I was sitting in the BMW dealership negotiating my new car purchase with fellow cyclist and car salesman Mike Shaddock, when Mike went to discuss the deal with his manager.
While waiting for him to return, I started surfing on my iPhone and went to the Cycling News website. Where I found the following article. Which I thought was a bit odd. While Argentin is railing about individuality, lack of panache, specialization and cycling as a business, it is with the overlay of the Contador controversy of being positive for Clenbuterol. So, it made me pause and think about Argentin, wasn't he part of the original and infamous Gewiss team? See the following story from CN.
Former world champion describes riders as spineless
While waiting for him to return, I started surfing on my iPhone and went to the Cycling News website. Where I found the following article. Which I thought was a bit odd. While Argentin is railing about individuality, lack of panache, specialization and cycling as a business, it is with the overlay of the Contador controversy of being positive for Clenbuterol. So, it made me pause and think about Argentin, wasn't he part of the original and infamous Gewiss team? See the following story from CN.
Former world champion describes riders as spineless
Former world champion and classics winner Moreno Argentin has blasted the UCI, modern day riders and especially Alberto Contador for their lack of character, describing them as spineless and soft. He blasts the UCI for running a fake form of democracy, suggesting they are only interested in turning the sport into a business.
Argentin won the world title in Colorado Springs in 1986 and is still the most successful Italian rider in Belgium classics thanks to winning a Tour of Flanders, four editions of Liege-Bastogne-Liege and three editions of Fleche Wallonne.
He raced for 14 years between 1981 and 1994, retiring after wearing the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia for two days.
He was part of the dominant Gewiss team in that final year that also included Giro winner Evgeni Berzin and Milan-San Remo winner Giorgio Furlan. They completed the podium with Argentin at Fleche Wallonne in 1994 after breaking away from the peloton together.
Argentin has never been afraid to speak about his close relationship with Dr Michele Ferrari in the final part of his career and has defended the Italian doctor’s methods and links to Lance Armstrong.
“I have to thank my parents that I was born when I was. I was born hungry. Now the guys seem soft without any character,” Argentin toldGazzetta dello Sport.
“A lot of people aren’t hungry for success and they’ve already earned a lot since they were a junior. I suppose things have changed and it’s a different generation that already has everything. That’s why when I watch races there seems to be a total lack of emotion. There aren’t any riders that get you excited these days.”
“Contador is a carefully calculated racing machine, made in a laboratory for one race: the Tour. It doesn’t seem to matter if he’s got personality or not. He and Schleck are the same. You know how they’re going to race; you know where to wait for them to do something. They haven’t got any originality.”
“Indurain dominated the grand tours in my time but I beat him at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. And he also rode Milan-San Remo because he understood the history of the sport. Now the riders are all robots. Punctures and crashes are part of the sport. But with radios the riders seem to be controlled by a joystick. The whole sport is in a mess.”
A fake form of democracy
Argentin initially stayed in cycling when he retired but now owns a successful construction company in the northeast of Italy. He hopes to build a velodrome and training centre in the Dolomites.
“I’m happy not to be involved in cycling anymore. These days if you don’t accept things, you can’t survive. I prefer to listen to my own conscience.”
“These days the only thing that seems to matter is the UCI and its business. The sponsors and riders don’t seem have the right to say anything. There’s a fake form of democracy in cycling and no desire to change things. The track is dead and buried and the road is going the same way.”
“The Giro, the Tour and the monumental classics are the races that matter; they’re the history of the sport and get the people out along the roadside to watch them. But the UCI is bringing everything down to a same level. That’s why they went to war with the Giro and Tour organisers.”
“Look how the rules, points and classifications have changed. It’s about income and business. The sponsors bring the cash and pay the riders but can’t have their say. They deserve more respect.”
The riders are spineless
Argentin calls on the riders to speak out, using Franco Pellizotti’s refusal to speak out about biological passport case as an example of how the riders are afraid to challenge authority and rock the boat.
