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myshkin

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Steven de Jongh has left his post as sporting director at Team Sky after admitting to using performance enhancing drugs during his career.

Matt Slater, the BBC reporter raises the main point, I think:

The team deserves praise for responding so firmly to the Lance Armstrong affair by reaffirming its zero tolerance approach on anybody associated with doping, but De Jongh is now the fifth man to leave the team under this cloud in recent weeks, and the third as part of the formal re-interview process. Questions are being asked about how serious that zero tolerance approach has been for the last few seasons.
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Of course, we all now KNOW guys like Michael Barry, Steven de Jongh, Bobby Julich, Leinders and Sean Yates had skeletons in their bike bags.

But can we really say we KNEW this then?

barry could maybe have been credibly given the benefit of the doubt but none of the rest of them.

i'm still to see a brailsford face a tough line of questioning about things like leinders' relationship with rasmussen or julich's 98 tour podium and how these factors effected his decision to employ them on his clean team.

looking forward cavendish has joined OPQS who have their own dirty doctor in jose ibarguren and who were very much the team sky of the spring. will there be any press scrutiny of his new arrangements? cavendish was in the times the other day saying he thinks the sport has been clean during his career, another one who realises that perception is more important than reality.

Edited by T_S_A_R
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Paul Kimmage has raised a criminal complaint against the UCI, McQuad and Verbruggan for allowing doping and money to be made by doped cyclists.

He said on Twitter

Paul Kimmage @PaulKimmage 2h

I have lodged a criminal complaint against Hein Verbruggen and Pat McQuaid. I have initiated these proceedings not for myself - this is...

...not about Paul Kimmage, but on behalf of the whistle blowers - Stephen Swart, Frankie Andreu, Floyd Landis, Christophe Bassons...

...Nicolas Aubier, Gilles Delion, Graeme Obree and every other cyclist who stood up for truth and the sport they loved and were dismissed...

...as "cowards" and "scumbags" by Verbruggen and McQuaid.

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notice obree but no boardman.

british hero chris who competed in the epo free for all era. we've not heard much from him recently.

Was he not part of British Cycling's "Team Squirrell" or whatever they were calling it? Have they got a Skyesque doping policy?

I always liked how he said Obree would never be able to attempt the 1hr record twice in 24 hrs.

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Was he not part of British Cycling's "Team Squirrell" or whatever they were calling it? Have they got a Skyesque doping policy?

I always liked how he said Obree would never be able to attempt the 1hr record twice in 24 hrs.

The Secret Squirrel club aren't a team. They design and build bikes. So unless inanimate objects can take EPO, they probably aren't doing drugs.

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The Secret Squirrel club aren't a team. They design and build bikes. So unless inanimate objects can take EPO, they probably aren't doing drugs.

Whether or not they have taken drugs in the past is the whole point, & getting them to sign, or resign, has forced a handful out of Sky.

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Sky are now faced with the issue Brailsford himself highlighted in the past - the need to overlook certain people's past (he used the example of a 45 year old DS) in order to provide an experienced support staff to riders - where do they find them now?

Edited by Jim Leighton
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Brailsford really painted himself into a corner with all those anti-doping declarations when the team started. I can kinda understand where he was coming from, because the team had to be seen as massively anti-doping to be at all successful in the UK. However, if he didn't see this day coming, then he's incredibly naive.

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The first of many?

The International Cycling Union (UCI) are being sued by a sponsor for a "total loss of confidence in professional cycling by the public".

Skins, a sports clothing manufacturer, has sponsored world cycling for five years and chairman Jaimie Fuller said: "The events of the last several months have made it abundantly clear that world cycling has not been the sport the general public and the corporate partners thought it was.

"Consequently, as chairman of a company that has made a significant financial and emotional investment, I am acting in order to send a message to the UCI and its senior office bearers that gross mismanagement and betrayal of trust is completely unacceptable."

He added: "In fact, Mr McQuaid and Mr Verbruggen refused to even acknowledge that the problem was so entrenched until Usada forced them into submission.

"In short, we say that the UCI, Mr McQuaid and Mr Verbruggen have failed us, the sport and the public who love cycling."

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Shows how much the UCI had it in for him, they banned his riding position, aye TWICE!

to be fair i agree with that.

fig_7a8a9.jpg

that a ridiculous bastadizartion of a bicycle. the uci should also force all trackies to use the same bikes and equipment in competition.

Edited by T_S_A_R
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to be fair i agree with that.

fig_7a8a9.jpg

that a ridiculous bastadizartion of a bicycle. the uci should also force all trackies to use the same bikes and equipment in competition.

Well they obviously are all UCI approved before they can be used in competition. But different countries have different sponsors.

Same with road cycling teams e.g. Team Sky use Pinarello, Garmin use Cervelo, Europcar use Colnago etc.

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