Heras retires from pro cycling

Three-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras, whose two-year suspension for doping ended in October, confirmed Saturday that he has decided to quit professional cycling.

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13847.0.html

This sucks. It would have been nice to have Heras in next year's Vuelta.

Something is fishy here. He complains about not being able to join a ProTour team, but he can certainly find a Spanish Pro Continental team that will be invited to the Vuelta. What other ProTour races does he want to do? It smells like money issues. No Pro Contiental team can pay him what he wants.

It could be an issue of doping support. Perhaps he cannot find a team that will offer him the support he needs to reach the highest level. He was well taken care of at Kelme, Postal, and Liberty Seguros.

I still think it seems short sighted. No one has ever won the Vuelta four times. He would have a chance to do that next year.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

Yes very sad........ another victim of the lance era..... sooner or later one of these guys will be so pissed they will spill there guts...... poor old lance must get sick of paying these guys off....... maybe he should race with tyler in the US ? doesn't Heres have funny ears like Hincapie ? that HGH must be potent ****.....

No one knows better than him though on his own pros and cons of continuing.

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Another one shocking retirement.

But, notice that just GT oriented cyclists (accomplished in Armstrong era) are announcing their retirement lately, and that news about their retirement are most interesting (till certain point). What's about one day and classics riders? Aren't they involved in doping as much as GT riders? Or is it that they can slip through the system, or they're not that much of interest for clean cycling image (as the center of attention is on GTs)? Or they were just visiting other doctor?

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The supreme command has erased our regiment from its records. Our regiment has been sacrificed for the honor of Belgrade and the Fatherland. Therefore, you no longer have to worry for your lives - they do not exist anymore.
So, forward to glory! For King and country! Long live the king! Long live Belgrade! "

I am sure he does, which is why I don't really trust his public statements. The don't make sense.

Leipheimer had some quotes on cyclingnews which could be interpreted as Bruyneel would be changing and his past shouldn't held against him. If one of the last bastions of unapologetic doping is changing then it could indicate a true change in the sport. If winning the Vuelta is the only thing that is important to Heras and he know that he needs extra help but is unable to find a team to provide that help, it would explain why he is calling it a day.

We will know just how much Bruyneel has changed by the performance of riders like Leipheimer fairly early in the sason.

__________________
"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

IMO, the probability of Bruyneel changing and continuing in the sport is miniscule. If he was offered some ultimatum by UCI, along the lines of "We aren't going to protect you any longer...especially now that you are working for Astana", I think he'd retire. Why would he want to continue without the dope/blood; and as a result, his team finish back in the middle of the peloton? His legacy, which despite the doping accusations, looks very good on paper, would be diluted. Unless, he's in a desperate financial situation?

So I think he'd quit before DS'ing clean. Just my 2c.

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Yeah, I am skeptical too. But he might have the ego to want to prove that he can succeed in a cleaner version of the sport as well as he did in the dopefest. Plus a big fat check might make finishing in the middle of the pack a lot easier to handle.

Contador does appear talented. He could do well even in a cleaner sport.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

Victim? I love how it always comes back to being LA's fault. lol

Interesting observation. I think it's a coincidence. Heras retirement is due to more than a singol motive or more restrictive doping ambience.

If Heras knew he is still competitive he would ride longer. These guys are addicts to bici, (like Crancy to FID )
The most offensive goods on Armstrong was/is already out -- LNDD finding EPO. Unless another Ressiot emerga, his remaining samples are not likely to be ever identificated it or examinated. Too bad. They would find Dynepo and HGH and hmg boosters as late as 2005.

If another teammate gets pissed at LA and spills more beans, can it be more damaging than already known testimonies? Hardly. It'll just make more news.

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For inches and centimetres, let fools contend."
-- Damian Grammaticus

You're getting my hopes up. I dream of a day when I can watch cycling with confidence that everyone is clean. Dream...

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Well I am pretty clean, I just took a shower.

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Bruyneel is in a difficult position in relation with his doped friend Lance and his old doped teams Disco, USPS and his already accomplishment as DS!
If one of his "old" riders is caught, that will transform DC doping suspicions in "facts".
So I think to minimize the risk he choses the Damsguard program!

Financial situation ? Johan is set for life..... he's book is coming out soon and it will race to the top of the bestseller lists..... http://www.johanbruyneel.com/book.aspx

That is pretty much my thought. I think one of the main reasons Disco was shut down is that Armstrong and Bruyneel were afraid of getting caught like Astana was this year. The old ways were not going to work anymore. Bruyneel was ready to ride off into the sunset but along came Astana and they offered him a pile of cash to run their program. If he runs the team without a doping program he can still accomplish his goal of not sullying his record while making bank.

As I said above, we will know by the performance of Leipheimer how clean they are.

__________________
"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates