This is usually the time of year when I start to feel worn out by bikes, but this year I am REALLY worn out by bikes. I usually try to at least write a perfunctory account of every race I participate in, so I will do that for the past 4 races I participated in. In my last four races I: finished 4th at FBF in a field sprint, crashed at Maltese (I’m fine, I cannily chose to land on the party that crashed in front of me), finished in the field at FBF, and helped a teammate place third in a CRCA point’s race. There, the race report’s out of the way, and now we can get to the main reason I’m worn out by bikes this year.
As you may have heard, my teammate David Anthony tested positive for EPO at the Grand Fondo New York. Yup, EPO. At a Fondo. Of course he wasn’t doping to win the Fondo, as that would be tremendously sad, he was doping to win amateur races, which actually might be even sadder. He was using pro-level methods of doping to compete against part time racers with full time jobs and fuller time families. A notion I find near completely incomprehensible. The idea that anyone would willfully undertake the effort to alter their body chemistry in order to beat a bunch of accountants to me is unfathomable.
But he did it, and there’s no denying it. And he was my teammate. Cycling is a sport that can take over the lives of those that allow it to. Cycling can dictate what you eat, how much you sleep, when you wake, how much time you spend (or don’t spend) with friends and family—it rewards the obsessive. And for some that obsession takes them into dark territory. David was always a dedicated cyclist. He had the time to train and prepare in ways I could never dream of, and somewhere along the line, his dedication led him to start doping.
As a team, we on BH/Comedy Central have never cared about results, we are certainly happy when a teammate does well and we congratulate them on any success, but we don’t require results to be on the team. We race for one another, and win or lose, we’re still teammates. Sadly, David didn’t believe this. He mistook what our team stood for. In his distorted view of our team, he wasn’t accepted if he wasn’t winning, but none of us ever felt that way. To us, bringing together a good group of racers was more important than winning. We’ve always had one philosophy on the team, "no dicks" (I’m grandfathered in, thanks), but now that philosophy will have to have an asterisk next to it, because doping is nothing other than a dick move.
David is now off the team, and will never be invited back. He lied to me and my teammates for an extended period of time, and that’s a bell that will stay rung. It will cover every interaction that we’ve had and will ever have with a patina of distrust. We think less of him, but we are his teammates. We raced together and offered our help to one another. We carried each other’s bottles, so to speak, and in this case we will have to carry the water bottle filled with the tepid water of David’s pathetic actions—and that’s unfair, but that’s the way it is.
Good post Dan – in the spirit of open-ness (and feel free to tell me to fuck off) and without knowing this guy at all – was there a feeling in the team that something might be up? You say he lied to you and your team mates but to me its incomprehensible to even suspect people on the local scene. Sad day but well addressed by you and Andy.
I honestly had no clue. DA always trained hard, and it’s hard to always expect the worst of people, especially someone you consider to be a friend.
I stopped reading this website last year solely due to the negativity it gives off, but I had to read once the news broke. This is a great perspective from the teammate of someone who gave into the pressures of the sport of cycling. I look forward to the day when sports, particularly endurance sports, become fun again. Yes, I know, it’s what you make of it, but it’s also how the racing environment and community carries itself. I’m sorry that, once again, something like this has affected us all. Very sad…………
I feel for you and your teammates. It’s not a good feeling but in time you will be able to move on. Good luck
Well put Dan..well put. Much respect for you and the rest of your teammates
Heavy post. I am totally with on re results. Really, who cares. Sure it is fun when your team gets them but it always has seemed more important for me that everyone on the team feels like a team and feels like they got to participate in the race and have fun. Like you, the idea of doing EPO to win amateur bike races boggles my mind.
At the end of the day, I don’t really care about whether guys I compete with are doping or not. It is their loss not mine at the end of the day. They should be named and shamed and probably booted, but I don’t take it personally. Just so dum.
positive on stage 18. literally just in. AP wire
please dont be joking about that.
How has this not hit Velonews???
No one is surprised. Ray Charles could see he was doped to the gills. Wiggo never got out the saddle once over those mountain stages and had a poker face while everyone else was foaming at the mouth…what else is new.
please dont be true…
Link please??
If there’s no link, is there a story?
who farted?
Thank goodness I am surrounded by true friends who wouldn’t abandon me the first time I made a mistake. You friends like you guys – who needs enemies. It must be lovely to have never made a mistake in one’s life. You should write a book on it.
