Whatever – Rick Crawford

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You know, nothing really surprises me much anymore concerning doping in the sport of bicycle racing. This Rick Crawford thing isn’t a surprise at all. It was so apparent. It stunk so long ago that it doesn’t smell all that bad now.

Rick Crawford isn’t a bad guy. Whenever I’ve run into him, he is super nice, super friendly, a real hard worker. But, that doesn’t offset the issue that he supplied drugs to guys to race bicycles. Plus, he sat on that information until he got busted, thru testimony, from USADA.

Racing bicycles and taking drugs to do so is one thing, but supplying drugs to the athletes that you train is something completely different. There are no peer pressures there. You’re just not trying to keep up with the other guys that are taking drugs. You’re in it for notoriety and money. Can’t be for any other reason. So, he’s a complete asshole, in my opinion, and shouldn’t be allowed to do anything in the sport ever again. Sorry, but there are plenty of knowledgeable people out there that can help our young riders progress, but Rick Crawford shouldn’t be one of them. He had his chance and threw his chip in. When it comes down to it, Rick Crawford is/was/whatever, a drug dealer.

I find it very hard to believe, nearly impossible, that Levi and Kirk O’bee are the only athletes that Rick supplied EPO to. Obviously, he didn’t have any problem or moral issues with supplying drugs to those athletes, so I don’t understand why it would stop at just two out of ?????, maybe 100’s? Isn’t it so convenient that Rick would “come out and volunteer” the names of two athletes that he helped dope. Levi, the guy that probably ratted him out to USADA, and Kirk O’bee, a rider that has already been suspended for life. He probably should have thrown in Phillip Zajicek, Nathan O’Neil, or even Dewey, to add credibility.

I personally know a lot of guys that Rick has coached. So now, even to me, their names and results seem much more suspect than they did before. They can all thank their “coach” for that. But, in reality, all our results are suspect. It is one of the very bad by-products of this whole doping issue.

I’ve already written about Tom Danielson. Rick was the guy at Fort Lewis when Tom rose to stardom. I know that Rick swears he had nothing to do with Tom. I know Tom confessed, and it is to no ones benefit here, to have Tom’s and Rick’s testimony to clash. Even USADA doesn’t want that. But, come on, seems pretty coincidental. Maybe it’s not related at all, but it seems screwy.

Anyway, Colorado Mesa U is sending a very bad message keeping Rick around. Hopefully, USAC will step in and give Rick a nudge towards the exit. Maybe, legally, the statue of limitations have expired for any sanction by our sport, or legally, but I’m sure that the head guys at our governing body have enough pull to help set a standard here of no tolerance. Especially by the guys/coaches supplying drugs to the athletes.

Here’s a post Rick made on Facebook a few days ago. It is such a shame he didn’t act previously like he is talking now.

Interesting that no one is talking about what happens to a young American rider going to Astana, a team rife with lots of sketchy history w/ Vino and Bruyneel etc. Do we want our young riders on this path… NO! Evan should be in college still, maturing, learning, developing a wisdom base, and racing. This fast track has been the doom of many a prodigy. And we need to examine the entire devo system. There is a fine collegiate cycling establishment… it’s clear to me this is the future. It’s more important to develop good educated citizens than to put our young people in lucrative contracts before they are mature enough to make good decisions with absolutely no safety net. I’m sure Evan is super ambitious, scared, and excited… he’s in the frying pan now. This development path needs to be more structured with the well-being of our youth in mind, rather than the tool of a corporation and/or corrupt gov sponsored team.

Rick hangin’ out.

23 thoughts on “Whatever – Rick Crawford”

  1. devin

    I don’t like it one bit,, as I prepare to send off a child to race at the college level I like to think that the programs are teaching them and showing them the path to clean cycling. I feel sorry for all those that came up through the ranks and were tainted by the people shaping their minds,, and goals,,

     
  2. Steve Hill

    It’s interesting that we still use terms like “ratted,” when discussing someone who provides testimony on doping in sport. Especially since we’re trying to get people to tell the whole truth.

    It would probably be good if we stopped calling them rats if we want them to do so.

    Just sayin’

     
  3. Steve Hill

    To be clear: I’m not trying to single you out, Steve, or say you did this out of spite. I’ve used the word myself. The interesting bit is our (from childhood?) bias against “telling on someone,” and how it manifests itself in mature adults.

     
  4. Bernd Faust

    A cyclist, for that matter any person competing in any sport, who takes drugs is a wicked coward, God save his soul! A person who deals with a guy who sells drugs is also a coward; you don’t deal with a drugdealer, you bit the shit out of him so he can’t do harm to another kid……

     
  5. Rad Renner

    The irony here is that if Rick Crawford were Prof. Richard Crawford and had committed plagiarism instead of merely committing a crime by illegally trafficking controlled substances, then he would have been summarily fired by Colorado Mesa University. So remember, kids, plagiarism is worse than doping. Way to “keep it reals”, CMU.

