Who’s Foolin’ Who?
There’s an awful lot of “I don’t know” or “we didn’t know” in cycling. Ballan just got hooked from the BMC squad, and Och (who’s got a skeleton overcrowding problem in his closet himself) has the nuggets to say “we didn’t know who his coach was”. Right. You didn’t know. And of course, this was all Lampre time, not BMC, and the investigation claims to center on distribution as opposed to individual use, but you know….where there’s smoke…..blah blah blah.
And just now a bunch of Frenchie kids get popped. L’Avenir sorts. Well covered by layers of masking agents. So the “turning the corner” and “new generation” stuff is a bit overblown as we suspected.
And you watch early season races and classics and you see Ricco, Millar, Scarponi, Chicken, and worst of all, Valverde along with all their other dirty little friends just riding away. What the hell, let’s let Tyler Hamilton and Di Luca back in the mix too. And of course the “too big to fail” riders that bring in the cash, they get carte blanche.
For all the professions of cleanliness and ethics, I just can’t help but feel this is one big long April Fool’s joke. Still. I know I’ve been harping on it for years, but it just saddens me to no end to see the very essence of sport – and to some extent decency – trampled with cheating, lies, and incredulity.
That said, I’m off to rub shoulders with the needle ponies themselves for Ardennes week. Look for some fun posts and pictures over the next 15 days.
Supposedly, the Italian Police is mainly after the distributors but any one found in between will also get it. I agree with the “New Generation” stuff, if anything they are not using the old stuff but have moved on to newer ways, the cover up is also along the lines of regular illegal drugs. Meaning you’re going to have to go deep to get to the root as the connections are rather top secret. Sure still involves Doctors but you know the supposed oath they have, just look at where Fuentes is today, not in jail.
I guess if you pitch in to the UCI drug testing program your sample is never positive.
Agreed Meph. It’s the whole network that needs a look-see. It’s definitely neck down and the riders are at the foot of the giant. Directors, coaches, doctors, riders, in that order. And when said network has the UCI as the driver, well hell, pour another cocktail please. No holds barred as long as the money flows in and the people get a show.
And +1 on the Fuentes point. Sonofabitch. And where’s Manolo? And what of the Astana needles? And the other swept-under-the-rug stories? How the hell is Kloeden riding after a 25k payoff? Humanplasma? And on and on and on…
Obviously Och is full of shit, but I want to stand up for Millar. Sure he doped hardcore, but when he was caught he owned up to it and exposed the coaches and soigniers who facilitated him. Doping to win the world championship was truly shitty, but who else has even admitted guilt or expressed remorse much less attempted to make ammends. I don’t like that he’s the hero people make him out to be, bit he doesn’t belong in the same category with the rest of those unrepentant cheats.
Meet the new boss,
Same as the old boss.
You’re right-on, Capt’n…follow the money…and the “show”…but don’t let the overtly-obvious racket get you frustrated. See it for what it is, expose it, then let it go. After all, the masses need entertainment…at ever-increasing doses. And good TV means more money flowing to ad revenue. It’s one, big, happy, systematic money-making machine. Simple.
The days of professional sporting, for the true love of the sport, are long over…whether it’s cycling, golf, football, baseball, soccer, etc. It’s obvious. Nike’s recent damage control of Tiger illustrates it all. It’s all about protecting the “brand”…and the resulting $$$. The new sports doping just follows the money, which is the foundation for it all. Hypocrisy is the age we’re in. It’s all about the money.
I don’t know whether to recommend Pink Floyd’s “Welcome To The Machine”…or Styx’s “Grand Illusion”. But you’re a well-read gentleman, so I’m sure your collection includes both.
We all like to see our favorite rider speed away from the pack. We all like to see “our guy” hit multiple home runs. We all like to see the HUGE drives off the tee. Why not just turn a blind eye to the cheating and let the pros play Russian Roulette with the needle and turn out those incredible performances all in the name of competition and the thrill of victory (and market share, endorsements). It’s happening, anyway. Let’s embrace it. Let’s accept it. Ultimately, let’s choose our battles. Because, this one, we won’t ever win. There will always be cheaters and there will always be an audience that is willing to ignore the obvious blasphemy that is the world in which we live.
I love cycling since I was 19, and I wanted to go at it, but when I found about the scandals and the frauds, it was very discouraging, just take it for what it is like others have written here, money making machines, that’s all. When I wanted to get into cycling I read a book called “Serious Cycling” by none other than Ed Burke, who was a coach for the 1984 US Olympic Cycling team (if I am not mistaken), that was involved in a major doping operation back then, and it only came out into the light just a few years ago, not one page on that book not even a sentence mentions doping in cycling.
Mr. Fufkin…you are correct, Sir.