Millar - Ricco Little Bastard. VandeVelde & Cav heroes

deal

http://www.slipstreamsports.com/2008/07 ... to-believe

personally i like Millar and enjoy his writing, and agree with him Ricco is a little bastard!

top_bhoy

From the website:

it was gratifying to see the little bastard getting caught. Because that’s what he is, a little bastard. Forget ‘The Cobra’, I’ve got two better names for him: The Trouser Snake (courtesy of Danny Pate at the Giro), and The Worm (courtesy of Mark Cavendish here at the Tour). Well, I had a feeling the snake’s move on the Aspin was too good to be true. And unfortunately of late when I have that feeling, doping is involved.

There is nothing worse than a repentant sinner. He's obviously forgotten his own failings!! This sort of talk I'd welcome from a non-doper, but coming from as big a cheat as the person he is critical of, its simply nauceating and hypocritical.

Kléber

Why, he's speaking the truth. He's in many ways a mirror for the sport: EPO use earlier on but now trying to ride clean. I'm glad he condemns doping, it's so much better than the weasel words from many ("it's a bad day for cycling", "no comment" etc).

Millar confessed to his doping past but there are many, many riders in the bunch today who have cheated in the past but have not had to go through the ban, the shame, the lost years and more because they were never caught.

Ramanujan

to slander another rider because he made the same mistake Millar made is a bit rich in my book.

Peakraider

Effectively implicates Cadel and Silence Lotto by omitting them from his list of good guys.

dewei

There is nothing worse than a repentant sinner. He's obviously forgotten his own failings!! This sort of talk I'd welcome from a non-doper, but coming from as big a cheat as the person he is critical of, its simply nauceating and hypocritical.

(alt+q)

The end of his blog entry:
If you’re close to giving up on cycling, I can understand that. I almost did after all; but please don’t give up on us. And when I say us, I mean them. Because I am an ex-doper, I have to earn my right to be believed and trusted. But there are many who don’t. They need to be believed in.

top_bhoy

dewei wrote:

The end of his blog entry:
If you’re close to giving up on cycling, I can understand that. I almost did after all; but please don’t give up on us. And when I say us, I mean them. Because I am an ex-doper, I have to earn my right to be believed and trusted. But there are many who don’t. They need to be believed in.

Duh....if he thinks writing the kind of stuff like he did for the rest of the article will earn trust he is, mistaken in my opinion unless you are the kind who believe in fairy tales. If he gives names, doctors and contacts for those who assisted his programme and whom he knows participate in drug taking, then that will be the only thing which will even begin to atone for his misdemeanours.

Of course he won't and I don't blame him as it will effectively kill his cycling career but I do wish he'd stop the sanctimonious claptrap which he currently espouses. Ricco is doing no more or less than what he did and yet, if Millar had spilt the beans, he may have been in a position to stop Ricco and others like him. Actions speak louder and clearer than words.

I kind of stopped reading before the end - it was hard to take him seriously, the vicious tone of the article.

skavanagh.bikeradar

For goodness sake, can't some of you read? He's not accusing Evans or Silence Lotto of anything by omission - he's talking specifically about certain people of whom he has personal knowledge i.e. Cav and Vande Velde. If by omission he is accusing people he's accusing the entire peloton. And let me be clear, he isn't doing that either!

As to him being in a glass house and sickening you with his pious attitude, I'd like to read what Basso has to say on the same subject. I'm pretty confident who'd I'd rather have spouting off in the peloton out of the two of them.

PutneyJoe

He's a great writer. Really like his stuff.

iainf72

Is everyone convinced by Christian Vandevelde? He ridden for some interesting teams in the past.

1998 - 2003 USPS
2004 Liberty Seguros
2005 - 2007 Team CSC

skavanagh.bikeradar

That has crossed my mind, but I'm inclined to believe Millar.

graeme_s-2

Peakraider wrote:

Effectively implicates Cadel and Silence Lotto by omitting them from his list of good guys.

He's specifically named his team mate who's 3rd in the GC, and his countryman who's won 3 stages. I don't think you can read anything into him excluding anyone from that list.

top_bhoy

skavanagh.bikeradar wrote:

As to him being in a glass house and sickening you with his pious attitude, I'd like to read what Basso has to say on the same subject. I'm pretty confident who'd I'd rather have spouting off in the peloton out of the two of them.

Bassos views are irrelevant, its Millar himself who has chosen to be publicly outspoken. So what has he got to say which is positive? I only read a barrage of abuse aimed at a few people who committed the same illegal activities as himself. He has contributed nothing to reducing illegal drug abuse in the peleton. Maybe people like reading sanctimonious words from a doper but until its backed with something more tangible, anything he says will be treated as trivia by myself.

I want to see dopers caught and nothing Millar has said or done contributes to this aim even though he undoubtedly could. What then gives him the right to be questioning others morals in an openly aggressive manner? Sweet FA thats what!!

Belv

I am bitterly disappointed because i do want to believe in these men. I want to believe that a human being can (legally) do the sort of things that Ricco did and i used to love watching Pantani do.

DaveyL

Millar named the Euskaltel doctor as the one who gave him epo. Blazing Saddles, in another thread, has hinted that a tip from Millar led to Mayo being busted last year. Still, I'm guessing you're still not going to cut hm any slack.

fast as fupp

Top_Bhoy wrote:

From the website:

it was gratifying to see the little bastard getting caught. Because that’s what he is, a little bastard. Forget ‘The Cobra’, I’ve got two better names for him: The Trouser Snake (courtesy of Danny Pate at the Giro), and The Worm (courtesy of Mark Cavendish here at the Tour). Well, I had a feeling the snake’s move on the Aspin was too good to be true. And unfortunately of late when I have that feeling, doping is involved.

