Boonen - Positive for coke again

iainf72

giant mancp wrote:

Bloke's an idiot. Only a ban for life will do imo.

A ban for life for what? What cycling rule did he break exactly?

frenchfighter

andyp

F@*k me, I seemed to have stumbled onto the Daily Mail forum by mistake...

liversedge

Quickstep is the sponsor. they have to walk away now, they have little choice.

edit: oops referring to much earlier post - its not some random outburst, honest.

cougie

Silly boy. I've no time for cocaine users - be they 'normal' people or superstar athletes.

iainf72

andyp wrote:

F@*k me, I seemed to have stumbled onto the Daily Mail forum by mistake...

FURY AS CYCLING FANS WHO ARE GAY FOR FOREIGN BOONEN DISCOVER HE USES COCAINE

Pokerface

It's actually kinda funny what substances are banned IN competition but not out of competition.

Take alcohol for instance. Banned in competition! But they tend to overlook it every year in the final stage of the Tour when the winning team drinks champagne while riding into Paris!

Cocaine is mostly banned in competition for the obvious impairment it can cause. It would contravene most country's motor vehicle codes of being in control of a bike while under the influence of a controlled substance.

There may also be 'performance' benefits but you'd have a hard time making that argument.

disgruntledgoat

Would hate to see him face a cycling sanction for out of competition use of recreational drugs. That's butterfly on a wheel stuff.

Hope he gets all the help he needs. People seem to forget that these guys are humans first, lots of 27 year olds wil take drugs occasionally or regularly for a variety of reasons and I think inferring that he's teh "new Pantani" etc is in really poor taste.

Still, at least it shows that outo f competition tests are being carried out!

iainf72

Amazing exclusive from Pierrewho managed to get an audience with Tom himself.

pottssteve

iainf72 wrote:

andyp wrote:

F@*k me, I seemed to have stumbled onto the Daily Mail forum by mistake...

FURY AS CYCLING FANS WHO ARE GAY FOR FOREIGN BOONEN DISCOVER HE USES COCAINE

AND WHAT WILL THIS DO TO THE VALUE OF MY HOUSE?!!

OffTheBackAdam

He's been mixing with too many footballers, hasn't he!
Forgotten that pro cyclists get tested, whilst pro footballers can just hop over a wall or "forget" that the testers there & switch off their phones whilst going shopping.

BMX Bear

He knows he going to get tested so why do it? Addict maybe? Stupid? for sure. It's just the dissapointment that yet again cycling is associated with drugs and drug abuse.

OK it's a recreational drug but still illegal, not matter how many 'normal' people use it.

Jez mon

andyp wrote:

F@*k me, I seemed to have stumbled onto the Daily Mail forum by mistake...

Yep, this is completely different from doping for performance reasons, some people just don't seem to get that.

It's a matter for the courts and no one else, personally I find his drink driving escapades far more shocking! I think it's clear that Tom needs help, not a lifetime ban for doing something which isn't even against the UCI's rulebook.

don key

teagar wrote:

If it is a genuine drug problem than it's not stupid... It's a lot of other things but stupid it isn't.

Quitting drugs like cocain isn't like stopping smoking.

Clearly there are personal problems. I'm sure he knows the consequences, certainly more than any of you, not least because of what happened last year.

If it isn't a drug problem on its own, then surely he must have enough personal problems for him to seek such extreme relief.


People don't do stuff like that when it is so damaging for a career just on a whim. I think some of you are being rather narrow minded here.

I could agree more but not much.

carbonfiend

hmmm I whiff some double standards here, there seems to a lack of venom or animosity towards Boonen because this positve result isn't for a 'performance enhancing drug' and is being classed as recreational. I for one don't see cocaine as a recreational drug its highly addictive and its abuse has severe long term health effects on the user (I have seen this up close and personal too many times) the word recreational is a misnomer when applied to cocaine use. Is Boonen any differnet from any other drug user we read about stuck in the cycle of addiction causing misery and pain to himself and those around him, cocaine is an ugly drug that turns people very aggresive arrogant, egotistical and ultimately criminal. Sure Boonen needs help and should recieve all the relevant support and yes he was stupid and no doubt has 'issues' to deal with but I don't see him any diifernt from Rico, Khol, Schumacer etc etc His positive test also throws up questions about boundries, where do they lie, if he takes illegal subsatnces in one area of his life what does it say about other areas. Whats the cliche ' If looks too good to true its probably is' There is another cliche when applied to drug use of this sort about where your life ends up '...jails institutions and death...' He has wasted peoples time, support and commitment just the same as the other above mentioned guilty ridrs performance enhancing or not.

Kléber

It's total front page news in Belgium: http://www.nieuwsblad.be/

He just needs to get some help. Maybe get himself tested every day to prove he's clean? A month of clean data and ASO will welcome him in.

iainf72

Tomke speaks - Although he didn't mention this to Pierre earlier.

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=re ... &type=lgns

It's the old too-much-booze-teenage-girl-offers-a-sniff-and-bunk-up that happens to everyone from time to time.

afx237vi

At least he's admitting it this time. I don't have much sympathy for him, but it's not exactly crime of the century. He needs to sort himself out and ask himself what he wants from life. He doesn't need cycling. If he's not enjoying it anymore, why bother going on?

ajbell

Tom get you're act together.. :!: :!: :evil:

We don't want another Tragedy like Marco Pantani.

iainf72

afx237vi wrote:

He needs to sort himself out and ask himself what he wants from life. He doesn't need cycling. If he's not enjoying it anymore, why bother going on?

