Liege-Baston-Liege

[citoyen]

Boo! The wrong man won. Yes, he's served his time but it still doesn't feel quite right. 

Still, to be fair, there was some good racing. Would have liked to see a better showing from Sky though.

d.

[David Martin]

Sky don't seem to have the classics sorted. Evans rode well but Astana rode a very good tactical race.

..d

[Dinamo]

Boo! The wrong man won. Yes, he's served his time but it still doesn't feel quite right. 

Still, to be fair, there was some good racing. Would have liked to see a better showing from Sky though.

d.

Yes, he served his time.

Until they are banned for LIFE then rules is rules !

Well done VINO 

[GruB]

His thigh muscles look very big at present.
I am still a doubter. 

[rdaviesb]

A bad result for cycling. Especially as Valverde also got third. 

[Aidan]

He has served his suspension, and has every right to race,  but he has never shown any remorse and his attitude to the whole thing is hardly repentant.  So doubts remain, whether unfounded or not. and judging by the reports , quite a few people have doubts

۬Vino's Victory Overshadowed By Questions About His Past | Cyclingnews.com

I used to love watching Vino, always explosive, always entertaining, but somehow it doesn't sit easily now, I would put it in the same class as if Ricco started winning again.   Uncomfortable and not particularly a good advert for the sport of cycling

[citoyen]

It's not just a lack of remorse, he seems to think he's been hard done by - that talk of "revenge" in the post-race interview was a little distasteful.

d. 

[mattc]

Uncomfortable and not particularly a good advert for the sport of cycling

I agree, but is it the rider, the press, the rumours, the rules (or even the rider winning) that is the problem?

If there are rules, and a rider has been punished, what more can he do? Presumably other riders are gaining every legal advantage they can, so unless you want a return to mythical victorian gentleman amateurism, what more do you want? There a million unsporting things that riders do, but
folks say "That's racing, he just wanted it more".

Showing remorse? Millar and Cavendish aren't any cleaner just because they show remorse And/Or claim cleanlines.

If the rules are wrong, do something about it - don't blame the riders, they're just trying to earn a living. I doubt Vino finds winning easy even with chemical assistance (just not as hard!).

[inc]

IF   he is using something then you can guarantee they can't detect it ( yet)  ASO are the organisers of LBL and the TDF so I expect Prudhomme will be spitting feathers at Astana and Vino's win.All the classics this year have been interesting , things are warming up nicely  is beginning to look like the Tour will be good this year. I stopped worrying about drugs in pro cycling years ago, it is cleaner now then ever before just enjoy the racing.

[citoyen]

If there are rules, and a rider has been punished, what more can he do?

I have no argument with him competing, because as you say, them's the rules. And regardless of whether he's clean or not, it was an impressive ride and great to watch. Like you say, drugs don't make it easy to win, only perhaps a little easier than it would be otherwise. He's still a phenomenal athlete and a very talented bike rider.

Presumably other riders are gaining every legal advantage they can

...and probably some are gaining illegal advantages too. I guess that's why Vino feels hard done by - he's under close scrutiny and they aren't. But he broke the 11th commandment: don't get caught.

Showing remorse? Millar and Cavendish aren't any cleaner just because they show remorse And/Or claim cleanlines.

No, but it makes Millar more likeable. Plus he hasn't just cleaned himself up, he's using his experience to help change the culture in the sport. And he didn't claim it was unfair when he was caught and punished.

If the rules are wrong, do something about it - don't blame the riders, they're just trying to earn a living.

This is why I have sympathy for someone like Millar, who says (and I believe him) that he was pressured into it by the expectations of team bosses who wanted results at any price but didn't give him a great deal of pastoral support. It's easier to be led astray in those circumstances. I expect it's the same for most riders who end up going down that road and I would always feel some sympathy for anyone who finds themselves subject to that kind of pressure. But then you get some riders who seem unwilling to accept that it is cheating and believe that the punishments they get when they're caught are unfair.

d.

[Biff]

It was certainly a good day to be called Alexander.

[David Martin]

It was certainly a good day to be called Alexander.

Is that the first time the podium in a top race have all had the same first name?

[Justin(e)]

It was certainly a good day to be called Alexander.

Is that the first time the podium in a top race have all had the same first name?

Alexander
Alexandr
Alejandro

(spelling from memory)

[Biff]

It was certainly a good day to be called Alexander.

Is that the first time the podium in a top race have all had the same first name?

Alexander
Alexandr
Alejandro

(spelling from memory)

Points out Justin(e) 

[bobb]

Showing remorse? Millar and Cavendish aren't any cleaner just because they show remorse And/Or claim cleanlines.

I know he's a little gobshite, but has Cavendish ever been busted for drugs?

[mattc]

Showing remorse? Millar and Cavendish aren't any cleaner just because they show remorse And/Or claim cleanlines.

I know he's a little gobshite, but has Cavendish ever been busted for drugs?

Not that I know of! I was just picking 'popular' riders, Millar for obvious reasons, Cav because he preaches the clean life thing very loudly.

[I'm a fan of both, but that's not the point here ... ]

[bobb]

Ok, cool. Millar can be talked about as he's been busted, but I think it's a little unfair to talk about a rider who has never been caught (even if you have suspicions) in the same sentence.....

[Thor]

Innocent 'til proven guilty. Like Lance Armstrong, ahem Alejandro Valverde, Alessandro Ballan etc. 

[Domestique]

it was a great ride from Vino, probably deserved the win he got.
That said he is a drug taker, just like millar and a few others, nothing he says or does from that moment he was caught will ever change that. Any victory he gets there will always be sus about it
I have given up defending great cycling heros only to find out they had a little help getting there 

[alexb]

Much as I dislike him for what he's done. His final TdF did include some classic hard attacking racing. Such a shame that it was all fueled by drugs.

There are a few riders who look so good on a bike and he was one of them. Cancellara also looks incredible when you see him ride. I can't put my finger on why it is, but some riders just looks to be part of the machine.

[gonzo]

Innocent 'til proven guilty. Like Lance Armstrong, ahem Alejandro Valverde, Alessandro Ballan etc. 

Valverde has been banned from racing in Italy for 2 years as his blood matched blood taken from the Puerto scandal. He's not been banned world wide as the blood was not obtained legitimately.

[mattc]

...
I have given up defending great cycling heros only to find out they had a little help getting there 

I do know what you mean. However, what I was getting at earlier is that nothing is really "fair" -  riders crash, get ill, get shafted by teammates, fall out with certain governing bodies ... it's all part of sport's rich pageant.

I do hate cheating in all the sport I watch, but in any modern well-paid sport, it IS happening. Some get away with it, some choose methods that haven't been outlawed. Sometimes the "bad" guys get their comeuppance, sometimes the good guys get cancer. Best not to stress about it

[GruB]

From re-reading this thread I think we have all grown up a bit too  
Maybe thank the press or the web or whatever, but it is pleasing that we can have a discussion about this darker side of pro cycling without it descending into anarchy.

Well done all.

[Jord]

This may be interesting http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vinokourov-fights-back-against-the-press

[GruB]

To be honest, I enjoyed watching him race before it all went wrong.  I thought he was a gutsy sort of bloke, a tenacious and courageous.  Along with Basso whom I also admired and followed from the heart - I was disappointed greatly when both went positive from Puerto.  None of the others bothered me nearly as much.

So from reading that article I would like to think he is being honest.  I am not sure though.