“The riders are spineless. They know that if they speak out they never race again,” he said.
“Look at Pellizotti. I met him the other day. He lost the whole season because of his suspicious blood values but won’t say anything, otherwise…”
“The riders have to stop and rewrite the rules that are strangling them. From the points system to the anti-doping rules. The whereabouts system makes them seem criminals on bail. They’re unable to work together and think of the future. I was a pro for 14 years but these days how many off them reach half of that?”
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Now here is the story I vaguely recalled written up as one of the ten most amazing cycling races. Three guys from one team rode away from the Peloton. This is unprecedented, to let more than one guy from a single team get away, let alone three guys. No way. The peloton could not reel them in - the whole peloton going full gas could not do it. Say, welcome to the sport EPO combined with some exceptional training techniques.
The 1994 Fleche Wallone raised eyebrows, not for the winner, Italian Moreno Argentin, 'king of the Ardennes' Classics but for the actual manner in which the race unfolded. Argentin and two of his Gewiss team-mates, Evgeni Berzin & Giorgio Furlan simply rode away from the rest of the peloton with 50 km remaining to finish 1-2-3 at the finish on the Mur du Huy.
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Now here is the story I vaguely recalled written up as one of the ten most amazing cycling races. Three guys from one team rode away from the Peloton. This is unprecedented, to let more than one guy from a single team get away, let alone three guys. No way. The peloton could not reel them in - the whole peloton going full gas could not do it. Say, welcome to the sport EPO combined with some exceptional training techniques.
It was unprecedented for a team to dominate one of the toughest and hilliest 'classic' races on the calendar in such a manner.
The Gewiss team were looked after by Dr. Michael Ferrari and it was after this race that he made his famous comment about EPO being no more dangerous than orange juice. The Gewiss team would dominate the 1994 season and with the benefit of hindsight, this race was perhaps the defining moment of the EPO generation.
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And then there's this. I just stumbled across this article published on Scribd. I have only heard bits and pieces about the trial of Michele Ferrari. This fills in many of the blanks. He drained the local pharmacy of their supply of EPO. Very interesting read...
Paging Dr Ferrari
And then there's this. I just stumbled across this article published on Scribd. I have only heard bits and pieces about the trial of Michele Ferrari. This fills in many of the blanks. He drained the local pharmacy of their supply of EPO. Very interesting read...
Paging Dr Ferrari
by Bill Gifford on Scribd...
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Look at Michele Ferrai's website. Some really good info there on training techniques. The man is a genius with regard to sport physiology.
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Look at Michele Ferrai's website. Some really good info there on training techniques. The man is a genius with regard to sport physiology.
...for some really good training
A very fine looking BMW my friend.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought you bought into an M3.
Whats the model/specs on your new ride?
I would like to consider you and me "child-like men"
youthful in our interests and openness to growth.
An apology for being MIA of late from the Matrix, busy with starting InspiredLIFE Blog ( getting into WORDPRESS format), holiday events, planning our trip to Connecticut and NYC.
Was EPO undetectable at that time and was Lance being advised by Dr F as well?
ReplyDeleteIn your opinion is doping, in one form or another, always going to be a part of competitive cycling?
yes and yes
ReplyDeleteYes, the Gewiss team did cheat, no doubt. But, I think you missed the point of the article on young riders not being tough as in the old days.
ReplyDeleteDo I agree? Well, it would appear that way on TV...but only the rider knows how much he suffers and sacrifices, and I cannot tell you that for any rider other than myself.
Another notorious cheat said this:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riis-says-many-young-riders-are-too-spoiled
Similar overall context. I think the old guys are just jealous from their perception that they had to work so much harder to survive or thrive in the peloton.
Isn't it a goal in life to make things easier for the next generation?
J-Lo
...i understood the point of the article and, i did see the Riis article as well,
ReplyDeletethe argentin article was more of a launch point since i had kinda forgotten about that race in 1994 and that it marked the systemic, team-managed and coordinated doping that eventually culminated in the Festina affair in 1998...