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@tinoflyer
I am not saying that the sport is clean but I am a damn sight more relaxed that in the days of Willy Voet (the first dodgy soigneur - Festina 1998). I had heard about this article a few days ago and I was taken aback.
The first defence, they were for personal use, was strangely the same defence as Voet gave.
A decent article is here:
http://cyclopunk.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-belgian-busts-who-is-sven-s.html
Interestingly this quotes:
But a brief search of BMC's own website reveals the existence of one Sven Schoutteten, rather embarrassingly listed as a soigneur
More interestingly, I can no longer find this name on the team list.
Furthermore, it is also interesting that Viaene (head soigneur) looked after Lance Armstrong, who I think it is fair to say is one of the biggest frauds in cycling (I am probably im his black book list now). Hincapie, who has been claimed to have testified against Armstrong and admitted his own doping, is in the BMC team. Sciandri is on the team also. He worked with Cecchini who developed under the tutelage of Conconi (the worst doping dope of them all). Cecchini also worked with Bjarne Riis and Jan Ulrich. Both admitting doping after long stints in denial.
The fact remains that whilst the old guard (the lot from the 80s and 90) are still around there will always be significant connection to confirmed doping. In time the family tree will dilute the blood line and hopefully the testing and ethos will change to breed a new type of cycling. But for now the sport still readily welcomes back dopers with open arms, whether it is this lot at BMC, Riis as a race Director, or even Virenique doing commentary on Eurosport, there is way too much connection to the old days to be sure Cycling is clean - and way too much acceptance of the old doping ways.
Unfortunately though, this completely ignores the many athletes who can no longer take comfort in cycling, the myriad of junior and upcoming pros trying too hard to keep up and lost their lives. Or athletes like Pantani driven to a world of despair, depression and death due to a reliance on illegal substances.
Welcoming back dopers ignores train wreck that leaves a wake of destruction and lives ruined. In my opinion Armstrong is the driver of that train.