AMNESTY COMING ?

As plain as a nose on my face , was the need for an " ALL SPORTS AMNESTY "! Fat Pat on the other hand thinks that he can control the " Shitfight " by calling the " UCI " which he and his minions control to announce the " UCI Truth & Concilliation  Commission " when they meet on the 19&20th September in Holland !

FAT PAT , you just don't get it do you ? An " AMNESTY " is needed to include the likes of yourself !  Do you think , that we the " Unwashed Public " , believe that you are an " innocent ", in ALL that has taken place since the " Festina Affair " in 1998  ?

 Right in ONE ! We don't ! Get on the phone to your bosom buddy , the one and only Jacques Rogge , and ask him to save your skin , by calling for an " ALL SPORT AMNESTY "! Time some of these other sports got their house in order ! So much is written about Tennis and Soccer for example , that " Smoke " must be caused by something , and the fire is probably looking for a place to surface .

Jacques Rogge , surely , does not wish to be opening the " Chemical Olympic Games in Rio " , in 2016 ? Why wait for more Sports Federations to find that their house is not as tidy as they think ? Sepp Blatter , will for one breathe a sigh of relief when an " ALL SPORTS AMNESTY " is called ? Are there other Feds with problems , you bet there are ! I for one cannot keep up with what is going on in ALL the other sports !

As for the " UCI " running an " Amnesty " , is there anyone in the " UCI " , that the " Supposedly corrupt " that you wish to come forward , can TRUST ? " Trust us Folks " , we have your best interests at Heart , whilst we cover our Butt "! No way Jose ! There are some fine folk working for the " UCI " , some would be acceptable to many , but for the most part , those with " Problem Pasts " would be reluctant to allow you and your minions into their house , let alone into their Consciences ! Until a third party is involved , you will waste your time and that of the Cycling Community , proposing " Half Measures "!

Your staff probably are aware of letters written and posted in my blogs to YOU , Jacques Rogge , John Fahey and Jonathon Vaughters during the past years , requesting ACTION , even proposing the " ALL SPORTS AMNESTY " ! I have even written to Chris Prudhomme and the French President in the hope of tidying up a few things that i see as urgent . Foolish of me , a nobody , to ask that " Sport " cleans itself up !

 Here are a few links to remind you that i am not barking up the wrong tree :

Fat Pat , you were involved in this article :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/cycling-chief-considers-doping-amnesty-for-riders-officials-in-wake-of-armstrong-case/2012/09/07/1a30840e-f928-11e1-a93b-7185e3f88849_story.html

This resulted in this discussion starting on the Mushroom Farm ( CNF Clininc ) :



http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18490

Of course , this story , follows another , that of Jonathon Vaughters revealing Tom Danielson's past endeavours during his early Cycling Career :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vaughters-confirms-past-doping-by-danielson-others-at-garmin


Came across this story as a result of reading Steve Tilford's blogs :

http://stevetilford.com/?p=21510#comments

http://stevetilford.com/?p=21549#comments

In an earlier CyclingNews article , this week , i came across Johann M.'s , doping admissions  but it seems i have deleted the link , as my computer needed CPU to compose this post .

The mushroom Farm has been in overdrive this past weeks with all these revelations , what with the ongoing   Lance v USADA spat , the poor people must be exhausted , both mentally and physically . Leaping to conclusions , conjecture and innuendo , and then toasting their success , since Lance walked away from the " Main Event " depriving them of the spurious pleasure of the " Arbitration Procedures "!

Folks , until WADA and IOC decide to act , and impose an " ALL SPORTS AMNESTY " nothing is going to change in the Cycling Industry !  Management exploring itself is a WASTE OF TIME !

Who am i to tell those earning a salary , how to run their businesses ?

BUT perhaps you can believe this Lady's point of view ?


http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schenk-doubts-mcquaid-has-the-credibility-to-clean-up-cycling

Could Silvia Schenk have been too vocal in 2005 , for those supporting Fat Pat , to be allowed to stay in the " UCI " hierarchy ?

Letter to Jonathon Vaughters

Jonathon
Read your article with a little understanding of the situation you found yourself in , when you were aspiring to be a Pro Cyclist ! Those of you reading this post can refer to the article direct :

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/how-to-get-doping-out-of-sports.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Whilst it is a " Mea Culpa " it does not show how to solve the situation ! I have for some time been writiung to John Fahey of WADA and Jacques Rogge of IOC asking them to impose an " Amnesty " , so as to get ALL the Skeletons out into the open !

