The best answer to all this: just race!
Author: Jonathan Vaughters17 Jul
We are almost there. Almost…. Almost to a time when everyone understands that the testing is as advanced as the doping. That the best answer to all this is: just race.
I know all that seems difficult to believe, today, with the race in turmoil. But I’m just hoping that everyone can just grit their teeth through this last bit and believe. Please believe, as we are so close. So many riders are clean and taking a real, unedited stand.
It’s always darkest before the dawn….
Think of this: it was the year 2000 before an EPO test came out. Whereas it was 1988 when EPO came to the market. Twelve years of everyone smiling and believing nothing was wrong. Now, with CERA, it’s not even been through phase 1 trials and the test is already out. You must understand this is so much better than before. This is what most of the riders want. They want the testing to be BETTER than the doping technology. It just makes things simple for them. No horrible dilemmas, no “rock and hard place” choices. Just racing.
I’m just hoping that our fans and the media can endure the pain, the real, deep pain it takes to really correct a problem, to correct a mentality, that is so embedded. We are so close, but we need some faith and we need to let the anti-doping authorities do their work.
The Tour de France is hard. The hardest thing a man could do. And so follow its problems. When someone can finish the Tour, it is cause for happiness. Just as when an illness is finally cured, it is cause for happiness. Most times the cure to difficult illnesses are painful. Most times the cure causes pain and damage. But would we trade the pain of curing a problem for ignoring it and dying of letting it fester and persist? Maybe some. But not those who are hard enough, bold enough, to love the Tour, to love cycling.
Hang in there - and I promise we will do the same.
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48 Responses for "The best answer to all this: just race!"
Thanks for helping to add some perspective to this Jonathan. Given the tone of this year’s Tour, a positive of this magnitude is back to actually being shocking. It helps to think of this as being a cleaning out of the last vestiges of doping stupidity.
Tough to digest, or even believe JV. A big part of my interest died when Floyd got caught, last the Tour was a joke. I’d get so emotionally invested one day and the next day I find out the result was due to an illegal substance. I watched the tour a little today, but with little interest. I’m beginning to think I’ve wasted the past 6 Julys watching a bunch of cheats.
If one of your riders gets caught cheating after all your preaching of a clean sport I promise you I’m done with cycling. Honestly after today my interest in this years Tour is all but gone. Call me when all the cheats are gone
Joe A. The system is trying to work, there are plenty of clean riders to cheer on. To give up on the sport because of progress is somewhat short-sighted. I’m not sure where you’re from, but if it’s the states you must not be a fan of any professional sport. MLB - cheats and liars (Clemens), NFL - steroid monsters (Merriman), NBA - pot heads (pick one). The fact that people are being caught in cycling is because we as fans and riders care about the direction and integrity of this sport. Those other sports care more about money and TV ratings. For them rage, homeruns and bling are what sell.
Cycling will survive. Professional cycling will survive. Sponsors that back clean teams like Slipstream win big. Those that back dirty teams loose. Cycling fans have already made the move to clean athletes. There is forgiveness and redemption. Millar has become a hero. But only for those now out in front. Forgiveness will be harder and harder to find going forward. All the passion I had for Armstrong is finally and completely gone. And that feels good. I would rather watch, read and connect with Millar (now in 47th) than to recall un-believable performance of the past.
JV - Keep fighting the good fight, and I can only imagine the emotional toil that you and the team go through as they ride the best they can and have to try to compete against those that are cheating. Having a rider (and team) get kicked out has got to make you rethink all the tactical calls that were made in the earlier stages as you may have tried to counter the different attacks and plan the ride.
Please make us all proud, VdV, keep us excited about the sport.
JD
JV Thanks for the post… I also feel that we are almost there. IMO the sport does appear to be much much cleaner..bad press is terrible for our sport and one, two, or three riders can make it seem that cycling hasn’t changed at all… to the lay-man its just another typical headline…ohh there just a bunch of dopers…
But there is an obvious change to many many pro-teams and their stance against doping…which is great !! I think the enthusiasts who follow cycling are aware that significant changes have been already made and will continue…
I’m sure many Pros are tempted by the idea of “what if”? Could I get away with it ? But as long as the risk & consequences of getting caught severely outweigh the potential reward from trying a substance, then we win…
The message is pretty clear for where I sit..
Thanks JV, we’re with you! People lie, cheat, and steal in every segment of society. If there was a way to eradicate it completely, we’d have no need for police or jails. The best we can do is make it the undesirable minority, and I think we’re winning that war.
I’m still looking forward to the rest of the race, looking forward to the Alps being that much cleaner. Rock on boys!
Here’s the thing, there will always be cheats. T expect that no person will ever get caught doping again is, well, unrealistic. Look at society: we have laws, police, courts and jails. Yet people still break laws and go to jail. But the fact is, the vast majority of people obey laws and do the right thing. I believe the same is true of cycling. In the past, probably a lot of people cheated. But now, with rules, testing and hard consequences for the rule breakers, most have turned their backs on such behavior.
When I first joined the Navy in the late eighties, we were coming out of a dark time when numerous people were doing drugs. This was a dangerous, often fatal and completely unacceptable situation. As a service, we instituted testing and harsh punishment for the guilty. The first time you’re caught, you’re out of the service for ever. But to this day we still have a very small minority that is caught doing drugs, and they are caught. This does not mean that the system doesn’t work or that we are failures as a service. On the contrary, we have improved greatly as an organization and have some of the most talented people serving today.
JV and company, keep it up guys! You are leaders and visionaries to be commended for your efforts. Your program is producing something far more important than a successful bike racer. You are developing outstanding citizens who when finished with racing, will have the moral compass and tools to be successful in life. So, don’t think for a moment that your efforts are for nothing! You and we, the fans will weather this if we maintain some perspective. Ride on and know that I support you.
Joe Christian
Senior Chief Petty Officer, USN
All you can do is all you can do. It usually takes as long to clean up a problem as it does to create one, but the kind of effort you guys are putting in should help move the sport along even faster. Additionally, I think you guys are showing that doing the right thing is also good business. Thanks for all of that. Good thoughts today, thanks. Good Luck and keep it up!
First of all it’s good to see that the detection technology is working so that cheaters are no longer ahead of the curve. Who knows, there may be a couple more riders on other teams sh____ing their pants cause they thought they could get away with CERA and now they’re gonna get caught. But what’s becoming apparent is that the best way forward is to have the team-centered approach that Slipstream has. You may not be able to get rid of dopers 100% but you can at least push the doping culture to the margins.
When riders dope, or when people engage in any illegal activity, they’re basically making a proposition bet that they won’t get caught, or if they do get caught they won’t get punished beyond a slap on the wrist. The problem is that you don’t always know or think you’re gambling, especially when the enforcement and punishment is a joke. Cycling is stepping up the policing and the punishment is pretty significant (unlike other sports), so the behavior will change over time. I’m sure there will still be riders who decide to gamble at the end or their careers (Tricki) or just cause they’re a-holes (Ricco). But it will be a distinct and shrinking minority.
The question to cycling’s future is how the sponsors will react - we saw T-Mobile pull out completely on one hand, and Garmin and Columbia (and Saxo Bank) step up to the plate on the other. Obviously the testing programs were a huge reason for the latter. Does that mean we’ll see more sponsors insist on comprehensive passport type testing? I would hope so.
I’m extremely proud of you guys, regardless of what place your in. I think our sport has been going through a tough self evaluation for the last couple of years. We are redefining what it means to be heros in our sport. In my mind it’s not the fastest, its the team who competes clean. Keep up the good work guys!
The one great uplifting thing about today is that testing technology finally got the upper hand on the cheats. This should really have the chemists questioning for the first time “is there a test that can catch me?” That thread of doubt may cause a massive change in the culture of our sport to the rampant use clean technology, rather than illegal drugs.
Never before have we had the level of technology which is available today to allow the athletes to know more about how their bodies perform and how to best use their natural talents. More Pro Teams need members like Dr. Allen Lim who we see in the light of day carting around monitors and rice cakes. It is a far cry from my naïve days in Italy in the early ninety’s, and the shady characters you would only see in the Team hotels late at night. I should have questioned the garbage containers with their glass vials and syringes, but I was only there to ride and to support the other riders.
Today I have a greater sense of optimism than I’ve had for many years. The battle against drugs is probably the longest stage race we have ever had as a sport. The cheats may have won the early stages, but today on the hardest most important stage of all the Clean Team really kicked their ass.
As a final message to those thinking about remaining or going to the dark side. No fame or glory is worth the shame and pain you bring to family, friends, and Team mates. After all your “only there to ride and to support the other riders”
I watched those rides by Ricco (and Piepoli & Cobo), shaking my head and wondering “how is that possible?”
Now we know, and now they’re gone.
I’d much rather watch dopers get busted & hauled off by the police than watch epic performances that I can’t believe in. Good riddance to the cheats and let’s get on with the race!
I’ve got a friend who swears he won’t watch the tour again until they go a full year without a doping issue. And my disappointment that we’ve had 3 already this year is tremendous.
But at the end of the day, the TdF is my favorite sporting event. It’s fast, requires strength and athleticism, has a great history, the scenery is spectacular, there are individual heroics and team tactics.
Doping is a huge black eye - but the tour is not subjective, there are no referees taking bribes, questionable call or missed handballs. The first guy to Paris wins.
Testing will ALWAYS be one step behind doping - but Saunier Duval did the right thing. At the end of the day, RIDERS and teams are policing THEMSELVES to prevent the mass destruction of sponsorship and prestige is the solution. That solution is already starting to work.
Just to address one of the random name drops from above:
“[ . . ]NFL - steroid monsters (Merriman),[ . . ]”
Keep in mind that Merriman received his suspension due to using tainted supplements. He was testing them on a regular basis and one that he didn’t test had the additive in it that caused his infraction. He has since gone to FDA-approved (as the originals were simply over-the-counter stuff like any of us can buy at local stores) stuff in its place to avoid further issues in the future.
Now if one of the Slipstream riders were busted for EPO then later found that it came from a bad batch of Flintstones Chewables that they were taking to aid in post-stage recovery, who’s to blame?
Just offering perspective.
Team Garmin-Chipolte p/b H3O: Keep fighting the good fight. I’m glued to all of the news sources listening for your names. Columbia may be another U.S.-based team, but you guys are definitely America’s Team.
Now if only Julian Dean had some more lead out men for the Slipstream train. I’d love to see him podium on a sprint stage.
We are so proud of you, Jonathan and the team. My husband and I live on Olde Stage Road and are watching the Tour every night, cheering you on. We’re recreational riders who are inspired by the cyclists’ courage riding those incredible climbs and descents and yours in developing the team. You’ve had tremendous success so far. Keep focused!
Beautifully put, JV!
Keep the faith indeed.
Of course it’s hard. Nothing worth doing is easy. And for all we know, this isn’t even the darkest it’s going to get. But no matter. So long as the faith exists that this sport can be cleaned up, it doesn’t matter who tests positive, or who gets kicked out — heck, even a Garmin guy! — it won’t destroy all the great work that you guys are doing, and will continue to do.
Keep the faith!
See you soon
This is a GREAT DAY FOR CYCLING!!!! The cheats are being caught and turfed from the tour this is what the system was supposed to do. People don’t understand that cycling went 10 years without a test to detect EPO, now they are working with the drug manufacturers to develop tests for new forms that are still in Stage 1 clinical trials.
This is NOT a sad day for cycling, this is a GREAT day. The cheaters are being caught, now let’s just fricking ride our bikes!
This whole affair has really shaken the depth of my belief in a lot of things. I would like, and I mean this sincerely and not in a vindictive way, to hear David Millar’s response to the fact that 2 high profile riders from his old team have now been popped in the last 2 years (Mayo and now Ricco). Add in Piepoli and Cobo going 1-2 like it was nothing and it really looks like S-D had a systematic doping program… is this new this year? Did David have any suspicions?
Look, I am someone who will admit to the fact that I came to this sport through Lance Armstrong’s victories. In 1999 I had not ridden a bike in 10 years, since then I have bought my first road bike, got a race license and even jumped into a few local races. Falling more in love with the sport with every pedal stroke. Over the years I now see LA for what he was, was devastated by Landis, and now when I am just starting to believe in a team and the performance of guys like Martin M., Daniel Martin, Frishkorn, and CVV: this shit makes me question everything all over again.
