SA Footy

O'Grady has fessed up. Took EPO before the 1998 tour. Apparently was for a couple of weeks leading into the tour then never again. Very, very disappointing. I understand to a point, though. When so many are doing it and you can't keep up you can get desperate. Just a shame that even someone of O'Grady's standing does it and only admits it when he expects to get outed.

Time to change the name of the bikeway along the Northern Expressway. No accolades for confessed cheats in my mind.

Devastating news ... a real shame.

Disgrace!!!

Most disturbing for mine is that he has waited so long to confess. I know the French senate enquiry handed down some names of people suspected of doping on the '98 tour but why wait until now?

IMO, if you can hold onto a lie for 15 years you can hold onto a lie forever. How can anyone believe him when after 15 years he says "I only did it once".....?

Poor form Stew, poor form.

I'm not condoning him at all and it looks like he's only fessed up because he was caught ... but at least he has made a public confession.

It has unfortunately tarnished what seemed to be a brilliant career and it will haunt him forever.

We mere mortals will never know or understand the pressure these guys are under ... I would like to think that if I was in the same situation that I'd do the honourable thing but I honestly can't be certain.

I know people who are close to him and they'd be guttered.

Good news is there won't be many more riders from the late 90s implicated. Simply because there aren't many left. I imagine there were a few who did it clean, just makes you wonder whether they sit at home feeling good for taking the moral high ground or whether they just feel ripped off that they didn't get the results they deserved. I'd probably feel more the latter, since nobody would believe you actually did ride clean.

Time for the sport to let them all take drugs.

They will never get on top of this and there will always be questions asked about the champions for the next 100 years.

Lol'd at 'once'.

whufc wrote:Time for the sport to let them all take drugs.

They will never get on top of this and there will always be questions asked about the champions for the next 100 years.

Yep agreed.
They will never clean it up

Cycling or AFL?

Q. wrote:Lol'd at 'once'.

Me too!

Disgraceful and a sport that will be tainted for a very long time. (if not forever)

dedja wrote:Cycling or AFL?

AFL gets my vote.

but he's a nice bloke isn't he like Jobe so he can take banned substances I am sure it was all a misunderstanding by a coach or some Dr he trusted.

whufc wrote:Time for the sport to let them all take drugs.

They will never get on top of this and there will always be questions asked about the champions for the next 100 years.

Let's not forget the level of drug taking we know of in most sports now is very similar to what we thought was the case in cycling in the mid to late 90s. Cycling takes the fight more seriously than any other organisation and it's this very reason we even exposed riders like O'Grady, Armstron, Ullrich etc.

Personally, I think cycling right now is one of the cleanest sports around. The penalties, attitudes and vigor the authorities pursue any half lead gives me some optimism. Particularly when the average speeds of stages is so much lower than it was. But the image will stick for quite some time.

As for letting them all take drugs, I think that's reckless. Those that want to put their long term health first will be effectively retired despite working harder and being better. I think that's more unfair.

Grahaml wrote:

whufc wrote:Time for the sport to let them all take drugs.

They will never get on top of this and there will always be questions asked about the champions for the next 100 years.

Let's not forget the level of drug taking we know of in most sports now is very similar to what we thought was the case in cycling in the mid to late 90s. Cycling takes the fight more seriously than any other organisation and it's this very reason we even exposed riders like O'Grady, Armstron, Ullrich etc.

Personally, I think cycling right now is one of the cleanest sports around. The penalties, attitudes and vigor the authorities pursue any half lead gives me some optimism. Particularly when the average speeds of stages is so much lower than it was. But the image will stick for quite some time.

As for letting them all take drugs, I think that's reckless. Those that want to put their long term health first will be effectively retired despite working harder and being better. I think that's more unfair.

And those taking drugs run the risk of serious health problems or death.
Maybe if a few drop dead the athletes will decide its not worth the risk

southee wrote:

dedja wrote:Cycling or AFL?

AFL gets my vote.

All sports.

Grahaml wrote:Let's not forget the level of drug taking we know of in most sports now is very similar to what we thought was the case in cycling in the mid to late 90s. Cycling takes the fight more seriously than any other organisation and it's this very reason we even exposed riders like O'Grady, Armstron, Ullrich etc.

A lot of people actually believe Usain Bolt is clean

Grahaml wrote:

whufc wrote:Time for the sport to let them all take drugs.

They will never get on top of this and there will always be questions asked about the champions for the next 100 years.

Let's not forget the level of drug taking we know of in most sports now is very similar to what we thought was the case in cycling in the mid to late 90s. Cycling takes the fight more seriously than any other organisation and it's this very reason we even exposed riders like O'Grady, Armstron, Ullrich etc.

Personally, I think cycling right now is one of the cleanest sports around. The penalties, attitudes and vigor the authorities pursue any half lead gives me some optimism. Particularly when the average speeds of stages is so much lower than it was. But the image will stick for quite some time.

As for letting them all take drugs, I think that's reckless. Those that want to put their long term health first will be effectively retired despite working harder and being better. I think that's more unfair.

I didn't think they ever complete the same stage twice? Well, never the exact same route anyway.

Booney wrote:

Grahaml wrote:

whufc wrote:Time for the sport to let them all take drugs.

They will never get on top of this and there will always be questions asked about the champions for the next 100 years.

Let's not forget the level of drug taking we know of in most sports now is very similar to what we thought was the case in cycling in the mid to late 90s. Cycling takes the fight more seriously than any other organisation and it's this very reason we even exposed riders like O'Grady, Armstron, Ullrich etc.

Personally, I think cycling right now is one of the cleanest sports around. The penalties, attitudes and vigor the authorities pursue any half lead gives me some optimism. Particularly when the average speeds of stages is so much lower than it was. But the image will stick for quite some time.

As for letting them all take drugs, I think that's reckless. Those that want to put their long term health first will be effectively retired despite working harder and being better. I think that's more unfair.

I didn't think they ever complete the same stage twice? Well, never the exact same route anyway.

think its average speeds are lower than the drug fueled era.