Bye Bye Bertie

takethehighroad

The last stage of Paris Nice will be duller in his absence.

I think he'll go down as one of the best of the era he competed in. When you look at the first Tour he won you can't talk about him without talking about drugs, but he always made races exciting.

I grew to him as time wore on, as mentioned above his ride on the Mortirolo in 2015 was something to behold.

Also, has anyone checked in on Frenchie? There's a cardboard sign that will be getting an outing sometime soon.

TheBigBean

I'm still intrigued what happened between P-N and the Dauphine.

Also, one of the great things about him is the way he tries to win every race he enters. None of this training race nonsense.

rick_chasey

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

I think he'll go down as one of the best of the era he competed in

Absolutely.

The beef he gets from guys on here is as much a product of his age and generation as much as anything else.

ocdupalais

TheBigBean wrote:

I'm still intrigued what happened between P-N and the Dauphine.

Also, one of the great things about him is the way he tries to win every race he enters. None of this training race nonsense.

Except in this year's Dauphine....

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

I think he'll go down as one of the best of the era he competed in

Absolutely.

The beef he gets from guys on here is as much a product of his age and generation as much as anything else.

He probably should have got his beef from guys on here

josame

This
He made a lot of GT's worth watching
He attacked - when we had the Schlek bros to watch
2009 tour
2013 vuelta
2015 giro
He stood out and that's all that counts

benws1

His biggest fan will miss him:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/oleg-ti ... a-rip-off/

salsiccia1

benws1 wrote:

His biggest fan will miss him:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/oleg-ti ... a-rip-off/

Thankfully, everyone knows Oleg is a prick, so no-one gives a monkey's chuff what he thinks.

mfin

Milton50 wrote:

I'm guessing most people on the forum know that it's extremely unlikely that he was riding completely clean back in his prime, but he will be missed from a viewing perspective.

That made me laugh, it is such an understatement.

rick_chasey

OCDuPalais wrote:

TheBigBean wrote:

I'm still intrigued what happened between P-N and the Dauphine.

Also, one of the great things about him is the way he tries to win every race he enters. None of this training race nonsense.

Except in this year's Dauphine....

In fairness, he did literally announce a press conference to say "the gov'ner told me not to attack and use this as a training race. I don't agree but he's the boss"

blazing_saddles

Salsiccia1 wrote:

benws1 wrote:

His biggest fan will miss him:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/oleg-ti ... a-rip-off/

Thankfully, everyone knows Oleg is a prick, so no-one gives a monkey's chuff what he thinks.

Very true, but the bit about 4 mill for a season is interesting.
If he isn't telling porkies, it's a lot of coin for someone who was never the same after his ban and been on the slide for the past 3 seasons.

rick_chasey

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Salsiccia1 wrote:

benws1 wrote:

His biggest fan will miss him:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/oleg-ti ... a-rip-off/

Thankfully, everyone knows Oleg is a prick, so no-one gives a monkey's chuff what he thinks.

Very true, but the bit about 4 mill for a season is interesting.
If he isn't telling porkies, it's a lot of coin for someone who was never the same after his ban and been on the slide for the past 3 seasons.

Would take that figure with a pinch of salt.

tailwindhome

....Bertie Goodbye

Vino'sGhost

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

RichN95.

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

You are assuming that dislike (it's not hate) for him is to do with doping. I was never much of a fan before that, and post ban it was his online fans that were more of a turn of (Frenchie was one of the saner ones). I have more affinity to him in recent years than I did pre-ban

jam1e

Can't stand him or the more vocal of his supporters. His "only after the gc victory" schtick wears thin pretty quickly when you see him struggling to hold wheels for an inconsequential 7th place or whatever as does his "no excuses but my leg literally fell off" way of not making excuses.

One of my greatest pleasures in pro-cycling is watching it go tits up for bertie and rejoicing in the wailing and gnashing of teeth in't t'other place.

ocdupalais

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

Contempt, perhaps - not real hate, I'd say. But you seem to think that someone who feels that way about Bertie will naturally be a Millar/Sky supporter (as though that's the same thing): that's pretty woeful logic, no?

Wheelspinner

jam1e wrote:

Can't stand him or the more vocal of his supporters. His "only after the gc victory" schtick wears thin pretty quickly when you see him struggling to hold wheels for an inconsequential 7th place or whatever as does his "no excuses but my leg literally fell off" way of not making excuses.

One of my greatest pleasures in pro-cycling is watching it go tits up for bertie and rejoicing in the wailing and gnashing of teeth in't t'other place.

Really? How sad.

bobmcstuff

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

I wouldn't be particularly upset if Contador became a commentator.

Not really sure what your point is supposed to be.

TheBigBean

Rick Chasey wrote:

OCDuPalais wrote:

TheBigBean wrote:

I'm still intrigued what happened between P-N and the Dauphine.

Also, one of the great things about him is the way he tries to win every race he enters. None of this training race nonsense.