Good luck boys, I could give a shit if CVV is in yellow in Paris or 54th and 20 minutes back, just don’t make me feel like an idiot again for believing in something.
Jonathan, I would like to offer my continued support of pro cycling and especially the Garmin-Chipotle squad. I support your efforts to hire good people and to test the crap out of them. While it is a privacy issue for the athlete the fans need to see this for awhile.
Hate to put it this way but right now being caught for doping seems like an instant I.Q. test.
This is why I cheer for Slipstream…because I know these guys are clean. I was telling my spin classes just the other day that I thought Ricco was dirty by the same rational Millar used.
To JV…please tell your sponsors that I will be eating burritos and buying a Garmin so that your team continues to have the budget to hire great riders and to keep your ACE testing policy. (I will say the same to Columbia. )
Finally, when will something really call out these cheaters? In the US, at least we have crits so we could put dirty riders into the cutter ;).
Here we go again, just as I admire a riders great courage and outstanding performance - bang! it turns out he cheated.
I, like so many others want hero’s and my faith in real people achieving real results is being sorely tested. Awesome ride today by Julian Dean, with a little more help he may even stand on the podium. Being a Kiwi myself I support the Garmin Chippottle team, but also are attracted by your anti-doping policy. Please Please dont let us down.
Incidently any chance of buying a Garmin Chippottle cycle shirt like Julian Dean’s ?
JV - we are onboard with you and support Slipstream and appreciate your honesty. Don’t let the distractors get to you. The Army is by your side and we know that none of our riders are going to show up in the news no matter what certain people say. You rule.
Yeah, ok the testing is getting better, catching up with the drug manufacturers, that’s fantastic. It’s really fantastic.
I think the problem that cycling (and sport in general) will always come back to is that someone, some rider, will ALWAYS choose to dope in order to take an advantage. It’s the advantage that’s going to net him a big old cash bonus for winning a race, a better contract the next year, and more money from endorsements.
Someone will ALWAYS risk the the reward, and why shouldn’t they?
Is it that they shouldn’t dope for some “collective good”…to help the sport of cycling build itself back up? That very well could be the reason, but until the same money that goes into developing the drug itself goes into testing, we’re always going to be running in circles.
Clearly, there’s a bit more money in one than the other, and that’ll plague the sport of cycling (and all other sports) for internity.
I agree with Dan and JV. At least cycling is catching their cheats. By definition most professional sports are dirty. Carl surely you aren’t so naive as to think professional football (american) is in anyway clean? The testing program is joke. Baseball is the same, testing is a joke. What about the football (european) players who are starting to die, eerily similar to cycling in the epo years? I could go on but big picture, its golf, F1, and cycling are all thats left. Of those three give me cycling everytime.
Look at the top three in the tour-Cadel: outspoken against doping; Frankie: on a team with longitudinal testing; CVV: Garmin, we know those boys are clean. So I would say the evidence is that the cheats are on the way out and we can cheer the clean riders for the awesome efforts they are putting out.
Thanks, you guys, for keeping it real and giving us some hope for cycling.
PS: I adored the argyle haircut!!
JV - Good to see your posting about this and not shying away from it. Keep up the fight. However, the team can only do so much, so keep on pressuring your riders to do what’s right.
Dan - You will have cheaters in every sport. All sports need to fight it and I think many US sports are doing this and are makeing inroads. I think endurance sports like Cycling are probably at a higher risk of potential drug abuse than some of the sports you mention. I’m beginning to think the Grand Tours are just too hard and many riders must feel the only way to compete is to use some sort of illegal enhancement. I think these Tours should have more rest days and reduce the length of some stages. I don’t think making these changes will rid drug abuse from cycling but with what Garmin-Chipotle, Colombia, and Astana are doing with new testing I think it would help.
