie Wegelius who's up in the top 40 and is a tremendous climber yet perhaps isn't able to shine like the other pure climbers like Rasmussen because he's not doing what they're doing. Hopefully in 2 years time when I return to the Tour I might be the Prologue winner or I might win the Time Trial and be a credible Time Trial winner because I haven't beated someone by 2 minutes. Credible, clean riders are what's gonna be the future of the sport.
If nothing is done now and this thing continues and we get to next year and there's yet more scandal I can only sit here and do so many press conferences and try and protect the credibility of the sport and say everything is gonna be alright for so long before people start saying, 'We've heard this one before.'
The riders have got to take a stand too as a group. If it almost means that we're sitting on the start line at the next race in a month's time saying, 'Look, we're not riding with this guy' and put him at the back of the field or not start the race if there's any suspicion on this guy - if that's what it's gonna take then that's what it's gonna take.
First race back after the track Worlds I was racing against Tyler Hamilton. How he was allowed to return to racing with the amount of evidence that there is against him was just ridiculous and why someone didn't take a decision from higher up to not let this guy ever race again is beyond me really. Something like life bans is what it's going to take to make people question whether to take those risks or not.
My fear was all this would happen in London, but London turned out to be a fantastic weekend. But it's kind of irrelevant when it happened - it happened on the race at some point. We should never have come to this point. If Rasmussen missed a test in June, why the race organisers were not informed earlier Rabobank were informed before the Tour started so why they started Rasmussen in the first place it makes you wonder what the team managers were thinking at the time. Now under severe pressure over the last few days they've finally fired him. Why didn't they do that 2 weeks ago? The whole thing is just a farce really.
Q: Do you think in a strange way that this could be the time for a Great Britain Team to come together?
BW: They're the type of teams you need in the Tour de France in years to come. It would be great to think in 2 or 3 year's time that we'd have a British team like that in the Tour de France. A team that is credible as is supported by years of strong anti doping programmes like British Cycling. It takes time to build that honesty and build people's confidence in the programme and I think that's the stage where British Cycling are now. I think it's the way the sport and the Tour de France has got to go in the next few years.
Q: What's next for you now Bradley?
BW: I don't know what's happening with the team for a start. There'll be an announcment on Monday whether Cofidis in continuing or not. I still enjoy riding my bike - I'm not gonna stop riding my bike - I might get back into the British racing scene - do some club 10s. I enjoy doing it - I enjoy the people doing it - I enjoy their company. It's been a long year and I'll see the next few months out and then attention turns to Beijing next year.
Q: With problems on the Tour are you worried that there might be problems at the Olympics?
BW: Well I think the Olympics is a different kettle of fish to be honest. The IOC is very strong and has taken a stronger stance on doping in the past, much more so that the UCI. Pat McQuaid has been left with a very difficult job and has been left with a lot of dead wood from 10 years ago. But he seems to be going about it in the right way - we seemed to be tested every other day - we gave blood and urine on the stages, which is how Vinokourov was caught. I think that's reassuring. It may have tarnished the sport but for me, that guy's gone and I've moved up a place in the time trial. For the clean athletes, it's great that the testing procedures are working.
Q: How about the Cofidis Team?
BW: We were angry more than anything because of what Cofidis stands for, with the problems they went through a few years ago and the testing procedures they put in place - but he (Moreni) slipped through the net on that one. It's difficult with 26 guys living all over Europe to keep tabs on everything they do but at the same time that's what were up against. Unfortunately for us were out the race now and there are 60-odd guys looking for jobs next year.
Q: When you return to the Tour in 2 years how suspicious will you be of your fellow riders?
BW: Hopefully by then, the Tour will have taken a different shape. Hopefully the credibility will have been restored where you'll be riding the tour with credible UCI Pro Tour teams. You might not have the big names like Vinokourov or Rasmussen but you might be talking about younger riders, clean riders like Charlie Wegelius who's up in the top 40 and is a tremendous climber yet perhaps isn't able to shine like the other pure climbers like Rasmussen because he's not doing what they're doing. Hopefully in 2 years time when I return to the Tour I might be the Prologue winner or I might win the Time Trial and be a credible Time Trial winner because I haven't beated someone by 2 minutes. Credible, clean riders are what's gonna be the future of the sport.
If nothing is done now and this thing continues and we get to next year and there's yet more scandal I can only sit here and do so many press conferences and try and protect the credibility of the sport and say everything is gonna be alright for so long before people start saying, 'We've heard this one before.'
