Breaking the Chain - the book
Sorry if this has been asked before [I had a look using the Search function, but couldn't find it], but:
In Breaking the Chain, Willy Voet mentions a lot of doping incidents without giving the specific riders' name. However, I reckon with a bit of research, the dots could be joined to determine who he was talking about.
E.g. when he was at RMO (which was just about 3-4 years), one his riders doped for the second last stage of Paris-Nice, which finished on a hill. This rider won the stage.
Has anyone been bothered trying to work out who Voet refers to in his experiences??
In Breaking the Chain, Willy Voet mentions a lot of doping incidents without giving the specific riders' name. However, I reckon with a bit of research, the dots could be joined to determine who he was talking about.
E.g. when he was at RMO (which was just about 3-4 years), one his riders doped for the second last stage of Paris-Nice, which finished on a hill. This rider won the stage.
Has anyone been bothered trying to work out who Voet refers to in his experiences??
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Just get hold of a copy of the French language version of the book. Most of the names are in there, including Sean Kelly who was probably the most successful rider to race under Voet's needle.SpaceJunk wrote:Has anyone been bothered trying to work out who Voet refers to in his experiences??0 -
Its an interesting read. I'd like someone to fill the gaps.
I like Kelly, but he was as guilty as the rest.0 -
Morally, doping has always been dubious, to say the least, but at least the performances of riders like Kelly can still be regarded as having a high degree of 'authenticity'. This is because doping in the pre-Epo era did not have such a profound impact on a rider's performance as does Epo use or an expertly managed blood-doping program. Voet himself argued that the 'old school' doping of the Kelly era effectively allowed a rider to make the best of his abilities, whilst modern Epo era doping has the capability to make completely new men. There are certainly many instance of riders who were Tour also-rans somehow transforming themselves into winners in the Epo era, including Riis, Armstrong, Pantani and Indurain, usually under the direction of experts in the use of Epo for doping purposes, such as Ferrari.Langman wrote:I like Kelly, but he was as guilty as the rest.0 -
sounds a good read ! is it avaible in english0
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Yes, it's called Breaking the Chain and is written by Willy Voet!brakelever wrote:sounds a good read ! is it avaible in english
(It's translated from the original French by William Fotheringham.)
You can get it at Amazon.co.uk for under a fiver - link.0 -
A fantastic read! Well worth the moneyColnago C60 SRAM eTap, Colnago C40, Milani 107E, BMC Pro Machine, Trek Madone, Viner Gladius,
Bizango 29er0 -
To me, it is nowhere near a good read. To me it's almost as bad as the Virenque book, (guess Biking Bernie must be familiar with that one) the unvoluntarily hilarious thing in which Richard claims to be totally, absolutely, immaculately innocent.
Breaking the chain stinks. Sorry to be blunt about it but it was written -not very well- by a bitter man who got bust and lost his job and was about to lose his house so he had to write a book about the Festina thing in order to make some quick cash.
Generally speaking Voet has a vastly exaggerated idea of his own importance and tends to go for the sensational: I was there, you wouldn't believe... It's all very well spilling the beans and calling out the hypocrites (the media, the sponsors, Virenque and his posse... God knows there were many of them - and God knows many of them are still around today...) but then let's not forget Uncle Will is nothing more than an estranged member of Virenque's posse: had the Customs officers not seized his car, he'd still be living in that oh-terrible-so-terrible world called pro cycling (the very world he viciously describes in his book -guess it wasn't that bad before he ended up in jail) and he'd still be doing the same things and he'd still be a zealed servant involved in a dirty business he's now sooooo ashamed to have participated in. To me, Voet is just settling a few accounts, he's a very cheap narcissist immersed in self-loathing and self pity. Obviously, he's only sorry because he got caught.
(What's more, this book is now dated: might have proved an interesting read to some at the time of its release but nowadays most of its shocking revelations is well-known stuff available all over the internet anyway.)0 -
I agree with Echo it wan't a particularly well written book that just goes for shock value of how far cyclists will go to cheat. He sounded quite bitter.0
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However, such Ad Hominem attacks completely fail to undermine the validity of what he says...Echo et les Boniments wrote:it was written -not very well- by a bitter man who got bust and lost his job... Voet has a vastly exaggerated idea of his own importance... Voet is just settling a few accounts, he's a very cheap narcissist immersed in self-loathing and self pity.0 -
Not worth buying...I have a copy and will post to whoever wants it (FOC).
Just PM your address.
Simon.
Where\'s me jumper?0 -
(to Bernie)
But I 'm not even trying to undermine the validity of what he says. But I really think Breaking the chain is a sickening book written by a sad, shameless opportunist. Very little to do with, say, Paul Kimmage's stuff.0 -
It's a "spill the beans" account. Voet has an axe to grind and a cheque to cash, so read it knowing this and you'll be ok.