Having just read “From Lance to Landis” and “The Death of Marco Pantani” this year it appears that a “natural” haemocrit level is about 42% but the bar for failing the test is 50%. This still leaves a huge margin for people to be able to cheat - notwithstanding the identification of synthetic substances. How do the governing bodies address this issue?
What Ricco and others have done wrong by doping with EPO, but i think David Millars outburst was wrong. I have heard David speak in person about his times from before, during and after his drug use but he has a short memory. How did he feel when the cycling world bereated him in his time? It’s like the pot calling the kettle black, …..hopefully Ricco has learned his lesson just the same way as David has!
CVV and team, keep on keepin on…this too shall pass…believe. Good thoughts JV, we are proud of you.
Put that clean rider on the podium! I am so fascinated by all the team does to enhance performance without doping. I love that you share it. I made Lim”s Francios last night They were awesome. I love Allen Lim’s scientific approach, the ice vests, space legs, everything within legality. I love how you’ve elevated VDV to a team leader. I believe all right JV. I believe your team, your staff, your riders, are saviors of the sport. Look at the teams following suit…Columbia, CSC… Put VDV on the podium!!!!!!!!
Like every July morning, I got up early today, made the coffee, turned on Versus and sat down for a few hours of the greatest sporting event in the world. And then it happened again–the kick in the gut of another positive doping test. Today was almost too much, almost that one thing that pushed me over the edge and made me never want to care about this sport again. Because I have been there so many times before. I loved Floyd–heck, I hiked up to the top of Brasstown Bald with his mom one year–and he broke my heart. And this morning, well I just about gave up.
But then I spotted the argyle, and alongside that, the Columbia and CSC guys, and I thought again. I decided to stop for a moment and practice what I preach week in and week out from the pulpit–belief in redemption and infinite second chances. Decided to have hope even when it seems like the craziest choice in the world. Decided to have faith, to, as Jonathan puts it, keep the faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
It is a choice–I have a choice about whether or not I love cycling, and I choose to give in to my love for the pure grace and beauty of the sport. A choice, just like the brave, hard-working, kick-ass Garmin-Chipotle riders choosing to set things right even while they stand in a minority by doing so.
Allez Argyle! And thanks JV for speaking up, for standing up.
I’m sad today because when Ricco won with his “unbelievable” solo finish, the first thing I said to myself was that he’s doping. I wanted so badly to be wrong, because that means I can go back to believing in greatness instead of being a cynic. Maybe next year.
If CVV gets dropped in the Alps and finishes 15 minutes off the winner, I’ll still be here every day following the boys and telling my friends there’s this great new American cycling team I’m excited about. But if anyone from this team is doping… I don’t know what I’d do. But it’d break my heart for sure.
You know, with all the doping talk, I’ve got to change the topic slightly. For all those riders out there, is there nothing better than heading out on a ride or climbing a hill/mountain? The shear pain in the legs (or lungs) when you climb is unbearable but you get through it and the reward is often being able to fly down the other side at speeds that the non-bike enthusiast would deem crazy. Or the reward might simply be the feat of completing the climb.
I bring this up because I see that joy in VdV and the team during the interviews and it’s refreshing. Those who cheat bring nothing but shame to the sport I love. I wish Garmin-Chipolte the best of luck in the upcoming weeks. Keep making us proud. Oh, one more thing - where can I get Julian Dean’s NZ jersey. That thing is bad@ss!
The way I see it things are working with the controls like they are supposed too. I held back with comments for some time, but his beckons a blurb. You have teams like CSC, Columbia, and Garmin which are all against this. A few years back and this would have scared the riders more than it upsets them. Think about that. This is one sport where they actually are trying to stop this. I’d love to see the PGA get tested. That would shock the world.
On a couple of other notes…
Is Danny alright? He looks a little beat in the pictures. I’d still love to see Pate take one stage. He has it in him and think he can pull it off. He is at his best when he rides alone despite his grumblings.
Millar…Okay, I read some of his quotes regarding the positive testing for Ricco. I am surprised he took such a pompous attitude. Someone in his situation should have shown much more insight and forgiveness. I want to like him, but am finding it tough with some of the quotes over the last week and a half. I’m not giving up… But he just needs to put it down and ride.
I’m rooting for these guys and think Christian really has a chance. No gaurantees, but a chance.
