Boonen out of the Tour de France

pottssteve

He's tested positive for being an idiot...

No Tour of Switzerland or TdF.

Is this the "Right" decision?

Pirahna

I think there are so many people using coke these days it hardly matters.

SunWuKong

So the more people do something the less we need to worry about it? :shock:

andy_wrx

Ignoring whether cocaine is a banned drug on WADA's list, he brings the sport into disrepute with his speeding offences and now this.

What sort of image would it present if he were to win stages or Green, would the media portray him as anything else but as an overpaid playboy druggie ?

Diesel_engine

I'd probably be sacked if the police caught me with cocaine. Why should Tommeke be any different?

robmanic1

Damn right! He should be banned, pro-cycling is enough of a joke as it is amongst the non-cycling fraternity. Here's a guy who's at the top of his chosen career, could retire tomorrow (and probably will!) without ever having to worry about where the money for basics such as heating and food is coming from because he's made a fortune from the sport he supposedly loves, decides to jeopardise everything for the sake of a "thrill".
VERY disappointed! :x

calvjones

Yes, for his own long-term good

jimmythecuckoo

Not sure if this link has been posted but sounds all fair enough..

http://www.protournews.com/news/article ... =1&uan=899

I might yet forgive him.

dave_1

he needs made a serious example of...he is a role model and a disgusting one at that...he should face what he. I read he was speeding, druink and now coke...ban him all season and next

dave_1

he needs made a serious example of...he is a role model and a disgusting one at that...he should face what he is. I read he was speeding, druink and now coke...ban him all season and next

iainf72

Dave_1 wrote:

he needs made a serious example of...he is a role model and a disgusting one at that...he should face what he. I read he was speeding, druink and now coke...ban him all season and next

He's not a role model though- At the end of the day he's a professional bike rider. Did he break any rules?

No.

Did he do something which leaves a bad taste in people's mouths? Yep, but I can't see what you could ban him for.

andyp

Blimey Dave_1 - have you been reacquainting yourself with the Daily Mail now you're back in the UK? :shock:

dave_1

iainf72 wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

he needs made a serious example of...he is a role model and a disgusting one at that...he should face what he. I read he was speeding, druink and now coke...ban him all season and next

He's not a role model though- At the end of the day he's a professional bike rider. Did he break any rules?

No.

Did he do something which leaves a bad taste in people's mouths? Yep, but I can't see what you could ban him for.

substance abuse wrecks a lot of lives and therefore young people should be shown what a dodgy a chararcter he is..., not someone to look up to

dave_1

iainf72 wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

he needs made a serious example of...he is a role model and a disgusting one at that...he should face what he. I read he was speeding, druink and now coke...ban him all season and next

He's not a role model though- At the end of the day he's a professional bike rider. Did he break any rules?

No.

Did he do something which leaves a bad taste in people's mouths? Yep, but I can't see what you could ban him for.

substance abuse wrecks a lot of lives and therefore young people should be shown what a dodgy a chararcter he is..., not someone to look up to

Moomaloid

It only wrecks the lives of weak people i'm afraid. I never ever understand that stupid argument of this leads to that and then to that and then your life is screwed. Rubbish! Its down to the will of the person at the end of day. Scaremongering ruins the chances of the world actually truly realizing extent and real level of harm of recreational drug use. We're bloomin lucky its not legal otherwise think of the Tax!!

secretsqirrel

iainf72 wrote:

He's not a role model though- At the end of the day he's a professional bike rider. Did he break any rules?

No.

Did he do something which leaves a bad taste in people's mouths? Yep, but I can't see what you could ban him for.

That is why the UCI won't sanction him, but race organisers are a law unto themselves and so won't invite him to their races.
BTW - I disagree. He is a very high profile professional bike rider, and therefore should take on some responsibilty of being a role model.
I like him as a racer, but I also feel sorry for him, from a recent interview published in one of the monthlies, it did sound as if he is struggling with the publicity he is getting around his personal life. He didn't sound like the robust party animal that some people seem to think he is. Maybe more Ullrich than Cipollini.
Maybe he needs a break to sort his head out?

blazing_saddles

Yes, if for no other reason than to avoid further fueling the Astana moaners.

