Trev wrote:
jackmott wrote:
Nah, there were various team staff and riders talking *very* early on. Arch Stanton wrote:
It took fifteen years for the Postal riders to open up and they rode at a time when doping, along with soccer, F1, and women, was openly discussed while riding in the peloton during races.
Emma O'Reilly, Betsy Andreou, the wife of Frankie, who else?
And look at how they were treated.
Do not forget the time when Armstrong and his apologists would set out to destroy anyone who questioned Armstrong.
Do not forget how anyone who questioned Armstrong was banned from cycling forums.
And triathlon forums, too for that matter.
As for your other points of people not speaking out
Quote:
I don't remember Wiggins or Brailsford defending Emma O'Reilly or Betsy Andreau. In fact I remember Wiggins and Brailsford spouting trash about Armstrong and feigning surprise when the truth came out, a truth every little shit in the Peleton knew all along.
Remember how anyone who questioned Armstromg was called a Troll. Remember how the whole Peleton turned on Bassons and Simoni.
Every little shit in the Peleton knew what was going on, and did anyone do anything - other than Bassons? Complete bunch of cheating scum bag cowards. To a man they were iether cheating or too chicken and didn't have the bottle to speak out.
Name one who confessed before being caught or confronted by the authorities.
Add to the list all those past Tour winners who defended Armstrong. Merckx and Induarain were defending the scum bag weeks before the truth came out.
I would like to think I would have stood up and exposed the sordid details, but that's subjunctive, and we can posit all we want about coulda woulda shoulda. Fact of matter is that life was already hard enough not to cheat, and to expose others means doing so at great risks to your own reputation and financial stability. You may think you will have the swagger to confront rampant cheating, but if you've seen what has already happened to those (e.g. Andreus, Walsh, and Lemond) who confronted the cheats, would you be so brave?
Arch Stanton wrote:
USADA figures what everyone else already knew: That everyone in European pro cycling is doping and the UCI helps riders and teams get around rules that were only made for PR purposes and not meant to be followed. News at eleven.
This demeans the careers of those who eschewed cheating and PED. Names such as Gilles Delion and Tim Johnson. You want your arguments to be taken seriously then cut out the hyperboles.