Put up the good fight and RIDE BABY…RIDE!!!
Vive le Tour, Vive le team!
Gang, you’ve already put in a grand effort, and taken on a task greater than the race itself; you’ve brought people into the sport, captured the imagination of millions, won over skeptics, rallied the hearts of fans, and most of all, fought the good fight, all while biting off more than the race itself. Bravo!
You all are champions for what you’ve dedicated yourself to, and our best wishes are behind you. Dare to dream, give it all you’ve got, and ride for the pure joy of it all.
This is about so much more than cycling, and sport-it’s about the human spirit, and what we can achieve, when that better part of our nature rises above the noise of detractors, doubts, and disbelief.
Safe miles and tailwinds-and thanks for taking the high road…
RJD
Well, I just got a Team Slipstream jersey (found one all black with the argyle on it across the chest.). With things like what happened today hit the news, people ask me about why I’m still a fan of the Tour. I just need to show them my jersey, proof that if you’re not really a fan, you don’t know what’s really happening.
It’s a sad state of affairs when one cannot trust physical feats of athletes anymore. When ever something monumental happens, like hitting home runs, riding faster than last year, or hit people too hard, you cannot trust that they are clean. Rather, you just have some faith in the plausibility of such feats being accomplished.
I believe in sport. I keep the faith.
I enjoy JV’s perspective–EPO started on its way killing bike racers in ‘88, when I started racing. When did it filter into my racing scene? Was it when I suddenly found myself half a minute down on climbs I used to dominate? Maybe…and I’m sure all of us that raced at higher levels during that period have our stories and questions. I hope guys like Millar understand how much their truth-telling means to those of us who made tough decisions about our path in cycling/life during the early 90s. It’s nice to know the truth and informative to understand the personal cost. I hope David wins a stage, and even if he doesn’t, I’ll be saluting his finish in Paris.
Ricco’s positive test was the first one of the three to really hit me. On stage 9 as Ricco rode away from the rest of the field like they were standing still, I thought to myself “this guy is unreal.” Sadly, I was right — it wasn’t real.
However, I can’t envision not supporting cycling. I will laugh at the stupidity of the dopers while cheering for the Garmin-Chipotle guys. You guys are truly awesome, and it’s just fun to cheer you on.
Okay…maybe this isn’t so nice to say but come on…. he had a picture of Marco Pantani that he carried with him at all times…. haven’t any of you people been to a party? I’m sure you all have been…. Ricco’s ideals were misplaced BADLY… his idol was a doper.. he was that charasmatic messed up kid …and he …well i would say he literally wore it on his sleeve but more like in his jersey.. . It’s sad, yes, but the fact is that young people make mistakes (i should know) and lots of them… and the world stage doesn’t stop them from acting any better… fortunately, often that is not the end of the road for people and they have a chance to become that much brighter for it… the old universal spit shine.
anyways, Bob Roll really touched a heart string for me when he said in passing that he had himself paid a high price for riding clean … And I thought about the kind of rider he may have been with a different field. Frankly seeing Ricco just yanked out of the field makes me nothing but happy for every clean domestique. As my husband put it today, Vdv was a domestique for a long time and now with a cleaner field look where he is capable of being. Of course he has undoubtedly trained hard as well but these races are won and lost by tiny margins…. so i say … let’s pull 50 or 60 dirty riders out if we have to and have a real race!
The glass is still more than half-full. There are more than 150 talented, strong riders who have not tested positive and who continue to keep us glued to our TVs, and two teams (probably more in the future) which have set up systems to eliminate any possible dopers.
Keep the faith!
Like everyone else I was in awe of Ricco’s rides in the mountains and equally gutted when I read that he had been caught doping.
As JV says so eloquently, this shows that the tests and controls are working. In my view this casts doubt on the way a number of riders have performed (good and bad). Some may have pulled out, some may have ridden without doping and not reached a standard that was expected of them and I think that could explain 3 relatively big names.
Garmin Chipotle, Columbia and CSC are the teams stamping their mark all over the TdF this year and what do they have in common? - internal testing programmes.
