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Zabel puts it out there: Amnesty.
Erik Zabel has called for an amnesty for those who confess to having doped. “I see an amnesty as the chance for cycling,” he told the German magazine, Welt am Sonntag. “The International Olympic Committee, the UCI and the national federations could set a deadline, giving everyone until that date the chance to admit to doping without consequences and in the sense of overcoming the past,” he said.
Source: cyclingnews.com
I’ve said much the same thing myself on these pages.
I think this is a good idea. Get it out there. And let the chips fall where they may.
Otherwise, how to you propose we deal with the managers and coaches that were former riders in the big drug years? These men need a chance to lay it all out on the table. Only then can cycling move forward.
And never mind this “we’re taking back the jersey you won eleven years ago” shit. Waste of time. Let ’em keep their damn jerseys.
Come clean, admit what you did and we’ll move forward from there.
After a period of amnesty, set up some serious drug testing. And some serious consequences for failing the tests. Show people who can’t abide by the rules the door.
Cycling does not need you.
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After finishing Kimmage’s book, Voet’s book and currently around the half-way mark on Walsh’s book, I agree. The thing that has always bothered me more than the cheating (if everyone is juiced, it’s a level field) is the blatant lying, the repeated claims of innocence, of it being just one or two bad apples, of not being aware that others were ‘charging’. Perhaps amnesty would eliminate the need for bullying, for bullshit and for false bravado. I mean, chimeric twins? C’mon, that was beyond absurd. And calling those who do come forward sore loosers, money whores or worse – that’s absurd too. Chasing down riders who speak in favor of clean racing and humiliating or berating them, yeah Lance, that really showed integrity. Anyone who’s been a fan of cycling for more than a few years needs to ask themselves how complicit we all are in this charade. For example, why do I know the names of most of the team doctors in cycling, but not in any other sport? If we took the wool from our eyes, the sport might well be led to slaughter. Amnesty could be the saving grace.
Straight up. Nothing else will wipe out the present stain. Time to realize that without clear thinking, this beautiful sport will really go into the crapper. It ain’t there quite yet.
New sponsors will come into the sport if they can be assured that an honest effort is being made.
Full agreement on the jerseys.
Just as importantly, the UCI / WADA / DrugLabs / USADA / ASO, etc. issues need to be addressed w/ immediate conviction. Too much bullshit finger pointing. These organizations are doing as much collective damage as anyone else they’re blaming.
Amnesty with a truth and reconciliation public procedure.
Everyone lays it ALL on the table, nobody is threatened with “sporting fraud” such as Jan Ullrich whereas German prosecutors are scheming to take away his life earnings.
After the T&R period, all the riders are obligated to police their team ranks by reporting doping, the team managers and director sportifs pay some kind of severe price for doping on their teams, not JUST the riders. Doctors stop organizing the doping.
The labs are much more open, competent and professional in their testing where the riders have scientific advisers that represent them that can visit and inspect and verify lab quality, procedures and impartiality at any time and can have a lab disciplined for bad behavior and practices.
Dick Pound is taken out and gets a blanket party. Floyd Landis is compensated for the money he has spent correctly exposing that the French lab is a hodgepodge of incompetents. Jesus Manzano; gets a stipend, gets to sue for health damages and has a statue commissioned for his bravery. A big guy visits Lance Armstrong and beats the shit out of him for being a Mafia don fucking up peoples careers. Frankie Andreu works big time TV. Betsy Andreu gets bites all over her legs by a pack of marauding shrews. Dave Zabriskie become POTUS.
That’s amazing; the posts are 9:36, 9:40 and 9:41 and basically say the same thing. None of us posted with knowledge of what the other was simultaneously writing.
Since that means we have reached consensus, I say we adjourn to the nearest bar for some serious alcohol ingestion.
Yeah for amnesty.
Anybody caught after the date is banned for life – sponsors are fined heavily (that will ensure a pro-active effort to keep the riders clean) and the team doctors loose their licenses if one of their riders is found out to be dirty – that will help ensure proactive testing
So we all want Lance to get his ass kicked bushy?
I don’t know if we all do Vince Vega. But the point of the tongue in cheek last paragraph, is that Lance Armstrong in a pretty detectable way has used his power and influence in the racing game to hurt other people’s careers. I just don’t believe in that kind of behavior.
We all owe Lance some important things; 1) for the professionalism he brought to training and racing, he really upped the game, 2) for his example and inspiration in coming back from cancer and 3) for his wonderful and fantastic work on promoting care, cures and attention in the war on cancer.
What we need from Lance is for him to finish growing up and stop the vendetta type bullshit that he indulges himself in from time to time.
Amnesty is the ONLY way to truly drag the skeletons out of the closet. I really hope the powers that be will stop the hand-wringing, my junk is bigger than your junk bull and get on with what is good for the sport, not what furthers their careers.
OK I’ll start. I dope.
In my day the alternitive to doping was going brakeless