Dubbayoo

It worked out okay for Robin Hood.

That's why I say the fight against doping should be about rider health, not fairness. At least with the 50% hematocrit limit people have stopped dying in their sleep (I think). Maybe they should lower the limit to 48% and call it a day. I don't think anyone is going to keel over from microdosing.

VT Biker

I can see it now. DiLuca and 5 other riders all wait by the finish line, just waiting for that time threshold to cross. Then, immediately, they all try to to a 1 inch sprint to the line.

VT Biker

[QUOTE=Dial_tone]It worked out okay for Robin Hood.

While both did wear tights, the fact that Robin also had a feather in his cap gives him the pass.

bmike

And he did have a woman involved... not just a sport shoe contract.

KramerTC

This seems like the only logical outcome at this point. Finally! Doctors, and directors are coming out.

bodaciousguy

"I think the riders (and athletes in general) would be happy to stop doping if there a way to identify that other riders were staying clean."

I never thought of it that way. You could actually put some of the blame on testing because they are not doing a good enough job.

erader

"It's possible that I'm not a hero anymore," he said. "I'm sorry if I've disappointed people. And for those for whom I was a hero, I'm sorry. They'll have to find new heroes now."

it takes a real champ to come clean and we all know the only tour winner not to dope was greg lemond .

bjarne riis -- aka "Mr. 61% -- was still the best and those that couldn't follow were doping too.

ALL HAIL BJARNE RIIS!!

ed rader

botto 

agreed.

Enthalpic

Sure blame the chemists. We have to work in the real world where many times the chemist/instrument can detect the compound but yet we cannot meet the statistical burden and have to accept the null. Furthermore, many of the doping agents are endogenous and highly variable so the “normal” range is large enough to drive a truck through.

El Diablo Rojo

If said champ comes clean before he gets caught. Riis knew he'd be outed sooner than later, this was damage control not something to be commended. He would have taken his dirty little secret to the grave if he had thought that he could have kept it hidden. Real champ my arse.

rufvelo

Agreed. I'm trying to recall one name, anyone, who willingly admitted to doping AND had everything to lose AND would never have been caught - ever!

erader

do you have ANY EXAMPLES of this ever happening ?

ed rader

roadgator

at least he isn't denying to the bitter end like some other riders (hamilton, ullrich etc) he saw the writing on the wall, and gave a complete admission before he ended up getting sanctioned. and he very well may have never got sanctioned considering this was a decade ago. what could the doping boards do now?

and this wasn't some half assed "i was only preparing to dope" or "i only did it for a week". he said "i did it for 5 years and you can have my yellow jersey"

its not really news in that everyone already knew the peleton was doped to the gills during the 90's, but at least it lifts the secrecy. and to that i say bravo.

Now he just has to live up to the talk and enforce a strict anti-doping program at CSC.

El Diablo Rojo

Nope and that's my point. Everyone always talks about how David Millar came clean...well he only admitted to doping after he was caught...not exactly the most honorable way to come clean. He wasn't much better than the rest with his constant denials during the investigation into doping within Cofidas. Bottom line they all live in denial, acting as if they have never crossed the line and sure that they won't get caught. This is why I believe that the UCI should offer a one time amnesty to any rider who steps forward, admits doping and tells who provided them with the products. I think the last part is very important, I don't want to hear these guys come forward and say, "Yes I doped but I never saw anyone else dope and I got my drugs from the highschool kid down the street". I agree with VT that if you confess and are given this one time get out of jail free card, the next offense is a lifetime ban from competition.

botto 

Maybe I'm just too understanding, but IMO Zabel didn't have to go to Germany, and confess. Fingers weren't being pointed at him.

The fact that he went, and sat alongside, and confessed with Aldag shows a level of class that you don't see very much in the pro peloton.

El Diablo Rojo

Look I'm huge fan of Zabel, but he didn't just come out of the big blue sky and confess. He knew, just like Riis, that he would eventually be implicated in the growing Telekom scandal. It was damage control plain and simple. Get your message out first and control the spin.

You are correct that Zabel could have taken the same route as most and denied, denied, denied. With his reputation he probably would have been believed by the majority of cycling fans. Still had he come out after Puerto and said, "For the sake of my sport I am coming forward with my doping" that would have taken guts and he'd be a hero for it.

Lithuania

EDR,

at this point could anyone come out and not look like they were admitting it because they would inevitably be caught anyway?

I would think a lot of people are pretty nervous at being outed at this point.

El Diablo Rojo

I think that are several big names that could come clean for the sake of the sport and be considered hero's. There are hundreds of lesser names that could do the same. If someone like Boonen or Oscar Freire just stood up and admitted to doping it would be huge. My point is that nobody except Jasper Skibby and a few others have admitted to doping with out first being implicated.

DogBoy

Riis' admission is not brave. He has nothing to lose. I personally think he should be barred from a pro-tour team for 4 years just like riders that are caught. Maybe drop it to 2 years since he admitted it. It takes no guts to admit to something with no consequenses. For example. I admit it...when I was 7 years old and my mother couldn't find that $20 bill, its because I snagged it off the dresser. Had I admitted it then there would be some serious hiney burn to deal with, but now...who cares?

Snicklefritz

rufvelo

Absolutely. Ban Riis for 4 yrs from running a pro team. So the deterrent is you can't get away today, or even 10 years later when if your not actively competing, you can't be intimately connected to the sport.

rufvelo

+1.

I would have a lot more respect for him had he done that. This was just a question of time when the truth would come out - a few former teammates probably also picked up the phone to ask for his 'support' and he knew the outcome if he didn't oblige.

roadgator

my point is that, at any time an admission is better than a denial. perhaps the circumstances make this particular admission less than noble, but its pretty refreshing to hear any cyclist say "i did it"

Trouduc

Absolutely. Cycling has reached the point where actually admitting that there is a problem is a good thing.
I'm just waiting for the three musketeers of U.S. cycling to come to terms with their cheating ways....

erader

i hear you and to sanction a guy this long after the fact -- which is not possible from what i understand -- will guarantee that no one else will admit to doping.

ed rader