Originally Posted by
Doge
I don't, but I still think he won 7 tours. I still think he was the greatest TdF rider of all time. The great Eddy was sanctioned 2 (or 3 I forget) times. Pogacar (and Lance) have not been sanctioned once by anything the officials found.
I'm a leave it on the field kinda guy. In a sport much larger than cycling, Diego Maradona handled the ball to score against England and win that World Cup game. Later (20 years or so) - he admitted it. But the score stood, because, at the time those who officiated the event decided Argentina won. There are still tainted blood samples from the '84 Olympics. Someone cheated and likely has a Gold. I'm a bit so-what about that.
If in 20 years if Pog admits he doped, I'd still give him the credit for two TdF wins.
But I don't think he is doping.
This and your next post are spot on how I feel about it also.
To add my personal feels on the issue, anytime it's an American suspected of doping.........the claws come out. International star? Nah, they're still a legend. Guy dies doped up climbing Ventoux. Statue, that folks stop and pay tribute at. Guy dies doing coke that was a known doper........legend, halfway apologetic Netflix doc.
I hear all the time about "but that was the culture when Simpson died" or "when Pantani died". Oh, and it WASN'T the culture when Lance did it? Righhhhhhttt. Americans were whooping a$% in the euro dominated sport with the panache of typical GOATs of more localized American sports.......ala Jordan. And it drove people nuts.
Thing is, when American centric sports have athletes go positive.....nobody cares. Because we aren't "beating" other countries at "their" sport. Bonds, Sosa, McGuire......et. al. Shoot, even if Jordan came out and said he doped.
Then there's the whole fact that the GOATs of many sports have been pretty unapologetic about being ruthless in their pursuits. Anybody watch the Jordan docuseries? Shoot, I think Jordan and Lance mentality isn't that far separated.
I think, for now, that Pog has called people's bluff on the marginal gains team tactics of the Sky era by daring them to break their plan to chase or risk losing out sitting in. And they lose out sitting in.
Generally, world wide........we need to stop assuming a few things:
-that our heroes are all clean as a whistle role models for kids
-that everyone else's heroes are dirty
-that we aren't at the end of the day seeing entertainment and money driving things