I'm quite stunned the peloton acted so tyrannously toward him. Excluding LA I'd actually felt a little sorry for some of these guys (like Hamilton) but on review I don't think I can continue to excuse them. Sure, they must have been under a lot of pressure from within the team, but the intimidating culture that they assumed and asserted upon others was appalling.
I'm not. Sadly, it's been documented over and over again how easily large groups can be swayed like this. I prefer to be an optimist and believe the best of people, but it means I'm disappointed a lot of the time.
I don't want to re-open old debates but the repeated failure of governing bodies and those who arguably had a duty of care over guys like Bassons is even more shocking, and while things have changed, I can't help feeling that a lot of that culture still lurks in dark corners. That's one reason why - calmly and rationally - the 'is he doping' discussion about current riders is important, to keep the pressure on for a better culture.
