Linda McCartney team doping investigation

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited December 2012 in Pro race
UK Anti-doping have started an investigation into the team as someone senior in the team has told them doping was very widespread on the squad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_McCa ... acing_Team

Not surprising, some of the list, eh?
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
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Comments

  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Thank god - The Armstrong and Contador threads were starting to get absurd...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Hmmm. That list of 'notable' riders isnt correct. Dont think Scanlon rode for them - didnt turn pro till 03 when he rode for AG2R. Russ Downing's missing from that list. Though I have to hope and trust that he, Matt Stephens and Wiggins have nothing to worry about.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Is there much point to this? The Statute of Limitiations has long gone.

    I guess Matt DeCaneo has got the hump from not invited to the CCN shindig.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Have to say DeCanio's name was the one that jumped into my mind immediately as the 'senior team member'
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    The odd thing with DeCanio is he's mostly been proved correct. I used to think of him as a nutter but he's been on the money a lot of the time.

    That said, I've not looked at stolen underground for quite a long time so I could remembering only the bits where he was right.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • worth reading

    http://www.podiumcafe.com/2010/8/18/162 ... side-story

    Didnt realise that Wiggins never got around to racing for them at all. Signed for the 01 season but team collapsed Jan 01.
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Interesting development to say the least. Wonder whose names are involved. Some old schoolers ?
  • well, on the squad roster, you've got Sciandri and Richard for starters, plus Neil Stephens as well as Yatesy of course as DSs.

    Thats the first lot of names to raise the eyebrows.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    well, on the squad roster, you've got Sciandri and Richard for starters, plus Neil Stephens as well as Yatesy of course as DSs.

    Thats the first lot of names to raise the eyebrows.
    Pick any team from 2000 and there were plenty of dopers on it.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95 wrote:
    well, on the squad roster, you've got Sciandri and Richard for starters, plus Neil Stephens as well as Yatesy of course as DSs.

    Thats the first lot of names to raise the eyebrows.
    Pick any team from 2000 and there were plenty of dopers on it.


    You'll get no disagreement from me on that front
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    If they did dope then it was a waste of good drugs.

    As Rich said, it's like lining up a bunch of prostitutes and discussing which ones are most like to have an STD.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • Isn't a former rider now a member of the police?
  • Yeah, very fair point about investigating a team that disbanded Jan 01. Why stop there? Why not investigate ANC-Halfords? You can bet Capper put something in the bidons (if he knew what they were, of course) :roll:
  • Isn't a former rider now a member of the police?

    And one former rider works in a mine.

    Not sure I see the relevance of your post?

    They employed some dirty riders at a time when there weren't many clean riders around.

    At least they didn't announce they had a zero tolerance policy and back that up with a signed promise from the rides that they hadn't been naughty.

    There a some close similarities between mcartneys and sky though.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400

    There a some close similarities between mcartneys and sky though.

    Apart from the fact that they were a British based cycling team I'm struggling to see many?
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • They both rode the Giro and TDU?

  • There a some close similarities between mcartneys and sky though.

    Apart from the fact that they were a British based cycling team I'm struggling to see many?

    Look closer.

    Staff, doctor, link to federations, clean policy.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Apart from the country of registration you could probably link 75% of cycling teams to each other using those criteria.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)

  • There a some close similarities between mcartneys and sky though.

    Apart from the fact that they were a British based cycling team I'm struggling to see many?

    Look closer.

    Staff, doctor, link to federations, clean policy.


    RH, let me ask you a couple of questions: can you name me a team on any size that's launched in the last couple of years without announcing a clean policy? Because I cant. Just off top of head, a few examples of recently launched teams/teams launching next year, all with clean policies; OGE. Argos-Shimano, IAM. And the new Team Type 1 squad. NO team launches these days without a clean policy.

    Secondly, can you name me ANY Pro-Tour team that doesnt have riders, back-room staff, owners, DSs, without any links? The work recently down by @dimspace over at Velorooms, and posted by me in another thread, clearly shows that there are none.