Not to spoil the book, one interesting tale is the Tour TT around St Etienne where Virenque flew around, almost troubling Ullrich. Voet told Virenque he was getting a special injection, a new secret product, and Virenque got excited and flew round the course. In fact it was just plain vitamins. But it was also a hilly course and Virenque was on beaucoup EPO.0 -
I found it all a bit ho-hum.
The French to English translation was done in 2001 (I think), and perhaps at the time may have had a more impact on the cycling world than what it did with me in 2009.
I read it in about 5 hours.
My biggest problem with it, stems from his Voet's motives in writing it. In the preface he (tries) to explain himself, although to me, unconvincingly.
He talks up his memoirs as being superior to Mentheour's since he only spent 4 years in pro racing and could therefore only skim the surface.
To me it was about having an axe to grind, if for no one else than Virenque.
Still, it's not as bad as Jeremy Whittle's "I seen it all, it's disgusting, but I'm not going to tell you what I saw" account in Bad Blood. That book reeked of 'I know something you don't know'.0 -
I think to Echo le Bonniments, you are right..he cashed in and took down as many people as he could regardless of how related or unrelated they were to his crime-which really sucks...not the sign of a honourable person, but at the same time Virenque was asking Voet to take the bullet...no wonder WV was pissed about0
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Dave_1 wrote:I think to Echo le Bonniments, you are right..he cashed in and took down as many people as he could regardless of how related or unrelated they were to his crime-which really sucks...not the sign of a honourable person, but at the same time Virenque was asking Voet to take the bullet...no wonder WV was pissed about
He only took down cheats, who deserved it. He named who was clean too.Twitter: @RichN950 -
The team was prepared to let him take the rap, who wouldn't be bitter in those circumstances?
The book isn't a great piece of literature, but so what? At least it helps to clarify how doping was systematic rather than just a few individuals, something that casual fans might not appreciate.0 -
I think any book that tries to lift the lid on doping has a place on the bookshelfs.
Breaking the chain seems outdated because we've seen, heard and read so much about Festina and i'd have to say that Voet was right in my book to get something back on those that were happy to leave him hanging. i knew i wasn't reading it for it's literacy, it was better in french
Again, Bad Blood has a place, it's trying to break the doping circle. Whatever the authors motiviation we need these books, if we stop asking questions we'll never break the doping menace.0 -
RichN95 wrote:Dave_1 wrote:I think to Echo le Bonniments, you are right..he cashed in and took down as many people as he could regardless of how related or unrelated they were to his crime-which really sucks...not the sign of a honourable person, but at the same time Virenque was asking Voet to take the bullet...no wonder WV was pissed about
He only took down cheats, who deserved it. He named who was clean too.
I think the stuff about Kelly need not have been in the book...amphets were di rigeur in the 1980s...the police took down a load of cheats ...you could argue they did not need Breaking The Chain...a boot full of drugs was enough, but one can see why Voet didn't fight fair...0 -
Er, Voet does not write about Kelly taking amphetamines, he talks about his use of drugs such as ephedrine and synacten - which causes the body to boost the amount of natural corticosteroid it produces. However, the use of these was also de rigeur in the 1980's...Dave_1 wrote:I think the stuff about Kelly need not have been in the book...amphets were di rigeur in the 1980s...0 -
I enjoyed it, and think someone should take up Simon on his very generous offer.Dan0
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I also thought it was a good read.
Was the man bitter, yes. Was he justifiably bitter, damn right.
Even now, the likes of Virenque get sweet jobs commentating on Eurosport, while this guy is probably still driving buses around Grenoble.
Although IMO, I think the point in relation to Kelly is valid, the gear they were on only enhanced the riders natural abilities, I think that in order to play devil’s advocate it should be pointed out that if EPO has of been available, well Kelly would have been on it too because once you cross the line...
All of these books, Bad Blood, Breaking the Chain, Rough Ride, are all good for what they are, real stories about peoples experiences. I don’t think there is any book out there that will convince everyone that all the riders were either clean or dirty. I suppose these books just remind us of the nasty underbelly of the sport, and that all these riders, mechanics etc.. have is their job in order to make a living and that for these people it is a job, whilst for us or for most of us it is our passion to follow the sport.0 -
It's a difficult read, for a number of reasons.
It's very poorly written (and/or translated) and is more of a rambling memoir of a dirty soigneur, where he is the central character and the riders and directeurs are peripheral. I'm not even convinced he was directly involved in much of a what he talks about - seems like there's a lot of second-hand hearsay in there.
The book about Pantani is a different story, which is a very informed account, well structured and as balanced as any story about such a complex character could be.0 -
BikingBernie wrote:
Morally, doping has always been dubious, to say the least, but at least the performances of riders like Kelly can still be regarded as having a high degree of 'authenticity'. This is because doping in the pre-Epo era did not have such a profound impact on a rider's performance as does Epo use or an expertly managed blood-doping program. Voet himself argued that the 'old school' doping of the Kelly era effectively allowed a rider to make the best of his abilities, whilst modern Epo era doping has the capability to make completely new men. There are certainly many instance of riders who were Tour also-rans somehow transforming themselves into winners in the Epo era, including Riis, Armstrong, Pantani and Indurain, usually under the direction of experts in the use of Epo for doping purposes, such as Ferrari.Langman wrote:I like Kelly, but he was as guilty as the rest.
