“It was in periods, usually periods of training in preparation for competitions. I have always ridden the Tour clean.” How about that for an honest admission? This was Michael Boogerd’s statement according to this article over at Cyclingnews.com. He admits using different doping products for 11 years of his 14 year career, but states that he never doped at the Tour de France.
Man, did he make a big mistake. Why would you dope and then not dope for the biggest race of the season? What a dope! This is nearly as believable as Levi’s timeline for drug usage. I believe Michael finished in the top 20 of the Tour, 6 times, with his highest finish of 5th. Just think how good he might of done if he would of been on even footing with the other 180 riders in the race, each year, that were taking drugs? If he only had another chance.
The more all these guys “confess” one by one, it makes me want that truth and reconciliation commission, or whatever, come true. Because, so far, they are all lying out their asses and it seems so stupid. As far as I can tell, only Michael Rasmussen completely fessed up. He said he took nearly everything available for his whole career. That was believable. That was the truth, I raced against him, there is no doubt.
So, one more, bares all and comes clean. After adamantly denying it forever. Remember when the Festina Doping thing happened back in 1998? They took the whole Festina Team to jail and questioned everyone. Laurent Dufaux, who was on that team, washed my bike when I spent a season racing cross in Switzerland. He was just a teenager then. Anyway, he and the other Swiss rider, Alex Zülle, hardly spent anytime in jail. When asked about whether they took EPO, they said, “Yes, everyone does”, then signed a document and left. I think the suspension back then was maybe 3 months max. Laurent went onto finishing 4th in the 1999 Tour the next year.
I wish that more of these guys that get caught would just go the way of Dufaux, Zülle, or even Thomas Frei, another Swiss guy positive, a few years ago. (Man, those Swiss mothers must teach their children it isn’t good to lie when caught.) I don’t think there is a good enough excuse now. No matter what it is. Let’s just get everything out on the table and then forget about it all once and for all.
When asked, he completely denied rumors about sacrificing animals.
Laurent Dafaux — does “dafaux” mean “the false” in Swiss German? — should still be washing your bike.
I wonder if this was just a translation mistake on the part of Cycling News? Looking at the VeloNews’ story coming from the AFP, Boogerd’s comment is a bit different:
“It was for periods, mostly during training, in preparation for competitions. I also rode the Tour de France often enough clean,” Boogerd told NOS.
Hey Steve,
Love your blog and been reading it for some time now.
First off, I just want to thank you for taking the time to come out and watch the races this weekend. I personally think it says a ton about you that even though you are working through your injury at this time that you didn’t just disappear from the racing scene. I think it means a lot to everyone out there when you show up and it also shows your level of commitment to seeing cycling grow. I sure hope your schedule allows you to continue to be a presence out there.
Just a quick comment on this doping issue for you which I am sure you have already thought of, but I was sitting around rather disturbed at the statements each confessing rider has made in regards to when they all say they quit and how they all seem to have the same story and then it hit me, these jokers aren’t being honest at all. Seriously, their data and the time frames these guys are racing at don’t line up with their confession that almost every single rider just seemed to randomly stop doping at the very same time until I came across the time line for the statute of limitations at which point it all made sense!
I suppose we will never get to the real truth which is sad for cycling and sad for them. It’s unfortunately gotten quite comical at this point, don’t you think?
You know what the real shame is at least in my opinion is all the natural talent that refused to dope that ended up being shunned from the sport or just got to a point that they just couldn’t stay with their dream. These guys tore themselves inside out riding with cheats that seem to care less about what others had happened to them based on their cheating.
I personally don’t believe for a second that the UCI is clueless or held harmless in any of it. They remind me of baseball owners really. They (baseball owners) knew and condoned the use of steroids, why? Because it was selling tickets and lots of them. The crazy part now is you never hear any of their names brought up, and not even by the players (unless its behind closed doors), which is amazing if you think about it. Perhaps it has something to do with pensions?
Anyway, my point is that the hematocrit level was set long ago and they (UCI) from my point of view made a simple declaration to every racer of just don’t cross the line and we won’t call you a doper, thus resulting in almost every team (and a huge majority of riders) believing they are clean or riding within the allowable while at the same time actually convincing themselves that its all good. I guess what I am saying is it’s hard to believe the UCI is clueless and are shocked at what’s going on.
The result just happens to be mirroring baseball doesn’t it? Denial, denial, disappear for a time, admit to a little, admit to a lot, but with the excuse that none-the-less it should be ok because it was all done a long time ago, meaning not in the last 7 years so they’re not guilty at least not anymore.
Then we see the guys who use the entire issue as a way to make money by writing books about it. Each stating they were either the special ones who never did it (at least for now- Take Piazza’s story; however, my buddy who played with him told me he watched him do it right there in the locker room.), or they are going to come clean with a “tell all book”. It’s gotten totally ridiculous.
Don’t you think that if they were really sincere, then they would give every dollar they profit back to cycling (or baseball)? Maybe its time cycling finally has a change in leadership and we begin to take real steps or make a real effort to clean it up.
Just thought I would share my thoughts with you.
it will never end.
Closer to the U.S. a good follow-up story on Tammy Thomas and USA Cycling’s role in hiding her doping.
Thomas says she fell victim to sustained sexual abuse at the hands of her coaches, one of whom introduced her to performance-enhancing drugs, while USA Cycling and the U.S. Olympic Committee ignored and even encouraged the pattern.
USA cycling protecting/enabling doping. No kidding. Hey, Marty Nothstein, it’s time to tell the whole doping story. And still, no crime committed while Thom and Co. poison another generation of riders.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/2013/03/01/doping-scandal-haunts-tammy-thomas/1958053/
Im still unclear how people who doped 20 years ago will affect the current crowd of dopers. Its still hush hush if you want to have a job in cycling. Boogerd doped. Who cares, and who would not suspect it?
Rabo was always present at Amstel? Keep those sponsors happy under the guise of moral.
Wait, Tammy Thomas used PEDs? Are you sure, it’s hard to tell:
http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=17299&stc=1&d=1206736698