Yes, we have another TdF blighted by the drug cheats, yes this will happen in future years, but the future is still bright as more and more sponsors will either withdraw or enter cycling due to the doping policies of the teams they fund.
The best we can all do is support those who are clean and let those who are not suffer the consequences.
Cycling will survive because it really is the most beautiful sport. Every day, it’s a test of strength and will, a new drama enacted along the roads of France or elsewhere. I’m not even a cyclist, but I appreciate the human struggle. And I have great admiration for the efforts of the Garmin Chipotle team—especially since they truly are leading the sport to a new day. I was a big fan of the Postal boys, and got spoiled by their success. But I find myself even more connected to Garmin, because I feel like they stand for something much bigger than the team. Well done, gents. As others have said, I’ll be watching and rooting for you, regardless of where you end up in the final standings (personally, I see no reason why CVV can’t be on the podium—he looks as strong as anyone).
Unfortunately, there always will be cheaters, stupid people who think they’re smarter than the rest. Losers willing to risk the careers of everyone else in the peloton for their own selfish aims. I’d like to see Jens Voigt and Magnus take little Ricco “out back” and beat some respect into him. But seriously, think of the big leap that has been taken regarding attitudes toward dopers (long gone are the days of quiet acceptance), and the ability to catch them. This new form of EPO was supposed to be undetectable. I understand it’s not even on the market yet—but already, the test was there to find it.
It’s depressing to know there still are idiots trying to beat the system (and it sounds like Piepoli will be the next casualty). But for the first time ever, the “good guys” are getting out in front of the cheaters. Things ARE changing, and there are many reasons to be hopeful (not least of which are the efforts by teams like Garmin-Chipotle, Columbia, etc.). Even for a non-cyclist like me, there is nothing in sport more intense than a rugged mountain stage fought out by combatants who respect the rules, each other and the sport itself. I think we’ll see that in the days to come. Things are changing. Keep the faith. And go CVV!
Thank you Garmin-Chipotle team for renewing my faith in the Tour and Cycling. I avidly followed Lance and his team for years, and cheered so hard for Floyd when he came back to win 2 years ago. When Floyd was caught - I was disheartened to the point I didn’t watch any of the Tour last year. After reading “From Lance to Landis” - it gave me some perspective on how riders could get caught up in doping. I have sympathy now for all sides. But that was the past. The present now means that riders have no excuse for doping. I applaud your vision and your persistence. It is now truly a time for celebration. Cheating riders will get caught, and this is not a reason to give up being a fan. It should only renew everyone’s commitment to the sport. I just bought my first road-bike and a trainer, and am about to hop on it to watch the Tour. Thank you for your inspiration - I can’t wait to buy a Garmin-Chipotle jersey. You are my favorite team, regardless of where everyone places at the end. I believe because you do. And congratulations to Ryder - as a fellow Canadian, it is so exciting to see you in the Tour - great haircut!
Ricco said he wasn’t shooting for GC, but that he only came to the Tour “to learn”. Guess he’s learning all right, and I hope the others who are tempted to look for shortcuts are learning from his example.
I sense a wind of change in the peloton. I believe that there’s a shift from doping being something that’s done just to be competitive to something you do to CHEAT.
I have more respect and admiration for a clean lanterne rouge than I do a podium cheat.
Thanks for giving the sport back to the fans!
Good Afternoon All,
From the Isle of Skye to stage 7 and then 12 on the Tour De France, now staying near Narbonne with friends. Subaru and the Scottish and British flag will appear agian on stage sixteen to cheer on David, your team and a certain ‘other Brit.’ who is doing rather well.
On next stage we will be there with our small home made sign against the cheats who use drugs. Sorry David, but you have reformed and I admire your honesty.
Look for the Red Subaru Forrester with the flags flying.
Great work team. Mike & Julie
Despite the doping in this year’s TdF, there is hope and the promise of a brighter, cleaner future for pro cycling because of teams like Garmin and their race clean philospophy. Thanks JV for that hope.
JV. Thanks for the article. We are proud of the team. Looks like bad news are still around but that is a transition we are going thgrough. In time, the news will and should be about all the non-cheaters clean cyclists in the peloton.
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