He’s bike abandoned, not life abandoned. And his mistake affected all of us on the team, it’s not like he got a speeding ticket.
The range of reactions on the team vary quite a bit but DA is still a friend to Dan and me.
Julie,
Its that kind of soft touch attitude which perpetuates a cheating mentality. If you were his GF, wife he’d cheat on you.
Sleep with your friend’s spouse and then see how strong that friendship “bond” is with that friend…Forgiveness takes time. Maybe this was DA’s proverbial “cry for help”, but I think its only natural for those around him to feel like their trust was misplaced.
Epo isn’t a mistake.
“Of course he wasn’t doping to win the Fondo, as that would be tremendously sad, he was doping to win amateur races, which actually might be even sadder”
Let’s not forget that your “amateur races” don’t have as high of a prize payout nor the professionalism of doping controls.
Whats sad now?
why he raced a race where he knew they would test?
paging Dr Phil
Julie
While I appreciate your positive attitude, what DA did is not a mistake. It was a betrayal. And not just once but probably for many years. He stole money, he destroyed trust and took away other people’s joy.
It is easy to share bread when you are rich.
And I can say he is my friend, like many here. . I don’t know what will happen next I wish him the best but right now I don’t have much to say to him. Certainly not giving him a fuzzy hug.
So how much of his bullshit are Andy and Dan going to believe (assuming their talking to the guy and asking him frank questions)?
When he inevitably pukes the standard horse-shit “No, I wasn’t doping then…I only started recently.” you’re going to feel like the wife of a serial cheater listening to yet another excuse after finding a condom wrapper in the dryer’s lint filter.
Give me a break. Do you two think you can really trust any answers he gives you? Do you think he’ll come clean and say he was doping as a CAT 4 (because he likely was)? No fucking way.
I’ve come to enjoy NY Velocity. But your two’s credibility is taking a huge fucking hit not because you had a doper on your team, but because you’re now doing the whole, “Hey, man. He’s still a friend, man.” bullshit.
Some friend.
So what GFNY had higher payouts and professional doping control.
I might even add that organizer put on a great show with sponsors and imitating some of the flair of pro-races.
But guess what? “Imitation” only.
And the 4000+ chumps who attend are far from being pro. Most can’t even ride in a pack.
Sure, these amateur racers are posers also, but there is a fine line that separate the racers from Grandfondoers.
Fine line, but a thick one.
Racing every weekend doesn’t make one a good bike handler.
What makes a good race?
a) Serious Competition? – Check! (at the front at least..just like a CRCA race. Is holding on 2 minutes back still “racing?”)
b) A Great Course with spectators and road closures? – Check (interesting enough for the local “racers” to ride it most weekend as their “long ride”)
c) Excellent Mechanical Support? – Check!
d) Fantastic Prize Payouts? – Check!
e) Doping Controls to insure a fair playing field? – Check!
f) Sponsors and some flair of pro races? – Check!
I’m just not seeing your elitist point.
Why do you presuppose that we won’t be skeptical?
just why do you think that is funny?
And we did also post the news of his positive test to our site for literally tens of thousand of people to see.
every second that passed between the time he first ordered the drugs until he was busted constitutes a mistake.
1)find and order drugs = ~1 hour = 3600 seconds = 3600 mistakes
2)~3 days to think it over before arriving and using = 25,920 seconds = 25,920 mistakes
3)next shot however many days later = more seconds = more mistakes
get it?
Finally, someone has developed a quantitative mistake model.
The dude went from at best mediocre to killing people in road races and TTs. No excuses for him, no symphaty, no bs. Why is the rest of us training hard and honestly when a bunch of cheaters decided to make a joke out of our sport?
I feel for the BH guys and hope that some of the other surprising successes of some of the team members have been achieved cleanly.
The level of outrage being displayed in some of these posts is reflective of the deluded sense of self-importance this crowd seems to have. At the end of the day some middle aged dude decided to poison himself so he could be one of the best intramural champs…..aside from him your life is really not going to change…Find yourself another cause to rally around.
“I feel for the BH guys and hope that some of the other surprising successes of some of the team members have been achieved cleanly.”
That’s super passive aggressive.
I don’t presuppose you won’t be. I just wonder if you happen catch a whiff of anything less than the truth you’ll still claim him as a friend.
