Chad Gerlach - a sad tale

NervexProf
NervexProf Posts: 4,202
edited March 2009 in Pro race
Chad Gerlach, one time with the US Postal team has signed with Amore e Vita-McDonald's team,

There is a 5 part TV show on his drug crazed career here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JkmpTHvz0 ... re=related

He is some character, not afraid to call L.A out on an Olympic training camp.
Some more background here:
http://www.byjamesraia.com/articles/124 ... Page1.html

Impressions?
Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom

Comments

  • My first impression was "Part 1 is 9 minutes long - I'm not sitting through 45 minutes of youtube footage!". But I did, and it's interesting stuff - I was intrigued to see what the intervention actually comprised of. If he's racing again, then good on the bloke.
  • No , I haven't got around to the YT footage yet but I did read the other link and to quote a line : " Gerlach’s erratic temper was well-known. He once punched Lance Armstrong at the Olympic training camp "

    He must be one of the good guys then . :P
    "Lick My Decals Off, Baby"
  • James Raya is mistaken. Gerlach and Armstrong never rode for the same team. Back in 1996, St. Lance was a member of Motorola, not US Postal.
  • Murr X
    Murr X Posts: 258
    This cheered me up today http://www.cyclingnews.com/interviews.p ... lach_mar09.

    I was unaware that he was making a return and after watching the entire "intervention" programme last year I thought he was doomed to that life for good.

    Glad to see him back and riding strongly considering where he was just one year ago. I hope he continues to improve and races well in Europe.
  • lucybears
    lucybears Posts: 366
    An Amazing Comeback For 2009: Chad Gerlach!
    Wednesday, December 10, 2008 9:46:43 AM PT
    http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fulls ... est%20News
    interview.cyclingfever.com
  • KKspeeder
    KKspeeder Posts: 111
    Each year, the Amore & Vita director Roberto Gaggioli takes on a new rider that has had a drug experience, as sort of a 2nd coming. So its only appropriate that he starts with this team. Its an interesting program. But almost every pro rider has had a drug experience he he he he !
  • don key
    don key Posts: 494
    I have only watched the first two minutes,I need to go to bed, you don't give ultimatums to junkies and expect any progress. There are in reality many people in this cat, I'd call it Cat-apult, take off is great and landing may not happen. The mindset of drug addicts and high performance sports men is pretty much the same, huge highs followed, quite often immediately, by even greater lows. The best riders I've met have been bonkers, in a nice way but bonkers all the same. Alco-drugs is avoidence, so is high performance sport.

    All the famous narcolics I have met have failed to see that it is the fame and adulation which brings them down after they have supposedly recovered. Most of them didn't even know what was wrong , it is a miserable existance , one in which most people think you have everything, in reality you have nothing. I would like to be able to experiment with peds to see what they do to the mind and record the out come, being an Elite pensioner sounds great.
    How many miles today grandad?, lets see 24 hrs, 40mph , that is about 960miles, not bad grandad.
  • don key
    don key Posts: 494
    That proram was a real rollercopaster, with a bit of extra bull shit(tv production) just to annoy me. Some dude to get through it but it's never appropiate to do this on camera, never.