Doping

There you go Dan, you get rep for reposting someone else's gag (unless you posted it originally in the pro race thread, in which case I apologise).

Well that was a good post, in the most part, and not just a snark at my posting style, which is a pleasant change. One thing I'd ask in the light of all that is why the selective pragmatism? They threw the book at Lance, ignored the SoL to get him, gave the people who helped him do it paltry bans for rolling over on him. Now I don't like Lance at all, but I do think his punishment is disproportionate. Everyone was doping at the time, he was just the most American about it. He's the tethered goat, the object of hate that everyone pours their bile into while the people that enabled it whistle while they sidle away and carry on as before.

Is that the pragmatism you're after? If pragmatism means simply drawing a line under the past, saying well it was bad then but it's better now, Vaughters and Brailsford said so, plus look, we got Lance, then I'm not sure I can sign up. I'll be interested to see which way Cookson runs with whole T&R process. I was also very interested to hear Cav's opinion on it: that even promised amnesty riders aren't going to be open about what they did to stop them damaging their legacy.

Your point about the demographics is interesting I was in France during the Tour and was surprised by the general apathy towards it. I'm not sure if you could say the same about the British market for example. But there are commercial pressures still even with the disconnect from fans you illustrated well. You are seeing the legacy of doping scandals in the shrinking of the women's calender and the disappearance of many of the smaller races in the mens, and the death of teams like Vaconsoleil and Euskatel. It's harder and harder to attract sponsorhsip money and when it is forthcoming I bet its well down on what it's used to be. Economic crisis perhaps, but also in large part to the continuing problems too. I think Michelle Cook's broadside at the men's sport and Hamilton was a very eloquent expression of how damaging doping is to the sport. Worth re-reading to get some perspective on things:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/jan/14/nicole-cooke-retirement-statement

Jeanson states, like all the others, she is "repentant" and all that is behind her. All these "born again" champions of a clean sport. They could be more accurately described as criminals who stole other's livelihoods who are only ever genuinely sorry about one thing — they are very sorry they were caught.

I think that was what I was getting at with Ryder. It may not be pragmatic but it's what my gut tells me.

And just for Piftko....censure