Thomas Dekker book

rick_chasey
rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
edited January 2017 in Pro race
I'll guess I'll start it.

I fell in love (cycling wise) with Thomas Dekker in 2006, and was blown away with his 2007 Tour ride.

How times change.

He's written a tell-all book with Thijs Zonneveld who I rate. I'll probably buy it in Dutch as a good way to keep up with the langauge, but here are some (grotty, as you would expect from confessional books from the era) extracts:
"The start is in London. We're here a week in advance. On the Thursday before the Tour there is a check by the UCI. My hematocrit is 45, Michael's is 50. He sits on the edge of the edge. He's a risk; one point higher and he falls through the basket at a doping control. The doctors of the team propose every morning at six o'clock, before the controllers can knock, to run an infusion of water in his body. That drops your hematocrit two or three points."

For some pre-Tour entertainment...
“We’ve pulled together a bottle of wine, but that’s not enough entertainment. Drinks are nice, but women are more fun. And so I go on the internet to find a few escorts.

“At one o’clock at night, there are two Eastern European prostitutes at the door of our room. Michael and I are a bit disappointed: they are a lot less beautiful than the pictures on the site. It is not very glamorous in the middle of the night in a small hotel room. We both choose one.

“We go to sleep for three hours. At six o’clock, the alarm goes off again: Michael has to run a drip of water in his body.”

It's called "My fight" (in the past tense).
_
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Comments

  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    I want to know what he says about his time at Garmin...

    From what I've read he talks about taking Cortisone daily!
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    But how often did he take ketamine?
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    bompington wrote:
    But how often did he take ketamine?


    Dutch + gabba* + ketamine

    Dekker and Boogie must have been ripped off their tits



    *not the jacket
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    bompington wrote:
    But how often did he take ketamine?


    Dutch + gabba* + ketamine

    Dekker and Boogie must have been ripped off their tits



    *not the jacket

    Now you're talking RR2!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc1_Az1fwqs

    [First heard Aphex Twin spin this at immense volume - It was like taking 200mg of Kenalog]
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Aren't we often told by the doping fans that the old teams of the EPO era were just as professional as the modern day teams? Somehow I can't see Sky or Movistar having some sort of bunga bunga party two days before the Tour starts (and also not knowing who their team leader was going to be).
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    RichN95 wrote:
    Somehow I can't see Sky or Movistar having some sort of bunga bunga party two days before the Tour starts.

    You are not Italian, you can't use that expression, 'mfraid
    left the forum March 2023
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Somehow I can't see Sky or Movistar having some sort of bunga bunga party two days before the Tour starts.

    You are not Italian, you can't use that expression, 'mfraid
    It seems was originates from an old English joke from colonial times. Around before old Silvio used it.

    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_ ... bunga.html
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Alright WCF, calm down.

    It does shatter the illusion that these pro guys live like monks when they're in racing season - and how seriously most pro riders take prologues...
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    It does shatter the illusion that these pro guys live like monks when they're in racing season - and how seriously most pro riders take prologues...
    I was at that London Prologue on a fairly tight bend. Just before Rasmussen came through a kid (no more than 12) next to me who was looking at my start list said "Dad, watch the next one he might crash"
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Must be a hell of a crash after you've been popping Kenalog for weeks!
  • stagehopper
    stagehopper Posts: 1,593
    And now he's fessed up as being Clasicomano Luigi:

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dekker- ... es-ledger/
    @stagehopper
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    T'was a d1ck move from Gaimon in the first place.

    The clinic are already telling Dekker he's wrong by the way...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • stagehopper
    stagehopper Posts: 1,593
    ddraver wrote:
    T'was a d1ck move from Gaimon in the first place.

    The clinic are already telling Dekker he's wrong by the way...

    Why does that not surprise me ...

    ... the other take away from Dekker revelations is the top riders at Rabobank must have thought Leinders was shit at doping as they all seemed to have their own programmes.
    @stagehopper
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    stagehopper wrote:
    ... the other take away from Dekker revelations is the top riders at Rabobank must have thought Leinders was shoot at doping as they all seemed to have their own programmes.
    Rasmussen has previously said that Leinders was nothing to do with his 2007 doping - wasn't even at the race (but knew about it)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    ddraver wrote:
    T'was a d1ck move from Gaimon in the first place.

    The clinic are already telling Dekker he's wrong by the way...



    :lol:
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    Personally I won't believe it's true until I read it in The Mail.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    RichN95 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    It does shatter the illusion that these pro guys live like monks when they're in racing season - and how seriously most pro riders take prologues...
    I was at that London Prologue on a fairly tight bend. Just before Rasmussen came through a kid (no more than 12) next to me who was looking at my start list said "Dad, watch the next one he might crash"

    Ha. Classic.

    I was there too. Can't say I remember Rasmussen passing.

    I did however boo all the discovery riders, including Contador, despite being told off by a old brit duffer next to me who also insisted on correcting my pronunciation of Boonen...
    _
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,632
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.


    Well in Dekker's case he's always come across as vain and self-obsessed
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.

    Boogie.
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.


    Well in Dekker's case he's always come across as vain and self-obsessed
    A key component to David Milar's tried and tested doping resldemption plan, it would seem.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    RichN95 wrote:
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.


    Well in Dekker's case he's always come across as vain and self-obsessed
    A key component to David Milar's tried and tested doping resldemption plan, it would seem.


    They have a lot in common, not least of which is narcissism
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.


    Well in Dekker's case he's always come across as vain and self-obsessed

    What makes you say that?
    _
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,632
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.

    Boogie.

    Boogie-Bunga party.

    Suppose they preferred that to a Rabobank....
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Is the 'Michael' in Dekker's 'escort' tale Boogerd or Rasmussen?

    Either way, having a go at the ladies for not being good looking is a bit of a pot / kettle situation.


    Well in Dekker's case he's always come across as vain and self-obsessed

    What makes you say that?

    exhibit (a)...hes written a book about himself...well ok with a journalist but still
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Zonneveld is working on the English version now.
  • thchris1958
    thchris1958 Posts: 117
    I do not know if De Jongh continued this "technique" as sports director:

    "But what makes Mijn Gevecht stand out from the multitude of cardboard memoirs is Dekker’s voice, which I can only hope is as authentic as it feels. Mijn Gevecht is not a tell-all, but it does indeed feel as if he is telling all, every wart and blemish. The situations he describes are stranger than fiction, such as the first time he meets his hero, Steven de Jongh; they’re assigned a hotel room together, and De Jongh quickly turns on pay-per-view porn. He tosses Dekker a towel, and tells him they’re going to masturbate together, which they do. Welcome to professional cycling."

    from this : https://cyclingtips.com/2016/11/sex-dru ... -my-fight/
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    ^thank you chrisMrnumber, how edifying of you to choose that excerpt to post
  • yourpaceormine
    yourpaceormine Posts: 1,245
    The Dutch seem particularly upset about the book's title, which translates into something rather unfortunate in German.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Oh come on, that's what we want isn't it?

    The grit that makes the oyster.

    If it's another "I was a really good amateur, I joined and I just couldn't keep up. Eventually I started getting a few results but it became clear by that point I needed drugs. I really struggled with the decision, but everyone ultimately led me to that point. But then I made my own decisions. I regret it now. Having trousered a cool few million." we're all going to snooze off.
    _

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