But then again some liars are really good and “friends” are suppose to trust. The conundrum of this balancing act you’re attempting to execute.
Dan
I have a lot of respect for you and Andy and think you guys have done a great deal for the local cycling scene, as well as the occasionally (inter)national contrubution.
I also commend you for trying to deal with this in the best way possible.
I do take issue with your comment that your team has never been about results. The team has a long history of aggressively recruiting the strongest and most successful riders as they progress to Cat 3. Since many come from the Siggi’s team, you apparently have an inside track as to rider’s power numbers and the ability to recruit. Kudos to you for leveraging this, but how can you go on to say its not about results? Its ALL about results. What are new guys to the team supposed to think? The strongest 3s are heavily recruited to BH – there is obvious implicit pressure to perform.
Please don’t get me wrong, I like and respect the BH team, but like withany successful enterprise, with success the dynamic and expectations change. Like other organizations that become a victim of their soccess, perhaps BH maight benefit from this as a bit of a wake-up call and present an opportunity to reassess what the team is truly about.
I believe that the team had no knowledge of DA’s activities, but Andy admits that there were suspicions. They things rarely occur in a vacuum. There is often a medium/cukture that allows them to spawn, fester and erupt.
Good luck getting this all sorted out. You guys deserve better than this.
Yeah, we totally did some aggressive recruiting to get Andy.
All kidding aside – It would be great if DA could let us in on the actual physical impact of taking the drug. You hear about riders admitting they made some mistakes, leaving the sport for good etc…etc but you never really hear about their experience using the drug. You’ve been caught already…..I wouldn’t say it’s giving back…but maybe we can learn something. It shouldn’t be considered so taboo that you cant even talk about it.
Yeah, pretty sure I will take anything he says, including this apology (that must be in nyvelocity ‘editorial review’), with a grain of salt. Guessing he isn’t going to tell you just how mediocre he was before he started the regimen.
Schmalz, Andy’s been there from the start so that’s not a real example and you know it. I can think of 1 guy BH has added over the past few years who wasn’t the top rider (or riders) for their previous team. The team went from a diverse 3/4 team with a broad range of abilities to a team that only adds top 2/3’s. So I think that Aurelien Nipple makes some fair points. But I guess we have to wait for Andy for a non-snark response. I appreciate you guys putting yourselves out there like this – it’s not going to be comfortable.
Getting the inside track on power numbers for a leg up on crca team recruiting?
That is truly the funniest thing i’ve heard on this topic.
Shmalz, I feel for you and your team, certainly caught between a rock and a hard place. Regardless of what anyone else is saying, the transparancy right now of the BH/Comedy Central team, and nyvelocity.com is exactly why people shouldn’t lose faith in you guys. You’re against doping, you poke at it all the time, you’re dealing with what hits home as best as you can, because you never thought you’d had to deal with it. Keep it up.
I do think it would be interesting to find out what DA’s experience was like, but I suppose from a voyeuristic standpoint. Expose too much of the glory of doping and people are going to look for it themselves, so perhaps it shouldn’t be exposed.
Or on the contrary, help him write a book about it with all proceeds going to USADA.
why would you post this anonymously?
The non snark response? Dan asked to join the team, he was NOT recruited.
other guy busted was from Italy
http://ilpassista.blogspot.com/
Dan/ Andy,
I totally can’t believe that you two guys didn’t have your charity write a $100,000 check to Ulie for ‘research’. Don’t you know how these things are handled?
I just want to know when and where you two will start sticking your fingers in people’s faces outside of men’s rooms doors.
Seriously though, this is a sad and incomprehensible story for you and your team. Kudos for being as open and honest about it as possible. I can’t think of any better way to handle it. It seems to me most of the critical comments here are indulging in either ‘Monday morning quarterbacking’ and/ or telling you what you guys are supposed to be feeling or doing.
I really hope the BH team is not beating themselves up over this. Unless DA was shooting up in front of you, there is no way you would know. Just because someone starts to get results does not mean they are doping. As you mention, DA was putting in plenty of time training. It’s unfair to automatically assume that someone who starts to get results is doping. Most guys have lots of other things to think about than whether their team mate who is doing well is doping. Under the circumstances the BH team has gone beyond what would be expected. I can’t believe you guys are really going to institute a testing program for your team. With that said, I’m sure that there will be racers who will look at any future results and automatically think “I wonder if he is doping?”.
Everyone who does well eventually gets a doping accusation leveled against them here.
I suspect one of my teammates is on Cialis, because he seems to do just fine on rides lasting longer than 4 hours.
Did you tell your sponsor? post it on their facebook page? what was their reaction? BH gave you equipment to race on and use if their name. I would love to hear a sponsors response.
The sponsors have been told.
Announcement put on team FB page. https://www.facebook.com/BhComedyCentralBicycleRacingTeam
And BH doesn’t give us bikes for free
Need to go out and recruit the next great up and coming 3/4 Masters racer. Spot on team open. Altitude tent not required but a good sign of the kind of commitment team is looking for.
He wasn’t doping to complete the Gran Fondo. He just happened to test positive there.
I think those people who are saying this doesn’t matter because these are just fun local races and we should enjoy them regardless are missing the bigger picture.
Incidents like this ruin the sport for everyone. Riders that now put in great performances cleanly will undoubtedly be viewed as suspicious – particularly if they happen to be from the same team.
Moreover, just think how these things look to people not involved with the sport who might have a son or daughter interested in taking it up. It fuels the fire that all cyclists use drugs.
These idiots continue to tarnish the sport.
I see that he is not close to owning the Ranger Station climb
Smallie and Andie, you are absolved cause you dont get free bikes? Your handling confirms the worst I have figured about you two. Two superficial bottom feeders. You appeal to the lowest denominator and perpetuate most of what is bad for the sport in this internet age while proclaiming your love for it.
Just like I said to Charlie I regarding Jared Bund way back when, “Fuck you you enabling POS!
“Riders that now put in great performances”
Especially on a list that now includes the BH team
To see USADA make a pit stop at the end of one of Charlies races to see the dopesters cutting across Prospect Park to hop on the A train to save face….foolish clowns.
to the guy who always calls schmalz “smallie”: you are just ridiculous
Hey! That guy’s my most ardent reader!
When we see a BH rider attack and we just sit there and watch for a few seconds before we decide to spit him out the back. I’m not even a 3 anymore and I find this hilarious…hey DA guy…smack yourself.
talking such a big game anonymously. laughable. what a loser.
at the end of the day we should all be thankful that the headline didn;t read “local NYC amature found dead in his apartment after injecting tainted EPO” time to heal… bring on the Vuelta
“have never cared about results, we are certainly happy when a teammate does well and we congratulate them on any success, but we don’t require results to be on the team.” .. Obviously, if the environment and racing wasn’t what fueled the decision there must be something else going on. All I can say is thank god he has mates like you, thick and thin, cause what use is a fair weather friend? or worse.. teammate!
CRCA weighed in. The only relevant thing in their statement
“If you have suspicions about abuse of performance enhancing drugs, you can report suspected dopers by calling the Play Clean Line on 1-877-752-9253.”
Hey Dan,
This is Mike McCarthy.
I hate to say this but you guys are part of the problem.
Last year NY Velocity chose to have Floyd Landis headline a roller racing event. (ok, to be fair, I don’t know if it was your event but your name is on the poster and the first link that shows up if you google it is to a post promoting it on your site). He was celebrated on the poster and in pictures that followed. I was sick when I found out it was a benefit for CRCA juniors. Imagine that. A benefit for juniors featuring a guy who’s entire career and ensuing celebrity was a direct result of doping. Guys like this should go away but, instead, are the face of your event. I don’t get it but it sure seems to me that if you have a problem with doping (and I sure do)that you might want to pick better people to put on your posters.
Stop celebrating the dopers. Period. If you dont want your grand fondo winning teamates doping, if you dont want the amateurs doping, if you want to see clean racing in the pro tour, stop rewarding guys for the nonsense. I wouldn’t know David Anthony if he walked into me on the street but I can tell you he didn’t come up with using EPO on his own. Make the doping culture stop. Make the dopers disappear. Keep the dopers away from your events.
And yes, to be clear, I am bitter. But not because guys like Floyd (and legions of others) took results and money out of my pocket. I’m bitter because the most common question I still get is what kind of drugs I took when I was racing. Imagine the feeling of making a conscious decision not to go down that path, of winning a pro world championship, 17 national championships, and even the Mengoni race on nothing but bread and water and being doubted.
if you could rank NY VELOCITY hypocrisy + self-righteousness, they’d be beyond PRO…
Or at least like Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, Indurain and el diablo himself, Lance (he strapped George Hincapie down to a gurney and shot him up himself).
When the douchebag dopers like Vaughters, Landis and– three thousand steps down, Jared Bunde– humor these bums, then they’re okie doke, and a “lesson learned.”
Now they’re going to dope test while they city is falling apart around them; way to keep things in ‘perspective.’
Hey Mike,
It was our event, and we chose to have Floyd attend because he decided to come clean. (The full transcript of his interview with Paul Kimmage is on our site, no one else wanted to post the full transcript, but we did. If you think that makes us part of the problem, then I disagree with you).
We support people telling what they know and what they did. We wouldn’t have an event with someone who was caught, but never fessed up.
We should close the comments after Mike Mcarthy’s post. Enough said. Well done Mike.
Just because he came clean doesn’t make it ok. And let’s be frank, the only reason he came clean was because he ran out of everyones “fairness” money and the house of cards he was living in collapsed.
illusion that NY Velocity aren’t “starfuckers,” if you consider evil (on numerous levels) Floyd Landis a “star”?
Waiting for the rehabilitation of Tyler Hamilton next– he’s coaching again yo!!
Bravo Mike. I don’t 100% agree with the first paragraph, but rest of your post is the best thing that has been written on this site since the news broke. Thank you.
Yes, Floyd’s admission was for self preservation, but does that mean we shouldn’t hear what he had to say? Isn’t he helping the sport when he decides to tell all? There are plenty of guys who take a suspension and never volunteer information (and Floyd did volunteer the information when he talked to Kimmage, he wasn’t indicted).
What would you rather have quiet dopers who keep up the omerta or guys who say what they did?
I prefer to know what happened.
I have no problem with him telling his story as he did to Kimmage but you had him headline your event and put him on your poster promoting an event that benefitted junior riders. You celebrated having him there and that’s just wrong.
Bravo to all the guys that have come clean but does that really let them off the hook?
Mike Fraysee
Eddie Borysewicz
Steve Hegg
Rebecca Twigg
Pat McDonough
Leonard Nitz
John Beckman
Mark Whitehead
Brent Emery
René Wenztel
Chris Carmichael
Greg Strock
Tom Weisel
and on, to today
Floyd’s talking. I prefer that over the silence. The roller race was not a celebration of Floyd, he just walked in and had a beer.
Someone has to talk to end the corruption existing in the governance of this sport. Clean riders speculating does nothing.
I applaud Andy and Dan for taking up the simplistic scapegoating which comes from on high.
Floyd is beyond the pale– ZERO credibility about anything but ya’ll bow down to lick his cleats… And why did “confess” again?
But hey, anything to make me look more “pro”– hanging with third-rate domestic U.S. pros and phony contrite dopers alike… Now let’s add drug testing! HELP I’M A NARC!!
taking on, not up.
What should we do with people who have done something wrong and confessed? A stabbing every time we see them? A light stoning? Let me know, Mike, as I need to plan my day.
no point in confessing once you get caught
Man off the street just walks in and has a beer.
Nothing to see here folks.
Anyone wanna buy a poster?
Having Floyd as the sideshow attraction at your event was wrong.
How about inviting Madoff to promote your investment conference?
I happen to think Floyd’s been punished enough. He’s done with cycling, and off the cover of USA Today. What do you do with them Dan? NOTHING. That’s my point.
Floyd won the Tour de France. Have some respect!
“have some respect” for someone who cheated, vehemently denied it, exploited other people financially, and now wants sympathy, or at least a little coin for sharing what really happened.
Cause he won a “bike race”. Y’all nuts.
Your post is kinda confusing. Is your celebration of those individuals meant as sarcasm?
I found my login so I am no longer the user formerly known as Noe Rivnut aka Mike McCarthy
I like Floyd and you don’t. But it was a rad poster. I suppose we won’t be having George Hincapie to any events in the future either…
liked Floyd, Dan you’d offer or point him towards some non-cycling related job training so he could move on with his life in some decent way, if family farming (a laudable occupation) is too strenuous without the use of a ball patch.
re: Hincapie, just wait until his alleged ‘confession’ comes out; one I predict will be highly selective but we still don’t know who leaked the allegation that GH, Levi, CVV and Zabriskie were dopers. It’s hilarious too that even on the juice NONE of these guys could win anything worth a shit, tho’ props to George for being an exemplary super-domsetique.
also, I’ve run 10K races and done the Austin Tuesday nighter with Lance; he was a nice guy to me– what’s that “prove” according to your or CRCA come-back-dopers-all-is-forgiven standad?
