Kevin Van Impe supported by riders

iainf72

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Rid ... 98345.html

FFS - You've got to be a special kind of dick to visit the crematorium when someone is dealing with their babies death.

afx237vi

Agreed. I read the story on cyclingnews and couldn't believe anyone could be that callous. Someone deserves to be sacked for that. Unbelievable.

Tom Butcher

They are just doing their job - I agree there should be a system for testers to contact someone with the authority to make exceptions in cases such as this but ultimately if the testing programme is going to work then riders are going to have to put up with intrusions at very private times.

GroupOfOne MkII

Yes they are just doing their job...but...surely a little bit of common sense (and dare I say it compassion) could have been used in this situation. I mean it's not like an elaborate subterfuge to get around being tested is it.

I don't see why the testers can't have that little bit of autonomy to say "Ok I'll tick the extraneous circumstances box" and come back at a more suitable time for all parties.

OffTheBackAdam

Grossly insensitive, the "Jobsworths" doing the testing should be ashamed of themselves.

avalon

Tom Butcher wrote:

They are just doing their job - I agree there should be a system for testers to contact someone with the authority to make exceptions in cases such as this but ultimately if the testing programme is going to work then riders are going to have to put up with intrusions at very private times.

Would that person with the authority not be the same person who instigated the disgusting intrusion on someones most private moment whilst grieving their loss?

Tom Butcher

I don't know how it works - I think there should have been an exception made in this case but if the tester didn't have the authority to make that decision then you can't really blame them.

afx237vi

Tom Butcher wrote:

They are just doing their job - I agree there should be a system for testers to contact someone with the authority to make exceptions in cases such as this but ultimately if the testing programme is going to work then riders are going to have to put up with intrusions at very private times.

Yes, cyclists need to put up with intrusions at certain moments, but COME ON. There also needs to be a modicum of respect shown by the testers. They knew where Van Impe was so they must have known the circumstances. All the testers had to do was phone their boss and explain. Anyone with a tiny bit of humanity would have let that one time slide. Van Impe even offered to do it later at his home.

And if they did phone their boss (whoever he is) and he said do it anyway, the system is even more flawed than I already thought.

steve23

They are just doing their job

what a load of bull!!!

did the guy have no common sense!!?? Van Impe did well not to smack the git! saying that they are just doing their job is just plain stupid.

would you be happy with someone that you work with comming to visit you at a funeral for advice about something at work!!?? i think we all know what you would say/do.

LangerDan

How did the testers know van Impe was at the crematorium? If he hadn't updated his wherabouts to the federation / UCI (and who could blame him), then the testers would have gone to where he was suposed to be, found him missing and declared that.

Alternatively, if van Impe updated his whereabouts to tell the testers where he'd be then there will always be a chance they will show up, however unpalatable it would be.

The only other scenario that comes to mind is that the testers went to wherever he was supposed to be, found where he actually was and why and rather than declare him for a missed test (with all that will bring) went to see if he would take the test.

I don't know what the permitted extenuating circumstances for missing a test are and whether the testers themselves are permitted to make the decision.

Tom Butcher

steve23 wrote:

They are just doing their job

what a load of bull!!!

did the guy have no common sense!!?? Van Impe did well not to smack the git! saying that they are just doing their job is just plain stupid.

would you be happy with someone that you work with comming to visit you at a funeral for advice about something at work!!?? i think we all know what you would say/do.

I must have misunderstood - I thought he was making arrangements for a funeral - not that he was actually at a funeral.

Tom Butcher

afx237vi wrote:

Tom Butcher wrote:

They are just doing their job - I agree there should be a system for testers to contact someone with the authority to make exceptions in cases such as this but ultimately if the testing programme is going to work then riders are going to have to put up with intrusions at very private times.

Yes, cyclists need to put up with intrusions at certain moments, but COME ON. There also needs to be a modicum of respect shown by the testers. They knew where Van Impe was so they must have known the circumstances. All the testers had to do was phone their boss and explain. .

Yes I agree there should be a system in place for circumstances like this - that's why I said so in my post. I just don't agree that the tester should unilaterally have decided that he wasn't going to do the test - it's a decision for someone higher up the ladder. If the decision was passed upwards and someone with the authority to authorise a delayed test refused then shame on them.

dave_1

Only an idiot would interupt someone at their kid's funeral. Whoever that tester was, he should be removed as that is so unfair and give the anit-doping movement a bad name, hand ammo to the doping camp to claim their rights are infringed

Kléber

It looks dreadful. Poor Van Impe.

But riders in the past have used outrageous excuses. Sick mothers in law and dogs alike have apparently required cortico-steroids and EPO.

Of course Van Impe isn't lying but testers have the right to invade privacy for a reason, but in this case the testing staff should obviously have been allowed to exercise some humanity and judgement.

Doobz

I bet the guy would not have gone out and done the testing if it was his dead kid in the crematorium.. When I read this I was a bit upset and very shocked indeed...

LangerDan

1) The funeral wasn't taking place - Van Impe was there making arrangements

2) Van Impe had advised that he would be at the crematorium:

"Feltet.dk, machine translated, reports The Man came for an OoC test while Kevin van Impe was in the middle of making arrangements for the funeral of his son, who died six hours after birth. No, he could not come back later, or it would have been a "missed test":

"Luckily I had written in my whereabout's that I this week mainly would be at the hospital. Now I can so change next week write that I can meet at Monday in the crematorium in Lochristi. That system is simply not humane", a bitter Kevin van Impe said"

I would have thought that a top-level team like Quick-Step would have some plan in place to liase between the authorities and riders in such circumstances.