    Next, link to Federations. As per Rabo, as per OGE.

    You repeatedly come up with a set of 'connections' to try to state a case that Brailsford & Co are up to naughties. So far, you've been unconvincing tbh.
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    edited December 2012
    Didn't Bradley Wiggins & Rob Hayles ride for Linda McCartney?

    Also Yates & Sciandri. Big names with links to BC & Sky.

    We must look at this and be as brutal in our search for the truth as we are with all the American riders & teams. We can not allow this to be swept under the carpet because it is British riders in a British team.

    The dirty riders must be exposed even if they are British.
  • Don't have a zero tolerance policy if you know it isn't possible.

    I'm only judging them by the standards they have set themselves.

    You rightly state that it isn't possible to run a team without some skeletons so why are we expected to believe that they have done so?

    As fans, we've been lied to for far too long. The new fans might fall for this sort of PR but those of us who have seen it all before are over it.

    I wonder what UKAD are expecting to find and will they be looking at other teams or other sports? I hope they get a look at the Puerto files.
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    edited December 2012
    Interestingly there is no mention of Wiggins ever riding for McCartney in The Times article today.
    No mention of his winning the UCI ranked Cinturón a Mallorca in 2001 whilst riding for them.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Interestingly there is no mention of Wiggins ever riding for McCartney in The Times article today.
    He was only with them for about four weeks before the team folded. He never raced for them. He probably never even got the kit.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95 wrote:
    Interestingly there is no mention of Wiggins ever riding for McCartney in The Times article today.
    He was only with them for about four weeks before the team folded. He never raced for them. He probably never even got the kit.

    Wiggins also won and Flèche du Sud whilst riding for McCartney.
  • Interestingly there is no mention of Wiggins ever riding for McCartney in The Times article today.
    No mention of his winning the UCI ranked Cinturón a Mallorca in 2001 whilst riding for them.

    He rode for GB when he rode the Majorca race, the team folder before the launch. Only the team that went to the TdU had kit, the rest never raced for the team.

    Didn't Brad sign for FdJ that year?
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    edited December 2012
    Joined them in 2002. Don't think he got paid for the months he was with McCartney team. He trained with them (McCartney) for a few weeks. Yates signed him.

    To quote Wiggins,

    ""
    """The worst thing about being in the Linda McCartney team was pretending to be a vegetarian. The whole experience was a disaster - basically a lesson in how not to run a team. It was completely disorganised, the funding wasn't there and you had to be a vegetarian. I think everyone was sneaking in the bacon sandwiches.""""
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive ... ccess.html


    Looks as though some riders were sneaking in things a bit more naughty than bacon sandwiches.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    RichN95 wrote:
    Interestingly there is no mention of Wiggins ever riding for McCartney in The Times article today.
    He was only with them for about four weeks before the team folded. He never raced for them. He probably never even got the kit.

    Wiggins also won and Flèche du Sud whilst riding for McCartney.
    No he didn't. He was riding for the amateur British Cycling team by then (alongside Rod Ellingworth amongst others)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • So Trev, now happy that Wiggins didnt race with the Linda McCartney squad? And Rob Hayles didnt ride for them btw
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    edited December 2012
    So Trev, now happy that Wiggins didnt race with the Linda McCartney squad? And Rob Hayles didnt ride for them btw

    He signed for them and trained with them for a few weeks at least. Perhaps Bradley should have his history re written to make it clear he did not actually race for McCartney.

    Wiggins did not race in the team strip accepted. He did race on the track with Hayles during that year.
    http://www.pelotonwebdesigns.com/lindam ... r-2711.htm

    McCartney team mention it on their website, but looks as though Wiggins & Hayles may have been wearing GB kit?
  • iainf72 wrote:
    The odd thing with DeCanio is he's mostly been proved correct. I used to think of him as a nutter but he's been on the money a lot of the time.

    That said, I've not looked at stolen underground for quite a long time so I could remembering only the bits where he was right.

    I can send you on some e-mails I got from him in about 2004 that will allay any doubts that he was a nutter.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent