an absolutely extraordinary statement from the race director of the world’s best stage race, Michele Acquarone, in response to the news of Santambrogio’s positive test that emerged like yet another flying bullet in the hide of pro cycling.
“Of course I’m not happy, but I’m not even surprised,” Acquarone said. “We all knew.”
We all knew.
is that a change in the current of the oceans i felt just then? did the earth move for you too?
other riders have said that the rumors that attached themselves to the displays in form by Santa’s Little Helper and by Danilo ‘The Fluffer’ Di Luca were the talk of Giro Town in the first week.
which brings us to a question, one directly pertaining to my post earlier this week about doping on the Asian scene: at what point is it justified for riders to approach officials and to say ‘this guy is suspicious’?
it is interesting to note that inside the peloton – and in pelotons i’ve been in – riders openly speculate as to who might be doping. it’s not really a game of point the finger – in most cases there is a general agreement that yes, this guy’s power is unnatural. same in the ProTour peloton too, it appears. and when the director of the race is also going ‘hmmmmmmmmm!’ then, we are in one heck of a situation.
it’s another notch on the signpost, the one reading ‘Let Down By The UCWHY’. they can sit back and hail the Bio Passport a success, but with Armstrong going clear for so long and with riders still performing above their station, and, unlike the aforementioned Dopes, getting away with it, there are still more questions than answers out there.
think that it was just Di Luca and Santambrogio that the peloton thought were juiced? i very much doubt it.
The Big Mac yesterday sent out a harpoon in the direction of Cookson, his newest challenger to the UCI presidency. if only he was a timely in addressing the real challenge to the sport that is still eating away at its insides, he might have more support. if only the rules were in place to get rid of riders forever for a 2nd positive. and if only we could believe that riders could just ride, safe in the knowledge that the authorities were truly doing all they can to catch these cheats, and let everyone do the job they are paid to do.
if only.
Well, as with the Asia UCI story, they need proof. Or teams internally should take actions, either by quitting (Scinto should’ve, but then again, its a job, it pays, you swallow a lot of shit for a desk job, i can hardly imagine what a sporting director job means), or by going public and saying “I don’t fucking want that guy on my team, but the boss made me do it.” (which wouldn’t help the team morale anyway).
Luis Leon Sanchez just sat out 6 months cause he was suspiciously linked with some doping affair, nothing proven so far, he returned.
The righteous path is not the one people usually take (we are mostly hypocrites :D), and in some cases it might even turn out to be not so righteous.
There appears to be a changing, at least in the public sphere with people (pro’s) being vocal via social media, breaking the doping omerta. My only hope is that this is what they really think, rather then doing what they know the public wants of them…
yeah, we will really never know, will we? unless they post online all their values for the whole year.