WorldTour and Pro Cycling Nonsense 2012

I haven' got the book yet, but this Hamilton interview already makes for uncomfortable reading.

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/interview-tyler-hamilton-cyclist-1-2555924

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/swiss-court-finds-in-ucis-favour-in-landis-defamation-case

Article two of the verdict goes into quite specific detail as to what Landis is not allowed to say about the UCI in the future, noting that it is forbidden for him to say that the UCI, McQuaid and Verbruggen “have concealed cases of doping, received money for doing so, have accepted money from Lance Armstrong to conceal a doping case, have protected certain racing cyclists, concealed cases of doping, have engaged in manipulation, particularly of tests and races, have hesitated and delayed publishing the results of a positive test on Alberto Contador, have accepted bribes, are corrupt, are terrorists, have no regard for the rules, load the dice, are fools, do not have a genuine desire to restore discipline to cycling, are full of shit, are clowns, their words are worthless, are liars, are no different to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, or to make any similar other allegations of that kind.”

I haven't been paying close attention - has Armstrong said anything dumber than this yet?

Armstrong said that people need to “move on.”

“Some people don’t do that. They sit around and talk about the past,” said Armstrong. “You always get high-school friends who sit around and talk about ‘hey remember that time…’ and I’m like ‘Why are you asking me about that?’"

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2012/10/humpday-news-shorts-5/

For someone who no longer cares and thinks it's time to move on, he spends an incredible amount of time and money trying to discredit USADA
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/09/4895768/armstrong-renews-criticism-of.html

Because he knew this was coming:

David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
USADA statement: Armstrong's team "ran the most sophisticaed, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen."

contains "direct documentary evidence including financial payments, emails, scientific data and laboratory test results that further prove the use, possession and distribution of performance enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong and confirm the disappointing truth about the deceptive activities of the USPS Team, a team that received tens of millions of American taxpayer dollars in funding".
the team's doping conspiracy "was professionally designed to groom and pressure athletes to use dangerous drugs, to evade detection, to ensure its secrecy and ultimately gain an unfair competitive advantage through superior doping practices".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/19903716

I guess I can see Lance's point now. You've got David Walsh sitting on your couch, drinking beer, when suddenly he's all like: "hey Lance, remember that time in high school when you were at the center of the most sophisticaed, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen?" So annoying.

202 page Reasoned Decision case file :

http://www.scribd.com/doc/109619079/Reasoned-Decision

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/danielson-vande-velde-and-zabriskie-accept-usada-bans

This is a pretty sobering take on all the back-patting going on:

http://stevetilford.com/?p=22105

Rabobank are no more :(
"We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport"

Very Sad news

team will go on next year highroad-style, at least

finally dl'ed the hamilton book. lols all around. armstrong even slightly more assholey than expected, doping about where i expected, maybe slightly more egregious. disliked the "up close and personal" style intro a bit (over the corny limit), but it's a fun superfast read from there.

http://inrng.com/2012/10/lemond-letter-uci/

Bobby julich confessed today and was given the boot by sky (rider 4 for those keeping score)

Can't believe that Sky hasn't sacked Mick Rogers yet...

http://inrng.com/2012/10/lemond-letter-uci/

cue everyone acting slightly embarrassed, pretending that it didn't happen, "wish he were more statesmanlike", etc

i didn't hear that but i was thinking last week that damn he's like the last of that generation of usa europros left w/out an admission.

sky's and quicksack's policies are bad imo. otoh at least quicksack freed up some scratch for cavendish with that move.

Sean Yates has gone. Not sure what this will mean for Sky: their zero tolerance approach, while commendable, will leave them with a huge problem when it comes to recruiting DSs given that probably >90% of riders of that age group doped. Garmin's approach seems more realistic.

Sky haven't exactly been that hot in the on the road tactics department. A change might be beneficial in that respect. Got to go to the continental teams or to women's racing to find an untainted DS.

I feel a bit sorry for Yates, he is apparently retiring from the sport entirely.

why feel sorry for him, sky says this is entirely a personal decision unrelated to anything? i guess he just wanted a change.

He looked kind of glum when I beat him the other week in the Catford Hill Climb. Perhaps I contributed to his demise.

why you gotta break a man like that

no gifts

Get 'em Kimmo, raaargh.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/nov/01/paul-kimmage-pat-mcquaid-criminal-complaint

Strictly speaking this is 2013 but I just volunteered for the UCI Cross Worlds in Louisville.

Anyone else fancy coming down to join in the fun?

i remember riding my road bike in team kit in 1993 in louisville for a week. it was like i just crashed my spaceship. i have never been mocked/harrassed/threatened for lycra like that in my life- not even in northern idaho in the late 80s. blows my mind they are hosting worlds. that said, fuck no.

yikes

ha, that's progress! don't hate, celebrate. i'm sure you'll have a grand time, truly-- sorry to be a churl.

times done changed

i know a bunch of ppl that will be going down for worlds, i will not likely be one of them

michael rogers to saxo/tinkoff - wasn't too keen on sky's scorched earth policy perhaps?

It looks like the Tour de France is coming through Epping Forest in 2014 and possibly within a mile of my flat