Except in this year's Dauphine....

In fairness, he did literally announce a press conference to say "the gov'ner told me not to attack and use this as a training race. I don't agree but he's the boss"

He had also lost all form by the Dauphine, which was my first point.

blazing_saddles

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

Like Rich says, I always had a lot of time for Bertie. Still do, up to a point. Ever since he came on the scene.
The reason that my enthusiasm cooled as the years went by has nothing to do with doping, but the sort of fans he seems to attract.
Reverse the roles in your post and you pretty much get what a lot of them are about.
Credit where credit is due is another alien concept in their world.

Dorset_Boy

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

In addition to what others have said, i think you also (perhaps deliberately) miss the point that Bertie is unrepentent, refusing to admit his guilt, still claims to have won those GTs that were stripped from him, etc whereas St David wears his cilice permanently!

fat daddy

I'll miss him .... he is guaranteed entertainment for a sport where 90% of the time nothing happens.

every corner I would be on my seat wondering if he will crash .... every attack he went for there was a possibility he would actually pull I off.

I don't think its his legs that have failed him as he has aged but the soul destroying power meter ... Bertie attacks hard ... everyone looks at the PM and says, "nah, he'll blow" and just carry on until they catch up ..... a few years back they would have been forced to chase and Bertie would have attacked multiple times as everyone wore down ... he might have won a few more stages.

lloyd_bower

KingstonGraham wrote:

lloyd bower wrote:

I'm no fan Lance PhArmstrong, but it's puzzling how only his titles are removed, yet Riis, Ullrich, Pantani & Contadope are admitted/proven dopers with their titles still in the Tour record books. The riders (the protests in 98' against tests) and authorities (UCI) are to blame for that inglorious past, which leaves us questioning most things. It's amazing with all the evidence against Armstrong that he was able to come back for those two years, though they pretty much sealed his fate.

Contador's 2010 title was stripped when he ate bad meat. The rest was all rumour or thrown out by the Spanish courts, nothing to see here, honest.

Oh yeah, only rumour in the same way Armstrong was never found out in his 7 tour wins.

lloyd_bower

Dorset Boy wrote:

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

In addition to what others have said, i think you also (perhaps deliberately) miss the point that Bertie is unrepentent, refusing to admit his guilt, still claims to have won those GTs that were stripped from him, etc whereas St David wears his cilice permanently!

Eloquently put

josame

RichN95 wrote:

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

You are assuming that dislike (it's not hate) for him is to do with doping. I was never much of a fan before that, and post ban it was his online fans that were more of a turn of (Frenchie was one of the saner ones). I have more affinity to him in recent years than I did pre-ban

This is intriguing - what's to dislike if it's not the dope

He attacks when other daren't, he is always up for a challenge, he looks good on his bike

I don't get it - who did you like when he dominated the scene?

mr_goo

I'll miss Bertie. Love the way he dances on the pedals in the high mountains. And he provided one of the funniest moments in a grand tour (can't remember which). When cycling up a mountain some wag ran in front of him with a steak dangling from a fishing rod. Hilarious.

josame

jam1e wrote:

Can't stand him or the more vocal of his supporters. His "only after the gc victory" schtick wears thin pretty quickly when you see him struggling to hold wheels for an inconsequential 7th place or whatever as does his "no excuses but my leg literally fell off" way of not making excuses.

One of my greatest pleasures in pro-cycling is watching it go tits up for bertie and rejoicing in the wailing and gnashing of teeth in't t'other place.

jeez and you've been on here since 2008 - few disappointments for you along the way I'm glad to see

TheBigBean

Dorset Boy wrote:

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

In addition to what others have said, i think you also (perhaps deliberately) miss the point that Bertie is unrepentent, refusing to admit his guilt, still claims to have won those GTs that were stripped from him, etc whereas St David wears his cilice permanently!

Without wishing to open up an age old debate, Millar was caught fairly red handed, and had little choice but to admit it. Even then, some people are sceptical as to whether he has been completely honest.

The only rider I think that has been completely honest (eventually) is Landis.

DeVlaeminck

Dorset Boy wrote:

Vino'sGhost wrote:

There's plenty of hate for him here and yet EPO drug cheat Millar has a job on prime time TV, Sky's Jiffy bags aren't proved and all is good.

double standards from losers id say.

In addition to what others have said, i think you also (perhaps deliberately) miss the point that Bertie is unrepentent, refusing to admit his guilt, still claims to have won those GTs that were stripped from him, etc whereas St David wears his cilice permanently!

Officially Contador isn't guilty of much, not making sure he bought his food from a trusted source, his punishment for that is actually pretty harsh. We don't know if Millar has fessed up fully and if he has nothing he has done has been against his own interests by doing so, if Contador had been caught so red handed maybe he'd have played the same role as repentent doper.

Millar's book offers plenty of excuses - the pressure of being a team leader, others depending on him etc - in short morally there isn't a lot between them on this.