You with your exposure and " high Profile " could if you wished see this necessary step imposed ! No matter how many " Mea Culpa's " we see on the road to Rio , the next Olympic Games WILL BE  " THE CHEMICAL OLYMPIC GAMES " ! So many see that there are exploitable loopholes and decide that if " Joe Athlete " is able to escape detection , then it is worth the effort !

Usain Bolt comes from a country where " Random OOC testing seems to be the exception rather than the rule . His success is being unfairly questioned as a result . How many of the Brits find the finger of suspicion levelled at them ? Dave Millar was at the Olympic BECAUSE there are " Lawyers " making a substantial income from defending the undefensible , " Sporting Fraud " ! Not read Dave's book but " Rhino " as he knows i now call him , is tarred by his 2003 mistakes . I was thrilled to see his victorious Etappe at the 2012TDF , the only Breakaway that succeeded as far as i am aware . Dave inspired his companions to work together to stay away until 5km from the finish line . It would appear that those riding with him trust his judgement and thus cooperated where on other days the racers treated each other with suspicion .

CALL FOR THE AMNESTY ! You can and should demand of the " Hierachy of Sport " to ACT NOW and bring into the open ALL that transgressed in their careers . Why talk about what you did when you have the opportunity to lead from the front !

In imposing an " Amnesty " , IOC & WADA can give until , say , 1 October 2012 to disclose as an Athlete OR coach , DS , Team Owner their episodes of stepping over the line ! After that date they risk being found out by " Whistle Blowers " and LIFE TIME BANS WILL APPLY !

If 1 October 2012 , is imposed then during October / November a website will publish ALL names that stepped forward and NO PENALTY will apply ! Those disregarding this deadline risk the following possibilities !

On 1st December 2012 any Trainer/Coach , DS , Team Owner , Mechanic or Soigneur that worked with an Undisclosed Athlete will risk Life Time Bans , Also , should they not disclose what they know about those , that choose to take the risk of discovery ! There will be many who think they can escape detection and ONLY by imposing on their associates the same HARSH PENALTIES will we the public be rid of the menace of " Sporting Fraud " !

What i have proposed to those with the ability to act , is not simple , but HARSH METHODS need to be applied to rid the coming Generations of Athletes from the CRAP imposed on you in your youth , and continues to be applied to other " LESS RESOLUTE YOUNGSTERS " these days  .

You know me as a " pain in the Ass ", but do you think i needed " PEDs to ride the routes of the Grand Tours ? I didn't but then , firstly i was under no " peer Presure " , and secondly i could get off my bike to enjoy a break as and when i chose ! 15 visits to the " Le Tour " and 14 rides of the route of the Giro d'Italia as well as various other Tours toughened me up to the reality the racers have to endure . It dismays me to hear of even " shamateurs " using PEDs to gain " bragging rights " with their Buddies .

On 1st January of 2013 , i should like to think that families can deliver their offspring to Coaches / Trainers whose background has been revealed ! There will be some Coaches that will lose " prestige and clients ", but overall there will be an " Informed Public " who can choose those that will best train their charges without resorting to Underhand methods to achieve results !

Can we trust YOU to ensure the Authorities will sit up and LISTEN ?

Can we trust you to start the ball rolling to ensure that SPORT IS CLEAN ?

Have you the willpower to ensure " SPORTING FRAUD IN ALL SPORT " has had it's day ?

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Consistent snow is the outlook this weekend which gives me a chance whilst watching the Alpine Ski Racing to review some of the news from the past week.

Jon Vaughters wrote an interesting article about Sponsorship and Team rankings mid week and then this morning I read that Pegasus( new Aussie team) are not only missing out on the Pro Tour Status but possibly the Pro Continental ranking also. Racers of the calibre of Robbie Mc Ewen could well be side lined by this decision and this will defeat the Sponsors prime objective for setting up the team , which was apparently to contest the Grand Tours in 2011. There is something to be said about BMC Team‘s approach to the Pro Tour in that they started out as Continental and worked their way up through Pro Continental to Pro Tour Status. Sponsors are all interested in “Return on Investment” no matter what else they say and gravitating to teams that are constantly in the news and presented on TV is the main objective of any commercial decision. Since 2000 when I visited John Morris in Sydney and told him that “Australian Tourism” should sponsor a team, I have been waiting to see an Aussie team at the Grand Tours, but it is looking bleak for 2011 at this time.

