Omerta - the beginning of the end?

[spesh]

The subpoena is just a continuation of what the UCI president and Pat McQuaid started in January - to quote from the following linked article: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/kimmage-uci-needs-root-and-branch-surgery

Earlier this year, the UCI moved to sue Kimmage for defamation, in response to an interview with Floyd Landis first published in the Sunday Times in January 2011, where Landis detailed the intimidation he suffered at the hands of the UCI and alleged the body’s collusion in covering up an Armstrong positive test in 2001. Kimmage subsequently published the full transcript of the seven hour-long interview on nyvelocity.com and believes there is no better account of the sport’s problems than Landis’ own words.

That's backed up by: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mcquaid-and-verbruggen-seek-damages-from-kimmage (30/01/12)

The Sunday Times interview is behind the Murdoch paywall, but a full transcript can be found at: http://velocitynation.com/content/interviews/2011/landiskimmage

[spesh]

The lawsuit is a bullying tactic no doubt learned from their Texan pal.

Exactly - consider what LA and the peloton did to Bassons and Simeoni as the template they are following. By gunning for Kimmage, they seek to prevent him from writing about the UCI and/or bankrupt him, in an attempt to scare off any other journalist who is considering following up on some of the stuff in the Hamilton/Coyle book.

Anyway there's a defence fund been setup for Kimmage (against his wishes).

http://nyvelocity.com/content/features/2012/paul-kimmage-defense-fund

$1871 and counting...   

[sg37409]

Kimmage has shown a lot of courage so far, and I wouldnt imagine this lawsuit would bother him much. In fact it may serve to strengthen his case against the UCI. Personally I hope so and will be delighted when the UCI (in its current guise) is destroyed. (never forgiven them for the farcical rule making to outlaw Obrees bikes)

[Exit Stage Left]

Kimmage left the Sunday Times earlier this year, he was last heard of at the Daily Mail, although his message of scepticism about Wiggins didn't find many takers. If Wiggins is to fully embrace the role of patron he needs to embrace a bit of omerta. He learned that much from Armstrong in 2009.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2177405/Bradley-Wiggins-battle-cyclings-drug-demons--Paul-Kimmage.html

[spesh]

If Wiggins is to fully embrace the role of patron he needs to embrace a bit of omerta. He learned that much from Armstrong in 2009.

If Wiggins ever starts to behave the way Armstrong did as "patron", as described below, he's going to go way down in my estimation.

... the boldest and bravest man in Hamilton's book makes just a fleeting appearance. Christophe Bassons was called Mr Clean. He not only refused to dope but during the 1999 Tour he wrote a column for Le Parisien in which he said the notorious Festina Affair had changed nothing. Despite arrests and bans, cycling remained as crooked as ever. Hamilton claims he saw Armstrong threaten and then isolate Bassons.

"No one defended him," Hamilton writes of Bassons. "No one would talk to him, not even on his own team. Bassons understood and dropped out the following day." Asked about Bassons now, Hamilton sounds mortified. "I feel awful about the way he was treated. I always knew the peloton would not talk to Christophe after Lance singled him out – but shame on me for doing the same. We succumbed to the pressure that Lance exerted.

"Around 2004, when I was racing against the big beasts, there were only two riders who spoke out against doping: Christophe and Filippo Simeoni, the Italian rider. They were both quickly knocked to the floor and shut down by Lance. Their careers just went downhill and they were ushered out of the sport. At the time people were happy to see them leave. Now I think: 'How tragic.' I'd love to let them know how I feel. They were just two small fish in a huge pond filled with hundreds of fishermen – they had little chance."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/sep/24/tyler-hamilton-tour-de-france

The L'Equipe interview with Travis Tygart reveals that the USADA dossier should be hitting the UCI very soon, although Hamilton's comments in the Guardian report's opening paragraph imply that there may be a lot of dirt in the public domain far sooner than the L'Equipe article suggested.

I believe the pendulum has swung the other way," Tyler Hamilton says on a quiet afternoon at home in Montana as he considers the shift of momentum in the case of Lance Armstrong and the dirty truth of road cycling. "The Omertà – the code of silence – still exists but a lot of riders in the peloton, a lot of directors, know so much about Lance. They've not said a lot because they're scared. But the truth is coming out now. I've heard that the stuff coming out in the next couple of weeks from other riders is going to make front page news in the sports sections."

Meanwhile, the Kimmage defence fund is now past $20,000 and accelerating... http://inrng.com/2012/09/paul-kimmage-defence-fund/#more-11047

[Hot Flatus]

I believe the pendulum has swung the other way," Tyler Hamilton says on a quiet afternoon at home in Montana as he considers the shift of momentum in the case of Lance Armstrong and the dirty truth of road cycling. "The Omertà – the code of silence – still exists but a lot of riders in the peloton, a lot of directors, know so much about Lance. They've not said a lot because they're scared. But the truth is coming out now. I've heard that the stuff coming out in the next couple of weeks from other riders is going to make front page news in the sports sections."

The riders and directors know a lot about Lance and his tricks because with very few exceptions they were doing the same stuff.  Armstrong has to go down for the the sake of the future (such as it matters) and because it may open up the can of worms that is the governing body.  Armstrong didn't invent doping, he merely picked up on what everyone else was already doing.  The difference lies in whether he was facilitated by high ranking members in the UCI, who were prepared to scare off other riders on his behalf, help him evade dope testers, and cover up his own positives.

That is the story.

[David Martin]

There was an interesting image somewhere showing the business and other links of the Armstrong 'family' which manages to tie in a remarkable number of people through promotion companies, teams, childrens business interests, speaking engagements etc. A real life cycling 'don'

[Hot Flatus]

Everybody got fat on the Armstrong factor, except those who dared try to reveal the deceit of pro-cycling.

[Nuncio]

There was an interesting image somewhere showing the business and other links of the Armstrong 'family' which manages to tie in a remarkable number of people through promotion companies, teams, childrens business interests, speaking engagements etc. A real life cycling 'don'

http://dimspace.co.uk/la/ArmstrongBusinessConnections1707.png

[spesh]

I know, the Downfall parody meme is probably getting tired, but this made oi larf. 

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_udFWNqymfY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_udFWNqymfY&rel=1</a>

[Biff]

An interesting docu on Millar. He is very honest about his feelings and to me comes across quite well.
I feel immensely sorry for his sister Frances (now a PR guru for Sky).
BTW the background commentary is in Spanish, but for the main parts Millar speaks English.

http://inrng.com/2012/09/david-millar-documentary/