When were Indurain and Armstrong tour "also rans"? :? Indurain was a youngster supporting Delgado before going on to win pretty much throughout his prime years (thanks mainly to freakish physical properties like a massive heart and lungs). Likewise Armstrong had won a worlds prior to becoming ill and then started his Tour run pretty much straight after he was well enough. Riis was a bit of a shock, Pantani won when there was no competition based on an outstanding climbing performance after several years of dominating the mountains. I'm not arguing that these riders were clean (and obviously in Pantani's case he wasn't) but to suggest they went from also rans to winners is stretching the point.0 -
Indurain's ascent happened shortly after some consultancy with (I think) Conconi.
Armstrong was awful in the Tour - Well, not awful, a good guy for a hilly tough stage, but he couldn't TT or climb the cols.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
Pross wrote:When were Indurain and Armstrong tour "also rans"? :? Indurain was a youngster supporting Delgado before going on to win pretty much throughout his prime years (thanks mainly to freakish physical properties like a massive heart and lungs). Likewise Armstrong had won a worlds prior to becoming ill and then started his Tour run pretty much straight after he was well enough. Riis was a bit of a shock, Pantani won when there was no competition based on an outstanding climbing performance after several years of dominating the mountains. I'm not arguing that these riders were clean (and obviously in Pantani's case he wasn't) but to suggest they went from also rans to winners is stretching the point.
some good material in this post...granted Indurain was probably more of a tour rider than armstrong, paris nice in 1990, 10th on GC 1990, 17th GC 1989, some solid stage performances, armstrong, on the otherhand was a basket case in terms of a GC contenders in the tour.... to say Armstrong was an also ran prior to the "medical era" probably does an injustice to genuine also rans, like Mottet or Jean-François Bernard..0 -
Possibly, he didn't actually finish much pre-96 did he and many riders don't mature into good stage racers until they are in their late 20's. Looking back through the results Pantani and Riis also had top 5 placings before winning. Dubious high finishes must include Zenon Jaskula!0
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didn’t finish much pre 1996 yes, finished in the bus most of the time, yes, a couple of excellent stage performances, yes.
There are a whole host of strange top placings...
1994 2nd Pietr Ugrumov (Rus)
1998 3rd Bobby Julich (USA)
1999 3rd Fernando Escartin (Spa)
2002 3rd Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu) – this has to be the classic though...
Looking through the early results I was tracking Hampsten. Always a stylish rider that I admired. One thing that always made me think, Hampsten seemed very anti-doping, and in the article in NYC-velocity in march 09 he reckoned that his career was effectively halted due to EPO abuse by other riders because he couldn’t even stay with sprinters on the climbs, and in fact his power outputs were getting better as he got older, but his actual road performances were getting worse... but in the early stages of the 90’s when EPO began to ramp up, he was still putting in savage performances (91 – 8th, 92 – 4th , 93 – 8th ). There is no doubt that in my mind, he could have won at least two tours if the Medical Era had not certainly arrived. Funnily Big Boss Bruyneel finished in 7th in 1993 beating Hampsten by 4 mins, Hampsten finished 20mins down that year.0 -
Why buy it when you can borrow it from the library! We stock it - I know 'cos I requested it so they had to buy it!! (The power!!!)ColinJ wrote:
Yes, it's called Breaking the Chain and is written by Willy Voet!brakelever wrote:sounds a good read ! is it avaible in english
(It's translated from the original French by William Fotheringham.)
You can get it at Amazon.co.uk for under a fiver - link.'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
Neil Gaiman0 -
Ms Tree wrote:
Why buy it when you can borrow it from the library! We stock it - I know 'cos I requested it so they had to buy it!! (The power!!!)ColinJ wrote:
Yes, it's called Breaking the Chain and is written by Willy Voet!brakelever wrote:sounds a good read ! is it avaible in english
(It's translated from the original French by William Fotheringham.)
You can get it at Amazon.co.uk for under a fiver - link.
.. who said that, internet forum people ?0 -
Indurain: In 1985 he packed after just 4 stages. In 1986 he lasted just 8 stages, In 1997 he was 97th. In 1988 he was 47th...Pross wrote:When were Indurain and Armstrong tour "also rans"?...I'm not arguing that these riders were clean (and obviously in Pantani's case he wasn't) but to suggest they went from also rans to winners is stretching the point.
Armstrong: He packed the first two times he rode the Tour, and when he did manage to finish, on his third attempt, he came in one and half hours behind the winner. In general he tended to lose the best part of 30 minutes in the big mountain stages and consistently lost 6-7 minutes in the first flat time trial. Then he teamed up with Ferrari...0
