Iban Mayo

Originally Posted by Bro Deal

I am not so sure about this. I cannot speak about European countries, but the U.S.--perhaps Germany is the same--has seen a significant change in the sport over the last ten years. In the U.S. cycling used to be much like climbing. It was a fringe sport. Now it has largely changed into a sport of yuppies who ride for fitness, and they do care about the doping.

I usually ride a few organized centuries a year. I have definitely seen a change in the type of riders. A large number are now sporting their companies' MS150 jersey. The riders used to be all sorts of odd ball characters and now they are almost all people with white collar jobs, often in their thirties and forties. The MS150 has used a rather brilliant strategy of encouraging medium and large companies to form teams of employees, and I think it has skewed the makeup of the average rider in the U.S.

I have lost track of the number of people I have bumped into on rides who have sworn off following pro cycling because of the doping. It has really picked up in the last two years. Wolf will say they don't matter, they were not long time, hardcore fans anyway; but I think it makes a difference. You cannot see a storying about doping in sport without cycling being mentioned. It has entered the popular imagination that pro cycling is as dirty as it comes.

All those yuppies are the ones buying expensive gear with their credit cards and HELOCs. They are the ones who sponsors are trying to connect with. If you lose them then the big money sponsors will leave. This might very well be why Disco could not land another sponsor.

With the cat being out of the bag, I don't see that you can now sweep the doping problem under the rug and go back to the way it was. There needs to be some sort of proactive solution that convinces people that things have changed.

Originally Posted by Bro Deal

I am not so sure about this. I cannot speak about European countries, but the U.S.--perhaps Germany is the same--has seen a significant change in the sport over the last ten years. In the U.S. cycling used to be much like climbing. It was a fringe sport. Now it has largely changed into a sport of yuppies who ride for fitness, and they do care about the doping.

I usually ride a few organized centuries a year. I have definitely seen a change in the type of riders. A large number are now sporting their companies' MS150 jersey. The riders used to be all sorts of odd ball characters and now they are almost all people with white collar jobs, often in their thirties and forties. The MS150 has used a rather brilliant strategy of encouraging medium and large companies to form teams of employees, and I think it has skewed the makeup of the average rider in the U.S.

I have lost track of the number of people I have bumped into on rides who have sworn off following pro cycling because of the doping. It has really picked up in the last two years. Wolf will say they don't matter, they were not long time, hardcore fans anyway; but I think it makes a difference. You cannot see a storying about doping in sport without cycling being mentioned. It has entered the popular imagination that pro cycling is as dirty as it comes.

All those yuppies are the ones buying expensive gear with their credit cards and HELOCs. They are the ones who sponsors are trying to connect with. If you lose them then the big money sponsors will leave. This might very well be why Disco could not land another sponsor.

With the cat being out of the bag, I don't see that you can now sweep the doping problem under the rug and go back to the way it was. There needs to be some sort of proactive solution that convinces people that things have changed.

Originally Posted by wolfix

The sport has been yuppified since the mid 80's........ I had money invested in the local shop thru 1995 and saw the slow change about 1980.....
Like you said...... It used to be a bunch of misfits.
Yuppies want it clean????? Come to the local university gym and see who is juiced. The high end credit card boys....... Our future. They say one thing, but they do another. They do not walk the talk.
The reason you are seeing more century rides with major sponsors is because of the insurance it takes to conduct a cycling event on the road. [And that's a shame because centuries are a blast.]

These yuppies that say they want to see the sport change are the very same ones who paid $500 a plate to hear LA talk. They packed our sports arena a few weeks ago to get a glimpse of the man.
They are the ones who pay outragous sums of money to buy autographed jerseys of the cycling stars.



I won't disagree with you about the sport becoming unattractive.......
LA was a star. And still is. He is the man that defied death. That alone has put the sport in the spotlight. So we are going to see a automatic dropoff with his retirement. Floyd Landis does not have star power and was not really a fan favorite. And it's rather hard for the American fanbase get behind a LL or a Tommy D.


With the news that the ASO/UCI supposedly have made up.,the doping busts will slow way down........... A new sport will be announced....... And yet we will see the very same players repeating to everyone who asks......... "The sport is clean." And the statistics that will be quoted from the UCI/UCI will show the sport to be cleaned up........
The new generation of doctors are now signing leases for more and better labs that the UCI/ASO are going to conveniently ignore.......

"Welcome to a new era in cycling that has your best intentions in mind!"

Originally Posted by wolfix

awwwwww shit, I sound just like Flyer......

Originally Posted by Bro Deal

I am not so sure about this. I cannot speak about European countries, but the U.S.--perhaps Germany is the same--has seen a significant change in the sport over the last ten years. In the U.S. cycling used to be much like climbing. It was a fringe sport. Now it has largely changed into a sport of yuppies who ride for fitness, and they do care about the doping.

I usually ride a few organized centuries a year. I have definitely seen a change in the type of riders. A large number are now sporting their companies' MS150 jersey. The riders used to be all sorts of odd ball characters and now they are almost all people with white collar jobs, often in their thirties and forties. The MS150 has used a rather brilliant strategy of encouraging medium and large companies to form teams of employees, and I think it has skewed the makeup of the average rider in the U.S.

I have lost track of the number of people I have bumped into on rides who have sworn off following pro cycling because of the doping. It has really picked up in the last two years. Wolf will say they don't matter, they were not long time, hardcore fans anyway; but I think it makes a difference. You cannot see a storying about doping in sport without cycling being mentioned. It has entered the popular imagination that pro cycling is as dirty as it comes.

All those yuppies are the ones buying expensive gear with their credit cards and HELOCs. They are the ones who sponsors are trying to connect with. If you lose them then the big money sponsors will leave. This might very well be why Disco could not land another sponsor.

With the cat being out of the bag, I don't see that you can now sweep the doping problem under the rug and go back to the way it was. There needs to be some sort of proactive solution that convinces people that things have changed.

Originally Posted by JohnO

Interesting to note that LNDD did not test the B sample. Two labs, one in Belgium and one in Australia did, and both got the same result - negative.

So, either two labs acting independently got the wrong result, or LNDD got the wrong result. Care to guess what the result would have been if LNDD had tested the B sample?

Originally Posted by lucybears

Justice for Iban Mayo
http://www.petitiononline.com/IMayo/petition.html

Originally Posted by Bro Deal

Current info I am hearing is that the B sample was tested in Belgium. It was inconclusive. The Belgian lab's data was sent to Australia and they agreed that it was inconclusive. The aussies never tested Mayo's urine, and the Belgian lab fubed the test.

Originally Posted by JohnO

Or maybe LNDD flubbed the test?

Perish the thought!

Originally Posted by Drongo

Maybe they did stuff it up. Let's see what the re-test says. The point is that the B-sample test says nothing at all yet. It doesn't clear Mayo and it doesn't convict him.

I can't see an injustice yet.