Besides, after the UCI had said they could impose no sanctions, they offered the moral high ground to the arch-enemy. The ASO weren't going to ignore such a gift. You could guarrantee they would take the opposite stance.

Uuuummm.....Team Moral High Ground has a certain ring to it. :roll:

robmanic1

Regardless of whether we think he's a role model or not, our sport doesn't need to be associated with this kind of behaviour any more, zero tolerance is the only way forward now I'm afraid.
I don't think he should be banned for life, by the way, just for a seaon for this offence, give the guy chance to turn thiings around (we all make mistakes).

iainf72

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id= ... jun13news2

Quick.Step want him there.

This could be fun :P

z000m

i bet mark cavendish is loving this

andrewgturnbull

Hi there.

Also in the news: Boonen re-signs with Quick Step through to 2011.

Methinks his contract value might have shrunk a little over the course of those negotiations!

Cheers, Andy

FWIW I voted for Boonen to be in the Tour - I want to see the best riders race against each other (Contador included). If the riders aren't banned then they should get a ride. If the organisers think they should be banned then I'd rather see them work within the UCI framework to improve matters, rather than start their own witchhunt.

iainf72

andrewgturnbull wrote:

Hi there.

Also in the news: Boonen re-signs with Quick Step through to 2011.

Methinks his contract value might have shrunk a little over the course of those negotiations!

He signed before the news so probably not.

Squaggles

Yes , he should be banned . He has been an idiot and needs to think about what he is doing . He is a professional cyclist and should act professionally . The sport is in enough trouble as it is without things like this .

The widespread use of coke by 'ordinary' people has no relevance to an elite athlete and professional sportsman.

robmanic1

Andrew, I agree in principle, I'd like to see the worlds best at the TDF too, but if the pro's can see that this kind of behaviour simply will not be tolerated, then surely that's for the greater benefit of the sport, and if the UCI are unwilling to take a stand then all credit to the TDF organisers I say, and if that means we don't see the so-called "elite" riders for a year or two then so be it.

jimmythecuckoo

With all of the drug problems in cycling anyway it would have been better if he had been found to have been an alcoholic.

This will fuel the argument that drugs lead to drugs... a la Pantani.

z000m

leave pantani alone pls

OffTheBackAdam

Moomaloid wrote:

It only wrecks the lives of weak people i'm afraid.... Scaremongering ruins the chances of the world actually truly realizing extent and real level of harm of recreational drug use. We're bloomin lucky its not legal otherwise think of the Tax!!

It wrecks the lives of people all the way from its (Whatever illegal drug it is) source, through to its end user.
It's good to see an authority taking this sort of stance, rather than lauding the abusers, be they some scrawny "supermodel" or an even scrawnier "singer".
You're right about the tax, of course. The government would be making a mint from it.

neeb

Not condoning what he has done or the bad example he is setting, but this should have nothing to do with his eligibility to compete as far as I am concerned. If quickstep, as his employers, wanted to sack or sanction him that would be their call, but the TdF should be a test of sporting prowess on an equal footing, not of lifestyle or morality outside of the sport. What next, ban people with piercings or dodgy political views? What if Pantani had been banned from the 1998 TdF if they had tested him for cocaine and got a positive??

neeb

P.S. I'm tired of seeing the phrase "zero tolerance" in magazines and in forums. If that scary contemporary euphemism means "guilty until proven innocent" and punishing people simply because of the effect that their actions might have on the image of the sport then it represents the mentality of the lynch mob.

Gr.uB

Having read Matt Rendell's book on Pantani, my eyes were somewhat opened. The fact that Specialized, Inergetic and Quickstep are standing behind him means nothing to me. They are big corporations and they are making money from him. Whether that is good or bad publicity - ( Max Clifford will tell you it is all the same ) they are making money.
Boonen is the main man in Flanders. His recent love life situation was front page news in the glossy gossip mags - he is the man they all talk about, want a piece of etc.

Smoke and mirrors - that is all this is. Only time will tell.

Ricardo H

banning him from the tour is the best way to make him open his eyes and see what a bloody fool hes been