I’m celebrating how Vic Fraysee brought in Eddie B, who began a tradition of doping riders, the doping of whom brought down USCF and ironically into the control of the very people who supported Borysewicz, those people still being in control today. Mike is in a unique position. I would hope that with his influence and knowledge, he’s taking on the people at the top with the same vigor as he’s applying to an arguably misguided roller race attended by 40 people, many of whom are his friends. Is that clear enough? If I am mistaken in some aspect of my characterization, I would deeply love to be be better informed.
or merckx. but that’s like wheeling out the half dead. i kind of think he’s a zombie…
It’s not about like or don’t like. It’s about the message you send when you chose to have somebody like that as your feature. And I’m not gonna comment on who your next cycling celebrity should or shouldn’t be. You have good judgement, you seem to be anti-doping, make a good choice.
Yeah, I agree, the poster was a rad copy of the Dark Side of the Moon cover.
Hey Ken. Eddie B never encouraged me to dope in all my years with him. I wasnt a part of the ’84 team but as far as I know, one trip into the (then) gray area doesn’t qualify as a tradition of doping riders.
I read about the Floyd roller races on Cycling news. May have been 40 people there but that event had crazy range on the interwebs.
As far as talking to your juniors, I’d love to.
We should have Eddy B as our next roller race guest?
Mike, happy to take this offline, as I’ve been trying to do.
I was friends with two guys on the ’84 team.
Look at the list. Look who’s sitting with you on that selection committee. I’m going way back so’s not to offend anyone.
The problems aren’t down here at a roller race.
Seriously.
There is no one on your list on the selection committee.
And in any event, what’s your point?
Look at Bane
was what those guys were doing in 84 illigal at the time or were they a little out ahead of the restiction??
Was not illegal in ’84, it was later called unethical and later banned. I was common, open practice in Nordic skiing.]
Edit to say that I still don’t think it was right.
If your position is not to celebrate dopers, I can only hope you are apply the same ethical stance with the same vigor with whatever your influence is at usacycling. IMO, the governance there needs to change, as well as the governance of them, the UCI. Andy and Dan have done so much to inform people about the problems, I simply don’t like seeing them attacked, or my club (your club as well). Have you even asked what we do for juniors? You’re looking at one poster and not what we do. I think you’re going after the wrong people.
Thank you Mike for the clarification – I was really trying to figure out how accurate Harris’ statement of ” Eddie B, who began a tradition of doping riders” was accurate – technically his practice was not “doping” (provided ken is refering to the 84 team which i assume he is by using the phrase “began a tradition of”
Eddie didn’t “dope” people, he was a pioneer in blood transfusions*
*Not Illegal in 1984
Surprised no one has brought up Moser….I enjoyed racing with a legend as much as anyone but he was doped to the gills and freely admits it, no?
Vaughters’ confession is where, Dan? Wanna explain that Mt. Ventoux record for us again, even if 70% of this site’s readers didn’t even have carbon rims then?
Will also be very interesting to see who leaked Vaughters’ alleged testimony; presumably the Feds first time (2011) and maybe Bruyneel this time, just in case people forgot, though the truth re: the “independent” USADA investigation is so murky who the hell knows?
But ooh, Jared Bunde, like Wu Tang, is for the children– pick up Jared, Mengoni calling!
Hilarious Lisban doped to make it to regional sub-elite level but I guess we all have different goals.
Come to think of it, it would be really good for USA cycling and Thom Weisel if Floyd did disappear…
If you pulled your own blood, I can see the twisted logic that it’s not regulated so it’s not illegal, but most of those riders didn’t pull so they bought blood (before an AIDs test in LA in ’84).
Happy to be corrected, but didn’t Eddie hire René? And even if not, the argument I make that national-level team “enhancement” in the modern era begins with Eddie B still stands. He stepped up the game, big time. And it went higher with Chris and René.
So I’m saying we need to extract (of cortisone) ourselves from this tradition, and the tradition of pretending this never happened if you never got caught.
Eddie B. is about as clean as Joe Papp ever was, though only 1/10th as annoying.
change illegal to unethical, and AIDs to HIV.
I assume JV’s confession is with everyone else’s—in the file cabinet of Mr Novitsky
but then is it FDA or USADA?
Also, if the devil Lance is such a long-term conspirator, why did Vaughters’ only (shockingly impressive) performances come with Credit Agricole?
Is it CX season yet?
Hey Dan..one more (or more) thing.
Despite appearances, my original post wasn’t meant to attack you. I think you do a lot for the sport and make me laugh a lot even though I had to unfollow you on twitter cause you flooded my feed during the Tour.
What I am trying to do is provide perspective (or is it PROspective…wait, someone else already ran that line) and share my opinion.
Perspective. I left trails of sweat, and piss, and puke on 9w and other roads around the world. I worked hard and I earned every single win, every jersey, dollar, medal without ever crossing the line into the red zone of doping simply because I never felt it was the right thing for me to do. I had an engine, I got results, and I was content with never being able to win the Tour. (I also never wanted to have to explain to my grandmother why I got caught cheating.)
Please understand though that when I see someone like your poster child being used to promote a cycling event I need to speak up. As much as you might like him, he disgraced the sport that I gave so much of myself and my life to and so… I need to say something. When I see guys like Lisbon, and DA, and, and, and , and, and other barely good local guys doping to live their spring series glory, all I can think about is where that influence came from. It’s a vicious cycle, all I’m asking is that you try to take a look from my perspective.
Is my rant overdue? Totally. Sorry man, maybe I shoulda just sent you an email.
Well, calling me part of the problem is always going to feel a bit “attack-y” to this guy.
It was party. It was a poster. I can’t imagine it inspired anyone to do anything except take aspirin the next morning.
watched LA win his first Tour in 99… Would not now be on this site listening to old wannabes drone on and on about a rather meaninless (in the grand scheme of things) issue….
Cant we go back to reading about fat CJammet’s Cat4 CX domination? Or the Hungry Cyclist – bring back Aaron Wolfe for some sanity.
Sounds like fun, just telling you this is what the rest of saw.
[The event, organised by nyvelocity.com raised close to $1,000 dollars and attracted a number of high profile guests including Floyd Landis, Slipstream Sports owner Doug Ellis and Tour of Battenkill organiser, Dieter Drake.
“It was a fun night for a great cause, and we’re very grateful for Floyd coming out and supporting it, as well as Bobby Lea and all the other racers,†said Andy Shen from nyvelocity.com.]
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/photos/olympic-cyclist-lea-rules-roller-race-in-new-york/198969
So if Floyd hadn’t doped, would he still be high profile? Would you still put him on your poster?
Uh, yeah. He won the tour.
I invited Floyd because I have a thing for Mennonites.
agreed Eddie ain’t no saint nor are the others
i’d say enhancment goes way further back than eddie b
it goes all the way back to really the dawn of man – chewing coaca leaves before ballte – quaffing pints of whisly and rum before ransacking towns – et al.. with the invention of the bicyle – those early tour stages – 6 stages non-stop – coke, morphine, amphadamines (all acceptable mind you)- modern era – la bomba and pot belge – amphedamine injections – then yes, blood tranfusion, epo – on and on to – who knows what – I do think though that we are in a clean(er) period onf pro cycling
With the whole tainted history of tour winners you gotta think the problem is the ‘disgrace’ Landis brings. But not to a roller race. To Colorado Springs. Haldeman was a team player. Landis could learn something from him. Smart man. Until them, badgering his every appearance will have to do. That or a wood chipper.
The other thing is, don’t think dopers don’t work hard. They work harder. It’s the drugs. Hard work is not the standard. No, no.
Honesty is the standard. Or team player. Choices.
landis was weak and stupid
We always donate the proceeds to the juniors. We didn’t mean to be ironic by pairing Floyd with the juniors. But I’m ok with it because…
A huge percentage of riders of that generation doped. While it’s still wrong, that would suggest there’s some institutionalized corruption at work. Floyd is arguably doing more to battle that corruption than any other former rider, and he does it in totally hilarious ways. Granted, Floyd’s path to Jesus has been pretty ugly, but he’s the best we’ve got.