It baffles me a bit how people who use coke etc always have to have some kind of underlying issue. He goes out, gets pissed and doing a line of coke in the toilets seems like a good idea. No great mystery.

I've known people who were messed up and developed habits. I've also known regular users who didn't have any particular issues but did it for no other reason than they enjoyed it.

afx237vi

iainf72 wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

He needs to sort himself out and ask himself what he wants from life. He doesn't need cycling. If he's not enjoying it anymore, why bother going on?

It baffles me a bit how people who use coke etc always have to have some kind of underlying issue. He goes out, gets pissed and doing a line of coke in the toilets seems like a good idea. No great mystery.

I've known people who were messed up and developed habits. I've also known regular users who didn't have any particular issues but did it for no other reason than they enjoyed it.

Which is fine if you're a regular person with a regular job, but it doesn't work if you're a world famous athlete who knows he is going to be drug-tested.

I'm not judging him. If he wants to spend his life getting off his face and trashing Lamborghinis, then that's his choice, but he can't do that and be a cyclist at the same time.

iainf72

The thing is no one cared when he crashed his car / shagged a 16 year old.

It's because of the word "drugs". If he's just come out as an alcoholic then there would be no judgement.

afx237vi

Maybe you're right, but I think most people (bar a few people on page 1 of this thread) can differentiate between cocaine and EPO. Most of the opinions I've seen on various websites have edged towards "Boonen is stupid for being caught" rather than "ZOMG Boonen is a drug cheat".

It's like when the rugby player Matt Stevens was caught using coke and given a 2 year ban. Most of the outrage wasn't that he was using cocaine, it was that they were even testing for cocaine in the first place. What is the point?

markwalker

Some of the posters on here should get out more instead of tapping at keyboards.

low level coke use is endemic, its cheap and its readily available. I hope he can control his partying because it does f**k you up.

pottssteve

It would appear that everyone is at it...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis ... caine.html

Mind you, anything to liven up the tennis...

ms_tree

Tom's taken the first step by saying he needs help with his drink problem. Good luck Tom!
It's time people realised that alcohol is the most easily available drug going with the same secrecy, scheming, denial etc. Been there, seen it didn't buy the T-shirt.

neeb

I don't see him any diifernt from Rico, Khol, Schumacer etc etc

How can you not see a difference?? They were cheating, he wasn't, = Difference, with a very big "D".

Maybe Boonen has a serious problem (in which case it should be treated as a disease just like depression or schizophrenia and he should get help), maybe he doesn't. Either way it shouldn't influence whether or not he is allowed to compete, unless it is affecting his ability to do his job. You could argue that part of his job is to be a role model and to enhance the image of his team's sponsors, but if we go too far down that road then the sport becomes closer to acting or the entertainment business rather than a test of cycling ability.

Cootha

Boonen has been quoted as saying:

"Someone should teach me to understand what happens when I drink too much."

Reference him allegedly blacking out and taking cocaine.

I would have thought the big clue would have been his criminal conviction this year, which will in turn now lead to another criminal conviction. His being suspended by quickstep is no doubt another big clue!

I'm sorry, but enough is enough, leave the recreational drugs and excuses to footballers, and lets get serious about cleaning up cycling. Yes it is a hard sport, but the drug busts, convictions, sponsors pulling out, cyclists left without contracts due to a lack of new sponsors and a loss of public confidence are crucifying the sport, not to mention the faith of already converted cycling fans.

If they can't race clean, then ban them for life, and penalise the teams and directors as well, or else pro cycling is going to die on it's feet.

don key

iainf72 wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

He needs to sort himself out and ask himself what he wants from life. He doesn't need cycling. If he's not enjoying it anymore, why bother going on?

It baffles me a bit how people who use coke etc always have to have some kind of underlying issue. He goes out, gets pissed and doing a line of coke in the toilets seems like a good idea. No great mystery.

I've known people who were messed up and developed habits. I've also known regular users who didn't have any particular issues but did it for no other reason than they enjoyed it.

Have you not figured out that the illusion is that you are enjoying yourself, the operative word being "yourself"?Stating that others don't have issues is saying that you believe the story they present, the reality being that those who are "enjoying" themselves are avoiding issues, it is that simple. There is more nonsense being turned out on this thread than any other I have read this year. Not knowing or being baffled doesn't seem to stop the opinion based on nothing being typed up and presented for our daily diatribic delight.

pb21

don key wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

He needs to sort himself out and ask himself what he wants from life. He doesn't need cycling. If he's not enjoying it anymore, why bother going on?

It baffles me a bit how people who use coke etc always have to have some kind of underlying issue. He goes out, gets pissed and doing a line of coke in the toilets seems like a good idea. No great mystery.

I've known people who were messed up and developed habits. I've also known regular users who didn't have any particular issues but did it for no other reason than they enjoyed it.

Have you not figured out that the illusion is that you are enjoying yourself, the operative word being "yourself"?Stating that others don't have issues is saying that you believe the story they present, the reality being that those who are "enjoying" themselves are avoiding issues, it is that simple. There is more nonsense being turned out on this thread than any other I have read this year. Not knowing or being baffled doesn't seem to stop the opinion based on nothing being typed up and presented for our daily diatribic delight.

So everyone who has tried cocaine is avoiding issues?