The riders have got to take a stand too as a group. If it almost means that we're sitting on the start line at the next race in a month's time saying, 'Look, we're not riding with this guy' and put him at the back of the field or not start the race if there's any suspicion on this guy - if that's what it's gonna take then that's what it's gonna take.
First race back after the track Worlds I was racing against Tyler Hamilton. How he was allowed to return to racing with the amount of evidence that there is against him was just ridiculous and why someone didn't take a decision from higher up to not let this guy ever race again is beyond me really. Something like life bans is what it's going to take to make people question whether to take those risks or not.
My fear was all this would happen in London, but London turned out to be a fantastic weekend. But it's kind of irrelevant when it happened - it happened on the race at some point. We should never have come to this point. If Rasmussen missed a test in June, why the race organisers were not informed earlier Rabobank were informed before the Tour started so why they started Rasmussen in the first place it makes you wonder what the team managers were thinking at the time. Now under severe pressure over the last few days they've finally fired him. Why didn't they do that 2 weeks ago? The whole thing is just a farce really.
Q: Do you think in a strange way that this could be the time for a Great Britain Team to come together?
BW: They're the type of teams you need in the Tour de France in years to come. It would be great to think in 2 or 3 year's time that we'd have a British team like that in the Tour de France. A team that is credible as is supported by years of strong anti doping programmes like British Cycling. It takes time to build that honesty and build people's confidence in the programme and I think that's the stage where British Cycling are now. I think it's the way the sport and the Tour de France has got to go in the next few years.
Q: What's next for you now Bradley?
BW: I don't know what's happening with the team for a start. There'll be an announcment on Monday whether Cofidis in continuing or not. I still enjoy riding my bike - I'm not gonna stop riding my bike - I might get back into the British racing scene - do some club 10s. I enjoy doing it - I enjoy the people doing it - I enjoy their company. It's been a long year and I'll see the next few months out and then attention turns to Beijing next year.
@Robert21
Great addition to the thread, thanks.
Now we just have to get Wiggo to sit down and read it. What a change!
Great addition to the thread, thanks.
Now we just have to get Wiggo to sit down and read it. What a change!
- Sep 26, 2009
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When Wiggins say "I enjoy riding my bike" - it certainly doesn't show
- he rides like a masochist control-freak cyborg.
When you see Alberto or Gilbert or Samu or Cadel going for it - you can participate in their human joy, joi-de-vivre,
but (for me) that joy is not transmitted by Wiggins
- nor was it by LA.
- he rides like a masochist control-freak cyborg.
When you see Alberto or Gilbert or Samu or Cadel going for it - you can participate in their human joy, joi-de-vivre,
but (for me) that joy is not transmitted by Wiggins
- nor was it by LA.
- Mar 10, 2009
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buckwheat said:http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/25/tour-de-france-2010-lance-armstrong
"I love him," Wiggins said. "I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense. Even his strongest critics have benefitted from him. I don't think this sport will ever realise what he's brought it or how big he's made it.
http://www.slipstreamsports.com/garmin-slipstream-staff/jonathan-vaughters
Vaughters hopes to continue to guide the next generation of American cyclists to the top, and hopes that they will not only surpass what he was able to accomplish as a professional, but manage to equal the accomplishments of his old peers such as Lance Armstrong and George Hincapie. “I was never an enormously talented rider like them, but I figured out how to achieve success all the same through a bit of wit and innovation.
Benefitting from Armstrong?
Never enormously talented?
In his 10 years as a professional cyclist he set the record up Mount Ventoux, and was an integral part of the winning team time trial squad in stage 5 of the 2001 Tour de France.
Messing with the "hot sauce?"
Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters
@GreyManrod No. I suggested a full truth to usada. Just not to the public. You know that.
Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters
@GreyManrod my philosophy is simple and previously stated: tell truth to those who can make move things forward.
Draw your own conclusions.
- Jul 24, 2009
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I gotta love people trotting out quotes from five
or more years ago. Five years ago many of the
people on this forum that are now so anti-Wiggo
were just as fervently pro-Armstrong. I'd love
it if some of you were honest enough to show
us your pro-Lance bleatings from the past.
or more years ago. Five years ago many of the
people on this forum that are now so anti-Wiggo
were just as fervently pro-Armstrong. I'd love
it if some of you were honest enough to show
us your pro-Lance bleatings from the past.
- Apr 2, 2009
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oldcrank said:
Oldcranky, I don't think anyone posting here has ever been pro-Lance.
Whereas in light of Wiggo's latest rabid response to his team being compared to LA's, you'd have thought at least a modicum of constancy would have been shown with his views in 07.
That it has by contrast been a total bout-face can only mean one thing. And it's a bad one.
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