Challange to all sponsered team re Doping.

[kosmonooit]

Interesting what Team Sky has done with their Zero Tolerance policy. They don't want anyone who had anything to do with doping on their team - serious inquisition going on, and heads have rolled. One way of dealing with it I guess, but other teams will not be able to do that, ie Garmin-Sharp, Saxobank.

[Lucky Luke.]

Many of the greats have been caught doping, even the great Eddy Merckx, he was given a 2nd chance! In fact as far as I know he was only punished with a time penalty! We all make mistakes in life and need 2nd chances to prove our real character! Food for thought!

 

Merckx's experience is from the history books. Second chances are getting this sport nowhere. Get real please.

[shifter]

We at Chris Willemse Cycles will have a team again for 2013 and we would like to make the following challenge to Malcom Lange - owner of Team Bonita, Douglas Ryder - owner of team MTM/Qhubeka, Dean Edwards - owner team Tassol/Solar and all other team sponsors to join us with the following statement.

 

We promise that we will never ever give any rider who were caught for doping a contract in our team. Not even if his suspension is over. If the above mentioned team owners and all the other are serios about stop doping in our sport then they should support us in this statement.

 

I am also going to put it in writing to all the teams and will make it public which teams support this challenge.

 

If we can all stand together on this then we can send a message to the rest of the world that we are serious about stopping the dopers in SA.

Bonitas have to my knowledge 2/3 ex dopers,,,

[ibruegge]

Many of the greats have been caught doping, even the great Eddy Merckx, he was given a 2nd chance! In fact as far as I know he was only punished with a time penalty! We all make mistakes in life and need 2nd chances to prove our real character! Food for thought!

They need a second chance to get the levels right, so that remain just below traceable....?

 

Sorry, if you're a pro and don't realize you're cheating and think you deserve a second chance, you probably shouldn't be calling yourself an athlete anyways.

[Daideron]

Chris Willemse, I applaud your intentions and efforts here. I really do. I have only personally ever heard good things about you Chris Jnr, and your aversion to doping, so keep it up!

However, what you are saying will effectively end the careers of a good few riders, ie, Mcleod, Fouche, Hoffmann et al. You have to consider some other sides of this approach, are you talking all forms of cycling should support this? If so, a certain cycling program will have to oblige and remove a presenter. Several managers, coaches, and others involved will also have to go. You cant apply it to some, and not to others. Do you understand what I am saying?

You can easily set yourself up for a rather hippocritical situation, imagine one of these riders mentioned is forced out of cycling through the measures you suggest and opens a bike shop or becomes an agent for some bike brand. Will you do business with them? Would you sell a bike to a rider who has been banned?I know its not actual riding, but what you are suggesting could go further than you realise. I'm not attacking you Chris, just pointing out something that maybe its worth considering.

It also pains me to see an Olympics where its won by a formerly banned rider, as is the Vuelta, and the Giro. But they have paid their due and done their time.

Oh, and thanks for the great prices!!

[insideman]

Insideman.

 

I don't change my mind. But I am sure that you must understand that if a sponsor has a rider now in its team then he cant cancel that contract. That s why I made the following very clear : "We are starting a small team in 2013 and will never take on a rider that has been caught positive". Current sponsors can say that all new riders that get caught will not get a place in their 2013 contracts. I do not see anything wrong with that.

 

This is nothing to do with publicity. If you followed my career then you will see that I have always been totally against dope because many of the top riders in my time were caught positive and I were always against dopers.

 

I'm just a little bit vague as to the specifics of your pledge that your propose the other teams sign. I would like you to clear up one main issue - do you propose that next season no rider who has ever tested positive be granted a contract with any SA pro team? Or that any rider who tests positive from next season onwards will be granted a contract in future?

 

I fully support your initiative to not hire any previous dopers on your team. In my personal opinion a team like Bonitas for example represents a complete mismatched sense of ethics. Malcolm Lange from my personal experience has always been someone completely against doping, yet his team contains two convicted dopers. How does he justify this decision?

 

Doping is absolutely cheating, regardless of a confession or admittance of guilt the sin remains the same - every single clean cyclist is handicapped and affected by the actions of the crooked few.

Edited November 11, 2012 by insideman

[TALUS]

The theoretical jail sentence will need legal support- that could take ages. This is a great idea, and it can be implemented now. Do it Chris!

[butafly]

fondriest was caught doping

[RTG7]

fondriest was caught doping

 

that seems to have been a conversation stopper.

['Dale]

fondriest was caught doping

 

Hmmm.... Good point.

Where does one draw the line?

[Slowbee]

I have "tried" to give this some thought.

 

Doping is considered cheating (unfair advantage) and hence riders are banned. The sentiment here is that doping is "to much" cheating, to much of an unfair advantage. The proposal here is that they should not be allowed to ride professionally again (as opposed to banned) and try get back into the sport again as a "clean" rider.

 

So what exactly is cheating then ? I recall a few stories of guys holding onto cars to get back to the peleton. What about bikes that are under the weight limits and endanger both the rider and others around them?

 

Where would the line be between forgiveness in breaking the rules, and zero tolerance in breaking the rules?

[rock]

hey I got an idea, no more pro cycling......doping eradicated!!

[jannosmit]

hey I got an idea, no more pro cycling......doping eradicated!!

 

Not gonna help

 

['Dale]

Not gonna help

 

 

That's pretty out there.

Like it.

[Capcha]

fondriest was caught dopinghttp://1.1.1.5/bmi/cdn.bikehub.co.za/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/mellow.png

R u for real? If so would CWC really support Fondriest knowing this?

[Icycling]

Please you really don't need to dope for our local WP races - but for longevity, some banned substances may help! The CSA president on Super Cycling last night said that we should also respect our own bodies - I do - and I want to live as long as possible in a condition which has a quality of life so why at 40 can I not use commercially available Items to help me live long (forever - Carte Blanch did something on the a few months ago - drug which could see us living to like 1000 years of age). My true racing days are over - but I can still give most elite cyclist a hard time! That is clean to date I have never doped, but for longevity reasons I am now considering my options! The only thing I really want to cheat is death - by living longer - don't we all?