Does your opinion of a rider go up or down when they come clean?

[cheapie]

i tend to think better of them when they say, screw it, i'm just going to come clean and take the consequences. even if they were somewhat forced to do so. i despise TH for what he did. and if FL did so also, and it certainly looks bad, i won't be able to cheer for him again if he sucked money out of his fan base for his BS defense.

 

[davidbod]

In a peloton that appears to have a distinct lack of honor, it certianly shows more honor to come clean than to hide behind lawyers and all manner of excuses, vanishing twins and all that.

 

[Smilf]

Well at first it goes way down, then if they come clean it goes up a bit.

 

[Bikeridindude]

It depends on the circumstances. If it's like Frankie Andreau, when it was 15 or so years ago, it makes me not respect them or their career. Same with that Belgium dude that I can't remember his name, the Lion King. I can have just a little bit of respect for Basso, because he's facing his music and there's a bunch or **** from the media that he's going to have to deal with. But I can't give him very much because he still had to be forced into confessing. Him and all the other racers who doped are making a joke out of cycling. How can you really care about a sport where the competitors aren't competing on a level playing field? Thanks for wasting the portion of my life where I was excited about the outcome of the races ******** Basso. One thing that's funny, I remember how mad Basso got last year when Simoni accused him of being an "extra terrestrial". I guess he was. Also, when Basso held up a picture of his newest child to dedicate the mountaintop stage win to him. Way to make him proud. Yeah, I cheated for you son!!!! Yippie! What a piece of @(&$*@^.

 

[Eagle of Toledo]

If they come clean immediately when confronted with the evidence of their doping and pay the penalty, it goes down and then slightly up (depending on whether they do different - but not if they are again seeing questionable doctors).

If they deny, lie, continue cheating and coniving, and then after a long time they are forced (due to more overwhelming evidence) to admit it, it goes down, way down and probably never comes back up.

Doping is bad enough, but even I can understand the pressure and temptation to fall into it. Sustained lying over months, even years, to millions of fans and making a packet for it on the otherhand is unforgivable.

 

[Bro Deal]

I would have a lot more respect for the confessors if they would name names. Instead it's always some B.S. about how they stepped off the beaten path and they are so sorry and they will never do it again.

 

[Powerful Pete]

Doping is bad enough, but even I can understand the pressure and temptation to fall into it. Sustained lying over months, even years, to millions of fans and making a packet for it on the otherhand is unforgivable.

Or asking others to help pay your legal bills. And blame it on the evil French.

 

[poulidor]

And blame it on the evil French.

Yes we are still there!

 

[limerickman]

i tend to think better of them when they say, screw it, i'm just going to come clean and take the consequences. even if they were somewhat forced to do so. i despise TH for what he did. and if FL did so also, and it certainly looks bad, i won't be able to cheer for him again if he sucked money out of his fan base for his BS defense.

I find it difficult to recall any rider making a confession of their own volition.

Manzano's about the only rider who has made a confession of honour, as far as I can recall.

 

[poulidor]

I find it difficult to recall any rider making a confession of their own volition.

Manzano's about the only rider who has made a confession of honour, as far as I can recall.

evil French are everywhere, here with Jerome CHIOTTI who returned his olympic gold medals with no AAF, ... just because he learnt that in mbk no EPO was used out him.

 

[whiteboytrash]

We shouldn't forget..... he was backed into a corner.. if not he would have kept on riding....

"I will soon be up and running and winning. I am sure I will come out of this with my head held high," he told Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I'm certain I'll come out of it with no problems because I am innocent."
"I have been treated like a thief but I've gone through worse than this in my life," Basso said.
"Two years ago I was doing the Tour knowing my mother was ill from cancer. Compared with that, this is nothing."
"The team told me I was suspended until my position was clarified and they had to take the decision because of the ethics code signed by the club," Basso added.
"But they (CSC) said they had total faith in me and were ready to welcome me back with open arms."

 

[limerickman]

evil French are everywhere, here with Jerome CHIOTTI who returned his olympic gold medals with no AAF, ... just because he learnt that in mbk no EPO was used out him.