Contador continues to be in the news as Spanish Sport in general is having a successful period, but with the latest Police Raids and confiscations the tide of sympathy even in Spain must be turning against him. An article about an Italian Cyclist caught my eye because the Italian Authorities are going after the whole family. Lampre are unlucky to have had several Cyclists over the years become casualties of their desire to take short cuts. Gerolsteiner was a team that collapsed because of lack of sponsors due to several of their roster who were either thought they were too smart to get caught or too greedy, and each of these individuals blame all but themselves.

This week I commented on Contador and suggested that either UCI boss Pat Mc Quaid bite the bullet and bring his desire for 4 yr suspensions to reality or resign and allow a stronger personality to get the job done. Seeing that CONI the Italian Organisation taking a firmer stand about doping came as a surprise but I hope that they will continue to prosecute families and supporters in the future instead of their previous wishy washy defence of their “Sporting Fraudsters” ! High Profile Athletes are the idols of the young and impressionable and thus when they behave badly we have a new generation of “copycat behaviour” which is detrimental to all regardless of the sport. Having been somewhat of an oddity since 1998 I have had access to some of the Prime Movers In Cycling and have advocated more Drug Testing and Longer Suspension periods since I first visited UCI offices in Lausanne during 1999. What effect I have had on their thinking is obvious in that nothing appears to have changed since then except the names being suspended and the drugs and methods they use.

Sporting Fraud is a Criminal Activity whether by individual or by team it deserves being treated by draconian measures, the athletes involved and their “handlers” are petty thieves and just as you would lock up a burglar or drink driver these miscreants deserve a spell behind bars. Fact is the prisons are full so being locked in the house with an Ankle Tag Electronic Device for 4 years causing the family grief would save the community money and serve as a warning to any athlete contemplating similar activities. Andy Schleck was 2nd at the TDF but I know that IF “pistolero” is suspended he will not wish to wear No 1 at the Start of the TDF in July 2011. Most of the prestige in winning the TDF is being able to make that triumphant Lap of Honour on the Champs Elysee on the final day, being deprived of that by the likes of flandis must have been hugely disappointing to the eventual winner.

Over the years I have written to various Heads of State to ask them to call for a Moratorium from prosecution on the Drugs Question, “Drip, Drip, Drip “ seems to be the order of the day , pass the 10 year cut off period and then put your hand up to usage when there is no longer risk of prosecution. Continually hearing of these criminal activities does not encourage the public to believe that the fight against drugs is being waged let alone won. Several countries have put penalties for “Sporting Fraud” into their legislative powers in recent years but there are too many out there still awaiting the end of their 10 years to get their transgressions out in the open. Proclaiming a World Wide Moratorium for all SPORT with a time limit and then the removal of the current cut off point will cause many a head line but should put an end to this blight with which Clean Athletes have to contend . Those with the skeleton in the cupboard will face a bleak future with Draconian sentences when found out if they refuse the “Olive Branch”.

Cycle Safety is another area that needs far more attention, too many cyclists are being bullied by those who most likely also rode a bike whilst growing old enough to earn the PRIVELEGE of a driving license. What is it with these people who fail to leave their starting point with time enough to arrive safely at their destination. Life isn’t about how much aggravation you cause as you spend your day and it certainly doesn’t require causing others harm. The Cycling Silk Blog recently has come to be a series of items about a thug who the authorities refuse to investigate let alone censure.

English authorities handle formal complaints from the public with an eye to how much time and resources they will use in resolving the matter. Being presented with Video evidence by a prominent member of the legal profession and treating this material with disdain sends the wrong message to the rest of the cycling community. When you or I get on our bike we wish to be treated equally and fairly by road users and deserve to be penalised for transgressions but when the authorities treat cyclists as a lower form of life then all the encouragement by politicians for us to get on the bike are frustrated.

Martin Porter QC is not only a cycle commuter but cycle racer and with his knowledge of the law deserves more respect from the authorities he is attempting to involve in prosecuting the miscreant who not only abused him but threatened to kill him., currently he is looking for action by the head of the English Criminal Prosecution Service with the support of a variety of cycling organisations.