Sorry state of cycling............stop the season now?!
Cycling is an absolute mess right now. I made several posts on the old procycling forum about how we wouldn't go any lower, op puerto would break new ground and we would rid ourselves of the cheats. It would appear we aren't even scracthing the surface of that particular boil! First we have the open secret, fantastically reported in Procycling, that Spanish and Italian teams had complete disdain for the new league being set up by Northern European teams. The end result of my reading this was my complete disregard for the Vuelta this year, the first major race I have not avidly followed for some 20 years. Now the Worlds................what a shambles!!!!!!!!! Bettini is up to his eyes and cannot now do anything to make himself look a clean and model cyclist to any real fan with a half a brain. Valverde has been cleared to ride thanks to the support of a cycling federation with the morals and scruples of a cannibalistic parent. Zabel is riding despite his admission to drugs, Di Luca is ommitted, yet another GT champion tarnished.
I am not a man who has felt the need to give credence to doom and gloom fans who say they will turn their back on cycling, but right now the whole sorry sport has to stop! Websites and magazines still carry glossy pics and features on Contador, Di Luca, Bettini, Valverde, and the show roles on because the pros know it always will, and they can get away with whatever they like. Cancel the worlds, show the rotten pros and spanish and italian teams that it all ends now, here, and that we are serious about not putting up with this any longer! If ASO has an ounce of strength they will ommitt the spanish and italian teams from their events, including the tour, who do not adhere to the northern european teams charter. If the Italian and spanish teams love doping and find it acceptable, let them run their own little protour with events for Dope cheats and junkies.
Procycling this month asked for our rider of the year. I wouldnt choose a single one of them!!! Menchov i believe rode a heroic tour and vuelta clean, Freire I hope has achieved clean this season. But i can't bring myself to vote for any of them. You want my riders of the year. Cavendish...............young and clean! Thomas...........finishing the tour at 21 clean! Thor Hushovd, managing to win a tour stage clean!
Sorry for the rant. Just wish someone at UCI would read this and take stock too.
I am not a man who has felt the need to give credence to doom and gloom fans who say they will turn their back on cycling, but right now the whole sorry sport has to stop! Websites and magazines still carry glossy pics and features on Contador, Di Luca, Bettini, Valverde, and the show roles on because the pros know it always will, and they can get away with whatever they like. Cancel the worlds, show the rotten pros and spanish and italian teams that it all ends now, here, and that we are serious about not putting up with this any longer! If ASO has an ounce of strength they will ommitt the spanish and italian teams from their events, including the tour, who do not adhere to the northern european teams charter. If the Italian and spanish teams love doping and find it acceptable, let them run their own little protour with events for Dope cheats and junkies.
Procycling this month asked for our rider of the year. I wouldnt choose a single one of them!!! Menchov i believe rode a heroic tour and vuelta clean, Freire I hope has achieved clean this season. But i can't bring myself to vote for any of them. You want my riders of the year. Cavendish...............young and clean! Thomas...........finishing the tour at 21 clean! Thor Hushovd, managing to win a tour stage clean!
Sorry for the rant. Just wish someone at UCI would read this and take stock too.
Robert Millar for knighthood
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Comments
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alanmcn1 wrote:Procycling this month asked for our rider of the year. I wouldnt choose a single one of them!!! Menchov i believe rode a heroic tour and vuelta clean, Freire I hope has achieved clean this season. But i can't bring myself to vote for any of them. You want my riders of the year. Cavendish...............young and clean!
Thomas...........finishing the tour at 21 clean! Thor Hushovd, managing to win a tour stage clean!
Join us in the "Race" forum - We talk about this stuff all the time.
When you say "clean" I think you should perhaps say "riders I believe to be clean" because you can't be sure.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
Cadel Evans would be mine0
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Not far wrong! It is hard to watch as you do not want to get behind a rider and be cheated days after the race when they are found out to be a fraud!
I am reading Pantani book and having listened to interviews with LeMond/D.Walsh all I can say is that just about every race win from 91 to 07 needs an * beside it and a comment to say this is based on what we know what not what we dont know!
The UCI is under tremendous pressure to deliver and are in a difficult position. On the one hand they have Tour DeFrance looking for them to bring in more controls. Easy for them to say they are an independent self managed body. UCI has to work with riders and Feds like Spain and Italy and needs a majority to drive changes.You would feel sympathy for them except for them if it was not for their GROSS mismangement of the sport since 91 when EPO arrived. We now struggle to put the genie back in the bottle.
I think that UCI are scincere in their efforts but is it a day late and a dollar short? One the one hand they have to provide a spotless image for Sponsors and TV. But in order to clean up the sport they will have more positives along the way which will add fuel to the fire and damage the credibility. Look at German TV dropping tour coverage and Discovery unable to get a new sponsor. Also young riders offer hope of a new future but how long will they be willing to wait. Some of the new breed are turning the corner and entering the prime of their careers. No longer will they be willing to wait for the sport to clean up. If the UCI cannot deliver a clean sport then the temptation to go after wins and do what is necessary to level the playing field against dopers may prove too much. Recent events in Spain and Italy prove their is much work to be done. No DNA from Valverde and the spanish fed reiterating case closed. If there was such suspicsion then why does Valverde not come fwd and set teh record straight. Instead he choosees to remain in the shadows.
So I agree - I find it hard to watch racing with interest. The racing on the road is a side show to the real race in the Labs and boardrooms to deliver a clean sport. I believe we have more scandals, more big riders to be caught (look at Belgian case kicking off) and more confessions from past champions. Also I believe we have more questionable vistories. But we are where we are and ther can be no turning back. I read about Jeanson starting using EPO at 16 with the assistance of her father, doctor and coach. Of all the drug stories alleged or otherwise that for me is an all time low. From a health and ethics perspective it is sickening - u may as well be giving your daughter herion in my book! If the UCI fail then that story is in danger of becoming the norm for so many promising young athletes.0 -
I think we should wait and stop the season in a couple of weeks time.0
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...how we wouldn't go any lower, ... we would rid ourselves of the cheats, ... we aren't even scracthing the surface , ... we have the open secret,
...we are serious about not putting up with this any longer.
Just who is this "we" you keep talking about. Give me 10 names in the so called "we"
group. If you're trying to spesk for "everyone" forget it. You may have a career in ranting
if you keep trying.
Dennis Noward
Toledo, Ohio0