......of course.

I had overlooked Chiotti.
That was the most honourable act with regard to cheating/doping.

Good call, Poulidor.

 

[Rolfrae]

It depends on the circumstances. If it's like Frankie Andreau, when it was 15 or so years ago, it makes me not respect them or their career. Same with that Belgium dude that I can't remember his name, the Lion King. I can have just a little bit of respect for Basso, because he's facing his music and there's a bunch or **** from the media that he's going to have to deal with. But I can't give him very much because he still had to be forced into confessing. Him and all the other racers who doped are making a joke out of cycling. How can you really care about a sport where the competitors aren't competing on a level playing field? Thanks for wasting the portion of my life where I was excited about the outcome of the races ******** Basso. One thing that's funny, I remember how mad Basso got last year when Simoni accused him of being an "extra terrestrial". I guess he was. Also, when Basso held up a picture of his newest child to dedicate the mountaintop stage win to him. Way to make him proud. Yeah, I cheated for you son!!!! Yippie! What a piece of @(&$*@^.

I share your sentiments. It's good that Basso has spoken out but he was practically forced to do it. A real man with any kind of honour would not have lied to his fans, his sponsors, more importantly to his family in the first place. A song for his son to sing:

Daddy was a bad doper,
He didn't hurt nobody,
He just loved to live that way,
And he loved to steal your money,

 

[Scotttri]

If they knowlingly cheat there losers, thats what they'll always be. Sports meant to be fun and enjoyable, not a contest of whose got the best drugs

 

[Powerful Pete]

To add insult to injury, he is now stating that he did not dope for the Giro, but was only doping in preparation for the TdF... and that he knows no names, beyond Fuentes.

He is not being very honorable. He knew he was caught. He calculated that if he collaborated with the CONI investigators he would be able to argue that he was entitled to a lessening of his suspension. I do not believe that coming clean or honorably (if one can use that word in this case) has anything to do with it.

He has seen that the risks far outweigh the results using the Landis or Tyler "deny everything and blame the lab" approach... so he went with the next best option in an attempt to salvage his career... without p*ssing off any of the potential teams he will ride for/against in 2008 (or 2009 if UCI has its way).

 

[alibat]

To add insult to injury, he is now stating that he did not dope for the Giro, but was only doping in preparation for the TdF... and that he knows no names, beyond Fuentes.

He is not being very honorable. He knew he was caught. He calculated that if he collaborated with the CONI investigators he would be able to argue that he was entitled to a lessening of his suspension. I do not believe that coming clean or honorably (if one can use that word in this case) has anything to do with it.

He has seen that the risks far outweigh the results using the Landis or Tyler "deny everything and blame the lab" approach... so he went with the next best option in an attempt to salvage his career... without p*ssing off any of the potential teams he will ride for/against in 2008 (or 2009 if UCI has its way).

Read this http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6632839.stm

 

[Rolfrae]

Read this http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6632839.stm

I detest the man. Wish I could go back to the Mortirolo during last year's Giro and knock him off his bike. I was inches away from the ****. Of course, we'll all believe him now - he's trustworthy and honest now. Yes Ivan, really Ivan, well done for telling the truth Ivan. You were going to dope, but events conspired against you. What total and utter ********.

 

[Powerful Pete]

Well there you go. So much for the honorable thing to do. LOL.

 

[jhuskey]

A typical legal ploy. I once heard a Louisiana lawyer refer to it as the Crawfish ploy.
A Crawfish will back up as far as he can to avoid trouble and when his back is against the wall he muddies the water with his tail.
Muddy the water and in becomes more difficult to see what is on the bottom.

 

[limerickman]

A typical legal ploy. I once heard a Louisiana lawyer refer to it as the Crawfish ploy.
A Crawfish will back up as far as he can to avoid trouble and when his back is against the wall he muddies the water with his tail.
Muddy the water and in becomes more difficult to see what is on the bottom.

I hadn't heard that before - but it's a very good analogy!