NYVelocity - David Walsh Interview

[Hont]

In the absence of Armstrong (during his retirement), who was the biggest cheese? The point I'm making is that if Walsh wanted to bring down the pack of cards, to which yello referred, from the top, you would think that he would change targets once Armstrong had (for all we knew at the time) permanently left the scene. The fact that he didn't, or certainly with not the same vigour, underlines that it is a personal issue with Armstrong, which we both agree does not help his cause.

If, like Jonathan Vaughters and Bob Stapleton, you are working very hard to make the sport cleaner, probably struggling to get sponsorship, trying to make things better from within, then recognition from the anti-drug crusaders is going to help towards that end.

If you believe that the sport will never be clean because it has failed in the past, then all hope is lost. Me I'm a glass half full kind of guy. Just because a Manxman never won Milan San Remo didn't stop Cav turning up at the startline.

 

[yello]

He does not appear to recognise that the sport is getting cleaner and that many people are working to make it so.

...but not clean enough perhaps? I can't speak for David Walsh but I'm sure he recognises the work that some are doing to clean cycling up.

When emotions become involved you lose credibility.

In some eyes maybe but, for me, it doesn't undermine the authenticity, or otherwise, of any evidence discovered by an investigation, even if the motivation is personal. That stands for itself.

Personally, from what little I've read, I think Walsh does seem to hope that if you throw enough dirt, some of it will stick.

But he didn't write a book about Contador in the 3 years that Lance was retired did he?

Because he's after LA. LA's the big name, the man that changed the name of the game (again, I'm paraphrasing).

I'm not attempting to speak for, defend or criticise Walsh. Just understand where he's coming from. It reads to me that that day at Sestriere is etched on Walsh's brain. That's the day he saw what cycling had become, and he sees LA (rightly or wrongly) as the personification of all that was/is wrong.

If you believe that the sport will never be clean because it has failed in the past, then all hope is lost.

I do believe it will be clean again. I think it is getting there. At least, I thought it was. Last year's events shook my belief a little. As I said before, I don't think it's as bad as Walsh would suggest... but I really really don't know that.

 

[John the Monkey]

Kimmage wrote this, in an article titled "Back from the Abyss";

Now there’s a chance I have been completely suckered on this. There’s a chance the winner will prove to be a clever doper and that I’ll appear a fool. And that’s not a chance I’d have taken before I met Vaughters. But these past 27 days with his team have taught me a valuable lesson.



I’ve spent a good portion of my past 20 years enraged by dopers such as Virenque, Riis, Ivan Basso and Hamilton and seized every opportunity to expose them. No apologies. They deserve our contempt . . . but not as much as the guys who are trying to compete clean deserve our support. I’d lost sight of that. To David Millar, Christian Vande Velde, Ryder Hesjedal, Will Frischkorn, Danny Pate, Julian Dean, Martijn Maaskant, Trent Lowe and Magnus Backstedt, thanks for the reminder.


The sport has a hell of a lot to do before it drags itself from the mire, but with guys like Vaughters it has a chance. I hope Vande Velde comes back and wins the Tour next year. I hope Millar wins the stage on the Champs-Elysees and then sits down to write his book. I hope that every Tour I watch from now is as much fun as this one was. I hope.

The Times, July 27, 2008 - Online; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/cycling/article4407072.ece

 

[Chuffy]

Kimmage wrote this, in an article titled "Back from the Abyss";


The Times, July 27, 2008 - Online; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/cycling/article4407072.ece

Clearly a man who really hates the sport...

 

[Hont]

...but not as much as the guys who are trying to compete clean deserve our support. I’d lost sight of that...

Even he agrees with me.

 

[Hont]

Clearly a man who really hates the sport...

As that appears to be aimed at me and is the second time you have put words in my mouth, I think I'll leave it there.

 

[Chuffy]

As that appears to be aimed at me and is the second time you have put words in my mouth, I think I'll leave it there.

Hmmm, no need to be so prickly. It wasn't aimed at you specifically, more at the idea that Walsh, Kimmage et al hate the sport. I'm certainly not trying to put words in your mouth.

Yes, there are concerted efforts (apparently) to clean up the sport but the history doesn't inspire confidence. We've been at the dawn of a new clean era several times now and each time we've been let down. When Cavendish says that 'cycling is a clean sport' I'm afraid I can't simply accept that at face value. I have every faith in Vaughters et al but let's not forget why they are having to make such an effort. Plus, good guys get taken advantage of by weasels like Ricco, Schumacher, Kohl and the others who haven't been caught out yet.

If you believe that the sport will never be clean because it has failed in the past, then all hope is lost.

As that appears to be aimed at me....
I've been thinking about that. What would it take to convince me that cycling had cleaned up? I honestly don't know. The odd scandal here and there I can live with, that's just normal for any sport. But cycling has never been clean. Never. There's no history or culture of it being clean which means that it's going to take a very long time to shake out the 'old ways', if it's even possible. I think we should try, but the current 'we're so clean, look at our testing regime, aren't we great?' backslapping just smells of complacency.

 

[FOAD]

If only the SCA case had gone to judgement instead of being settled "out of court" (during which I think a lot of the evidence unearthed by Walsh and Co. was pretty damning), the arguments would be so much different I reckon.

 

[montage]

I can't stand Walsh.
Witch hunting nobber.

 

[FOAD]

I can't stand Walsh.
Witch hunting nobber.

People who purport to spread the unpopular truth have a habit of getting under the skin of people who don't want to hear it.

 

[montage]

People who purport to spread the unpopular truth have a habit of getting under the skin of people who don't want to hear it.

If Lance was found to be guilty of taking drugs during any point of his career it would destroy cycling for millions of people, and heavily damage the sport.

I don't want this.

 

[FOAD]

I see your point and agree with it to a degree.

On the other hand, if the biggest lie in professional cycling ever was proven, I suspect the only country where it would really damage cycling would be the US.

Haha, and a lot of people would be owing Walshy a massive apology.

 

[montage]

I see your point and agree with it to a degree.

On the other hand, if the biggest lie in professional cycling ever was proven, I suspect the only country where it would really damage cycling would be the US.

Haha, and a lot of people would be owing Walshy a massive apology.

Ask many cyclists over here who their idol is......

I bet looodes will say LA.

 

[Chuffy]

On the other hand, if the biggest lie in professional cycling ever was proven, I suspect the only country where it would really damage cycling would be the US.

Well, he was on EPO during the '99 TdF and the lab results prove it. But the likes of LA are teflon coated in the eyes of their fans. You could put up a video of the whole USP team on their beds, hooked up to blood-bags while Big George reads out articles from a copy of Equipe headlined 'Big day in the mountains tomorrow will decide Tour' and Dr Ferrari administers injections from a jumbo sized bottle of EPO and the fanboys would say it was a French conspiracy cuz all them haterz r jus jelous.

Sometimes a lie can be so big that people will scramble their brains in order to pretend it's not true.

 

[Crackle]

If Lance was found to be guilty of taking drugs during any point of his career it would destroy cycling for millions of people, and heavily damage the sport.

It already has. Coke withdrew some years ago, as did many big sponsors. Ignoring it means it will continue to be a minority sport. People already associate cycling with drugs, to be a big draw it needs to break that. Considering it's been rife since time immamoral, it's going to take more than a few seemingly bitter journalists to change that: Cycling is damaged.