Mennonites. pasty white chicks. oy
I too thought it a disgrace that floyd was poster boy for a junior fundraising event.
You cant mock and bash dopers like him or lance then invite em over for beers. Your credibility goes in the crapper and makes you look like you pandered to the celebrity of some guy who wore yellow in paris.
Sorry but you dont get to sit on both sides of the fence and pick and choose. Well, then again you can, but the hypocrisy tends to lend an unsavory smell.
Did Lance confess and name names to Kimmage and I missed it somehow?
I’d say that if Lance confessed and came clean, we’d invite him to a roller race, but that’d be untrue, because he doesn’t seem like fun to party with.
About the only rider with any credibility is Floyd since he’s one of the few to speak up against doping. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. Hats off to Floyd and this site!
You guys should just get Ferrari and Fuentes for your next event.
Imagine the possibilities. It’ll be great inspiration for all the local guys on the fence about doping and you know, for the kids so the message is crystal clear.
Wow, and you could really knock people out with a rad poster knocking off the Hall and Oates Private Eyes album cover too!!!
c’mon Schmalz..Lance would be a blast to party with, at least the babes he hangs out with. Or are you on the other team?
That’s some rainbow stripe level comedy there.
McCarthy sure didn’t win any national championships for reading comprehension. How do you debate this guy? You have to choose one of the multiple personalities first. Do I debate Stupid or Ingratiating?
Lance likes to party.
Yo comedy central! Reading comprehension, what? I don’t get it.
Actually, in all seriousness, there is a reading comprehension component to winning both nationals and worlds. They give you a book, it tells you what drugs you’re not allowed to take and when the race is over you get to take a test. Anyone know what the test is called???
Is this website the problem, or is it someone like Tom Weisel? I wonder who’s in Weisel’s pocket?
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-mccarthy/12/51a/60b?_mSplash=1
Wait now I’m supposed to not like Mike? Holy shit, this place may have jumped the shark.
I so confused now. Do i take the red pill or the blue pill.
1st: ANdy and Dan are not responsible for what DA put on his body, none wants to go thru what they are going thru right now.
Like DA there are a lot of people obviosuly suspected and there is no no way to acuse or mention it. Also a lot of people accused of being in to some sort of PED and they are not.
2nd: I knoe kids that want to keep the sport clean, but going up there is a doping culture waiting for them. even veterans are always tented to get theyr shpe in order.
Solutions: We all know someone down the line will tell you or mention PED, to avoid this Juniors should know how to avoid it. The Landys interview of Kimmage is amazing and shows another view of the event and the How to fall in to PED.
Everyone is responsible for what happends, the one who knos and dont tell, the one who celebrate the winnning of a suspect and one who use it. let’s just promote NO PED”
nancy fucking raygun
That might be the most illiterate post in the history of this site.
do you people know what proof reading is or are you typing with f#$king peanut butter on your hands?
I always liked him and was really devastated when he tested positive in the tour after his amazing break away stage win. Then to blame it all on shots of JD the night before or some shit…
He took money from many to support his innocence (ala Hamilton…) and then only confessed after he had nothing to lose and could actually profit from his honesty. I often wonder if Landis would have been so open about his drug use and days on Posal if he had never been popped or if he won his case at arbitration… We will never know. I ejoyed reading his insight into the whole doping world and postal but feel that is was a bit too convenient on his part in terms of timing…
U’d thnk tht f U cn’t B prt of teh soulusion U woodnut get in teh fazes of thm trying 2.
Pretty ironic that Dan and Andy were getting roasted by a guy (albeit a multi-world cycling champion) who works as a Director for Oppenheimer Co. Talk about an industry and Co. drenched in fraud and corruption! They got off easy from MA auction rate fraud and paid <50 million not sure how many settlements with other states were made...
I really liked MMc before his posts here. Didn't know he was a POSTER child for Omerta.
Not ironic at all, everyone is brilliant on this site until shit hits the fan then you get your typical deer in headlight routine. I guess Andy and Dan are the sacrificial deer for this calamity.
Het Mike McC, back in the day, if you were clean and you saw all the doping around you, how come you never talked? I’m not just talking about when Eddie B boosted the team against the orders of the USOC, I’m talking about everything that went on in cycling at the end of your career.
If you didn’t say anything back then, YOU were part of the problem.