Riis stripped of Tour de France title

[Pantani]

What a circus cycling has become... 

[PokerFace]

Doping and cheating has always been part of TdF. Riis lost his title for something that he did 10 years ago. It has no bearing on cycling today. At least it's becoming more difficult to dope these days.

[Christie]

Im with you Pantani. Pro cycling has been a circus for 10 years (or more), its only coming out now.

I dont think anybody else will confess stuff based on the reaction to the current stuff.

 

Hey UCI, hows that amnesty plan coming along? 

[Pantani]

 

 

Hey UCI' date=' hows that amnesty plan coming along? 

[/quote']

 

 

Lol.... Yeah, who says they all weren't dirty that year. Now we'll never get Lance to come out and fess up!!!

 

[Guest colonel]

Just like SA's TRC........

[Canaris]

And what will happen when the French evetually prove LA guilty of doping. The seven year loser would be the TdF, or the Tour of Dope?

[Poison Ivy]

And there's no result in the Landis case from last year, but they can take a title away from 10 years ago...what a joke...

 

Riis never tested positive for EPO use, by admitting he took EPO now it totally irrelevant. I've done some "re-searching" and as far as I could determine the UCI didn't even test for EPO 10 years ago - it was still an "unknown" factor up to 1998/1999

 

[widget]

How the mighty have fallen.!!

 

Riis can kiss his cosy little cycling world goodbye, Man has ended their relationship and CSC have indicated they will probably end their relationship with him as well.

 

The ASO has indicated he may not be welcome at the TDF.

 

They want his jersey back.

 

The Danish hall of fame kicked him out.

 

He is disgraced and branded a cheat and a fraud.

 

I cant see any other sponsor willing to carry this load.

 

............In my opinion - Good.

 

Somewhere, a line has to be drawn and an example made.Unfortunately Riis is suffering the brunt of it when he probably was doing a good job.

 

But the fact is, you cannot have a sporting fraud heading up an operation, and preaching clean sport when he is guilty of the very same crime.

 

Its like haveing a convicted cheque fraudster heading up the world bank - its not ethical.

 

............Okay, Okay I know this dos nt apply to politicians.!

 

widget2007-06-08 02:13:50

[Canaris]

But he did say he was sorry!!!

 

 

 

maybe not as sorry has he is going to be in the future though.

[AuctionLamb]

It is soooo obvious.....all the TDF people dope...then the one "clean" man takes then on and beats them very comfortable.....even more obvious than Landis's comeback in last years TDF.

[TNT1]

Maybe it's a bit unfair of us to be so harsh on him. He said sorry. What about the other Tour greats, cycling icons, are we as harsh with them and their records? I am talking of Tom Simpson... Let us demolish the monument to him at the top of the Ventoux, let us retrospectively strip him of his world title, shall we not denigrate his memory and achievements now. Likewise, let us blacken and smudge out of history Merckx, Anquetil, Hinault, Delgado, the list is as long as the list of Professional bike riders down the years.

 

Something deeper and more fundamental to the sport is at stake here. Let the past pros on this forum and everywhere else make their voices heard - you do not and could not then or now complete let alone win a one, two or three week long stage race on bananas and mineral water alone. Who would now voice such an opinion when we see the true value you as a human being have in the eyes of the so-called fans?

 

I think the attitudes that advocate further punishment and blackening of an athletes record speak far more to the the morals and values of the one who speaks them, than the athlete who confesses.

 

We as fans of the sport need to see the bigger picture. We need to understand what drives and motivates these icons to resort to these extremes. We should rather seek to understand the suffering they endure, and applaud and support them when they come before us with open hands to make amends for past actions.

 

We owe it to the riders who have thrilled and entertained us. We owe it to the sport we love. Most importantly, we owe it to their and our own humanity.

 

[Tumbleweed]

How the mighty have fallen.!!

 

Riis can kiss his cosy little cycling world goodbye

 

maybe he'll be answering phones at dr cecchini's practice

[bruce]

All this is going to do is drive doping back underground.

[Poison Ivy]

Something deeper and more fundamental to the sport is at stake here. Let the past pros on this forum and everywhere else make their voices heard - you do not and could not then or now complete let alone win a one' date=' two or three week long stage race on bananas and mineral water alone. Who would now voice such an opinion when we see the true value you as a human being have in the eyes of the so-called fans?

[/quote']

 

I like your post TNT1, just like you, I also see the other side of this. I will never say I agree with doping (in any form), but we forget that cycling is a day-time-job for these guys.  No performance -  no income - that's the bottom line.

 

Next time any one takes a Red Bull at work to stay awake or alert for a deadline or pop a turbovite or two to get through that presentation as sharp as possible...then we can talk.... I know it sounds like comparing apples with oranges, but the morals stay the same....

 

 

[Delgado]

All that this knee jerk reaction will achieve is prevent others from coming clean "after the fact"! These coming clean sessions should have been used as a positive spin for the future generations of the sport but in a fashion not too disimilar to our SARFU, international cycling has found a way to shoot itself in the foot.

[BBoy3Pac]

I'd say that's comparing apples with polystyrene cups.