There is nothing worse than a repentant sinner. He's obviously forgotten his own failings!! This sort of talk I'd welcome from a non-doper, but coming from as big a cheat as the person he is critical of, its simply nauceating and hypocritical.

the sweet baby jesus would beg to differ with you about repentant sinners

are you without sin topbhoy?

top_bhoy

nah.....and the tone of his website ain't cutting anyone any slack either. They may have had extenuating circumstances which he doesn't know about which led them to doping. :twisted:

In reading a large part of that article, it is his whole pious and overly aggressive attitude which is hard to take.

Doobz

its simply nauseating and hypocritical

I agree.. Once a cheat always a cheat

jimmythecuckoo

I suspect that Millar will have and will do more to stop doping in the peloton that Basso and Ricco put together.

top_bhoy

fast as fupp wrote:

the sweet baby jesus would beg to differ with you about repentant sinners

are you without sin topbhoy?

Of course not but I don't think I could be accused of hypocrisy. If he is that against it, I'm sure he could have condemned it in a low more low key and less aggressive manner and still get his point across. For his own reasons he is simply wanting to draw attention by doing it in the manner he did.

inseine

I think you have to take the guy on face value. He cheated and now he is clean and yes, that does give him a right to have a view on the subject. More so than the rest of us, that's for sure. I'm surprised that people find him such a figure of hate, he's not a murderer you know. He did wrong and now he wants to repent, what would you prefer that he did?

leguape

Top_Bhoy wrote:

Duh....if he thinks writing the kind of stuff like he did for the rest of the article will earn trust he is, mistaken in my opinion unless you are the kind who believe in fairy tales. If he gives names, doctors and contacts for those who assisted his programme and whom he knows participate in drug taking, then that will be the only thing which will even begin to atone for his misdemeanours.

Of course he won't and I don't blame him as it will effectively kill his cycling career but I do wish he'd stop the sanctimonious claptrap which he currently espouses. Ricco is doing no more or less than what he did and yet, if Millar had spilt the beans, he may have been in a position to stop Ricco and others like him. Actions speak louder and clearer than words.

I kind of stopped reading before the end - it was hard to take him seriously, the vicious tone of the article.

Hard to take you seriously either. Millar was pinched as a named offending in an existing and ongoing case, The Philippe Gaumont affair, in which he was named as one of the protagonists in the Cofidis doping ring, along with Dr Menuet, Megret and various other riders:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07112006/ ... -case.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n12785971

Who exactly was Millar meant to name that hadn't already been named in the case, given that he was at the end of a long chain where evidence had already been given and seems to have been asked only about his own involvement?

andyp

Top_Bhoy wrote:

In reading a large part of that article, it is his whole pious and overly aggressive attitude which is hard to take.

Looked in a mirror lately?

cougie

Good on Miller ! Its refreshing to hear a rider outraged and pissed off with a fellow rider doping.

Remember the bad old days - people would get tested and kicked off, and their rivals even wouldnt have a bad word to say about them. FFS.

If i was riding clean and the guy who beat me was DQ'd - I'd be slagging him off something rotten. How could you not ?

TB - clearly you dont like Miller - I doubt he could do anything to convince you.

cougie

Good on Miller ! Its refreshing to hear a rider outraged and pissed off with a fellow rider doping.

Remember the bad old days - people would get tested and kicked off, and their rivals even wouldnt have a bad word to say about them. FFS.

If i was riding clean and the guy who beat me was DQ'd - I'd be slagging him off something rotten. How could you not ?

TB - clearly you dont like Miller - I doubt he could do anything to convince you.

mercsport

I also think Millar's a good writer . Does he closet himself away and batter away at the keys of an evening after a race , or does he have a ghost writer I wonder ? Nonetheless , a good read .
One thing has puzzled me though , why has no one on these forums - that I'm aware of - drawn a parallel between Millar and the sprinter Dwain Chambers' drug induced predicament , who gets to hear sometime today whether he has the opportunity of appearing at the Olympics ( he hasn't a hope in hades chance of winning the 100m dash anyway ) ? Both of whom are reformed - supposedly - cheats . Our man though is still plying his trade , seemingly without censure .

cougie

I thought Chambers was racing now - just that he's barred from the Olympics ? Like Millar ?

ricadus

Maybe not even that -- we find out in an hour or so.

Belv

I'd have MIller and Chambers banned for life.

nferrar

On the one hand Millar served his penalty and seems to be trying his hardest to improve cycling's image.

On the other hand he cheated and only stopped when caught not through moral conviction. Drug cheats are destroying cycling and lifetime bans are the only way to deal with it, i.e. Millar shouldn't be a pro cyclist anymore.

Personally I've been so let down and pissed off over the years by cyclists I looked up to and supported that I say screw any drug users, I couldn't care less if they end up homeless winos - they chose to take drugs and they should face the harshest consequences.

If they couldn't maintain good enough performance without using drugs to keep their job then it's a sign they should be looking for another career anyway, it doesn't matter how hard you're prepared to work no one has a god-given right to be a pro cyclist.

cougie

I've no problem with drugs cheats being banned from The Olympics - thats fair enough really - another penalty for them to cope with.