Zirbel quits cycling

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited March 2010 in Pro race
Following his 2 year ban

The entry on his blog is very interesting reading. Colourful fellow

http://tomzirbel.blogspot.com/
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.

Comments

  • Doesn't he say that the letter didn't go out?
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ju5t1n
    ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
    I don't know much about him, but having read a good chunk of his blog - I like him. Believe him too.
  • The entry on Feb 26 is very interesting, and demonstrates him to be a noble person. Good luck to him in his charitable endeavours.

    Feb 15 entry is pretty amazing example of pure natural talent on the bike. 3 months training, incorrect clothing, tiny amount of fuel, loss of one contact lens then the other and then arriving solo. Class.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Bakunin
    Bakunin Posts: 868
    Nice guys cheat too.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    They certainly do. We all carry out a pretty complex set of calculations when we judge someone involved in a case like this, and different people will come to different conclusions.

    I would have to ask what on earth would be the point of writing all that if he had genuinely doped. It's a rather meek denial compared to some of the bluster we've seen from other guys who've been caught. To me, there's an air of resignation and acceptance, that he's tested positive for whatever reason, but he understands he is ultimately responsible for what goes into his body.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • Bakunin
    Bakunin Posts: 868
    The entry on Feb 26 is very interesting, and demonstrates him to be a noble person. Good luck to him in his charitable endeavours.

    Noble person?

    Not in my world.

    At best, he didn't pay attention. At worst, he is sporting rogue.
  • zammmmo
    zammmmo Posts: 315
    Anyone know what DHEA is and does for a bike rider? My layman's knowledge of physiology tells me its the 'feel-good' hormone (governing anabolicism, recovery etc) and is the opposite to cortisol. That right? Wasn't this the same thing Tyler was allegedly positive for?
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    zammmmo wrote:
    Anyone know what DHEA is and does for a bike rider? My layman's knowledge of physiology tells me its the 'feel-good' hormone (governing anabolicism, recovery etc) and is the opposite to cortisol. That right? Wasn't this the same thing Tyler was allegedly positive for?

    Yep.
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    'As great as my lawyer has been for me, I told him that I needed to do this on my own from now on. I have no intention of taking this case to a hearing'

    Makes a refreshing change.
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    Feb 15 entry is pretty amazing example of pure natural talent on the bike. 3 months training, incorrect clothing, tiny amount of fuel, loss of one contact lens then the other and then arriving solo. Class.
    Not to mention the fact that the race takes place about 10,000ft above sea level - very impressive
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I've no idea whether he was doping or just stupid, in taking unknown food supplements.

    If you believe in Zirbel then we see how the little guys get busted but many serious operators, with their preparatori can float above the law. But this should be a lesson for any rider, big or small. If you don't know what you're eating or drinking, if you don't check any diet supplements etc, then you risk being busted for stupidity.

    These days an elite rider has to train and race hard but they also have to make time to comply with the rules, like filling in the whereabouts schedule online and double-checking food supplements. Easy to say now but hopefully people out there can learn lessons.
  • eh
    eh Posts: 4,854
    I'm sorry but there is nothing impressive about this at all. So what he won a race at altitude and only been cycling a while fine, but he was already living at altitiude and was very decent marathon runner, hardly the average guy off a street in the UK.

    As for giving up well he's f**ked anyway, 33 by the time he could come back and he was hardly a big name anyway.

    Unfortunalty this type of story happens all to often, its just they don't blog about how great they are.
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    eh wrote:
    I'm sorry but there is nothing impressive about this at all. So what he won a race at altitude and only been cycling a while fine, but he was already living at altitiude and was very decent marathon runner, hardly the average guy off a street in the UK.

    As for giving up well he's f**ked anyway, 33 by the time he could come back and he was hardly a big name anyway.

    Unfortunalty this type of story happens all to often, its just they don't blog about how great they are.

    I'm inclined to agree.
    He was clearly a well-conditioned athlete, who transfered his strength/fitness/talent to the road - hardly unheard of.
    It is up to the athlete to ensure he is in complete control of his own destiny - whether it was a mistake or premeditated, he tested positive and that's that.