non starters at Rio and Zika

specialgueststar
specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
edited June 2016 in Pro race
BBC news announced this morning that the american TeegevanJarderen ('I hope I pronounced that correctly') will not be attending

Comments

  • effillo
    effillo Posts: 257
    I think that's completely fair enough. Hope he doesn't get chastised for it, I would probably do the same if I were in his shoes. Hopefully this will pave the way for any other athletes that want to pull out but are too scared to.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,736
    I could see a lot of cyclists pulling out - unlike many of the individual events the Olympics isn't the pinnacle of the sport and of course the majority of cyclists are not even going there to try and win a medal just help win a medal for someone else. It's one thing taking the risk for something you've been working for all your life but totally different taking that risk for just one of a number of important races of the season. Plus of course for cyclists this isn't what pays the bills.
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,606
    Feel bad for Brazil I really do.
    _
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,558
    The Brazilians I know aren't looking forward to the Olympics. The country's attention has been overtaken by other events - economy tanking, President impeached, massive corruption scandal... No great enthusiasm for welcoming the world.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Im sure the party will start once the Games begin. it was a bit muted here till it kicked off.

    Re the zika thing its a real shame. most of the athletes attending will be in the period of their lives where the prospect of potential damage to their children has got to be a concern and I suspect non Olympic sports like road cycling or Tennis or football where the sports focus isnt the Olympics might see people choosing not to take the risk.

    on the other hand, small heads might be more aero........
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Vino'sGhost wrote:

    on the other hand, small heads might be more aero........

    You mean a sort of gene doping? Someone should start a thread in the clinic post haste.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,483
    It will be interesting to see how many of those who boycotted the Delhi Commonwealth Games over health concerns will turn up in Rio.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    It won't be an issue for the trackies as there's no velodrome anyways.
  • stu-bim
    stu-bim Posts: 384
    Zika is nowhere the big deal people are making it out to be

    Granted, if you are a pregnant woman what i have said is a gross understatement

    But for your average person it is a very mild virus of the potential mosquito viruses you can catch
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,932
    I expect many know the real reason they're pulling out.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Hesjedal too.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    TailWindHome wrote:
    I expect many know the real reason they're pulling out.

    Pray tell :shock:
  • johnboy183
    johnboy183 Posts: 832
    Why was there not the same warnings/outcry when the World Cup was on?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,150
    johnboy183 wrote:
    Why was there not the same warnings/outcry when the World Cup was on?
    Because the Brazilian outbreak only started in early 2015.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,606
    The main issue more around fans coming from all over the world, picking it up in Brazil and flying back over to their country.
    _
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    New gene doping test apparently at Rio. With retests from London & Beijing.

    Oops.
  • RoadPainter
    RoadPainter Posts: 375
    I'm going to be using a lot of deet. As I did in 2013 & 2014. As an unmarried man, I fear malaria & dengue fever (which is also carried by daytime mosquitos) more than Zika.
    I travelled in 2014 with a friend who was trying for #2 and we covered our place in deet at all times as apparently malaria is significantly worse if pregnant, she was understandably worried.

    I can understand some will have genuine concerns but for most the risk is incredibly small and there have been significant actions taken to reduce mozzy numbers. Zika is new so makes for a far more scary story than malaria - which is relatively unreported these days.
  • johnboy183
    johnboy183 Posts: 832
    Ahh. I'd missed that this was a new outbreak or new to Brazil. I was under the impression from the news reports that zika had always been present in the area hence my surprise that no mention during World Cup
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,597
    Non cycling related, but news today indicates that Greg Rutherford is having some sperm frozen just in case!
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    Rutherford does love a bit of attention.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Dinyull wrote:
    Rutherford does love a bit of attention.
    Ginger sperm

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