     
  6. Roberto

    I have a lot of mixed emotions on what you’re saying. I would be willing to bet, he hasn’t supplied drugs to anyone, in quite some time. And that’s the main reason I think the word ratted, probably fits. I think cycling should be clean, and looking at the numbers, for the most part, it may very well be. Dredging up the past, is a very bad idea. Because of Travis Tygart’s arrogance, look how many sponsors are leaving the sport. How many kids won’t get to race Pro, because of his zeal to get Armstrong. Why can’t we leave the past in the past, call it the doping era, and just effing move on. I don’t believe for one second, that these guys are coming forward to clear their conscience. They’re just doing it to point fingers, and sell books. If Rick is training his cyclists properly, and not giving them drugs. Why should we go out of our way to destroy his life. That’s why there is a statute of limitations. It’s really sad, that you like to see people ruined.

     
  8. chuck martel

    His statement is crap. Tying athletics to a college education is nuts. If a person is attending college primarily to play football or baseball or road race they’re taking a spot from a person that actually wants and needs an education rather than a sports sponsor. It’ll be a good thing when insurance companies refuse to cover head injuries in high school football, which then disappears, followed by the college game. Cycling and other sports should be organized through community organizations like park boards and sponsored by the riders themselves, their parents and interested local businesses. There’s no reason college students can’t continue to race, just let them race for somebody beside the college.

     
  9. missylynn

    This blog or any other blog or news website for that matter is not ruining anyone….they did it to themselves….

     
  11. Bernd Faust

    thats the wy it is done in Europe, all sports concerning. Soccer of course is supremely the front runner, which is nearly getting out of hand…… But on this side of the pond, collegesports i.p. the big ones football, basketball generate so much $$$$. this culture will not change soon. I am no insider and have little knowledge but i assume that minoritysports are just a small leg of it and would have to seriously start the european model. on their own. Over there it was always private Clubs.
    A small cyclingteam (amateur) is often a part of an athletic club, possibly with soccer as the #1..etc..
    Mit freundlichen Gruessen

     
  13. Tom

    ” Obviously, he didn’t have any problem or moral issues with supplying drugs to those athletes, ”

    Proof?

    You’ve never done anything that you later regretted?

     
  14. Dear Wiggo

    IMO, Travis Tygart is the reason any of the sponsors are staying in the sport. And if the good work of USADA continues around the world, will be the catalyst for an increase in sponsorship, as people stop doping and sponsors realise the other sports in contrast are as dirty as an unwashed thing.

     
  15. tina

    Rick was my coach for many collegiate nationals while I raced for Fort Lewis, having won a title myself in 2005. Rick NEVER approached me or any of my collegiate teammates, or even hinted about taking performance enhancing drugs. His family was my family away from home and he treated his entire team as family. He got caught up in something bad, but he’s still a good guy. He was the most motivating coach and got me back into cycling after some difficult times. Tina

     
  16. nancy

    Hey Tina,

    I am not judging you but I tried to understand why you support your former coach. Distributing FDA drugs as EPO without prescription is a criminal act in the country and it can be punished as jail sentence. It is a serious thing and it should not only be considered as a doping act. It is similar case to Joe Papp and I think a few will say that he is a good guy.

    During my short cycling experience, I always found someone in the local community to help me in a such a way that I could progress and achieved my goal. None of them were as qualified as Rick Crawford, but the people that I met are very passionate about the sport and ready to give their best to help in general. There is plenty of good coach everywhere in the country, just open your eyes. BTW, if you can’t motivate yourself to ride, you should probably go to your class or work instead because you will need your diploma later. And choosing your college because of athletics is stupid anyway and the student priority should be their class and not sports.

     
  17. Michael Dow

    I think that if you actually HAVE a conscience, you will be much more likely to understand and appreciate the reason why others feel the need to clear their own.

     
  19. Roberto

    You people are all so judgemental. I guess this is what happens, when religion goes away, and everyone forgets “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone” Do you people ever stop to listen to yourselves. The same people who scream, when someone gives the excuse, everyone was doing it. Are the people saying to make pot legal, because everyone’s doing it anyway. You people just want to hate someone.

     
  22. The Cyclist

    If cyclists stop doping the average speed of the TdF will go down to 30 km/h and no one will want to watch it anymore.

     
  23. Dear Wiggo

    The Cyclist:
    >If cyclists stop doping the average speed of the TdF will go
    >down to 30 km/h and no one will want to watch it anymore.

    Hi Hein. Your influence and corruption in the sport of cycling is well known now. Please fuck off.

     

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