The decision is in
and it only took two years.
I have to admit, I’m disappointed. I had hoped he would be vindicated because, regardless of his actual guilt or innocence —a fact which we will never know for certain— the one crystal clear thing is that this process is corrupt to the core. As a result, I expect Prudhomme, Pound, McQuaid, and the rest to be crowing about the result any minute now, but they should, instead, be hanging their heads in shame. Apparently, it doesn’t matter what the process is as long as you get the result you want. Perhaps WADA should relocate to Zimbabwe, they would feel right at home. I fully expect this to result in the complete elimination of any rights to due process, or indeed any rights at all, for any rider accused of anything. An accusation is a conviction. The groundwork has already been laid.
To the riders: it’s time to grow a pair and get yourselves organized. Can you imagine this happening in football (either kind), basketball, baseball, or any other professional sport?
I’m not excited about the tour. I doubt I’ll watch any of it, and will only know the results because it will be impossible to avoid in my blogroll. I won’t shun it, but neither will I seek it out and I certainly won’t spend any time on it. The whole thing - the riders, the owners, the sponsors, ASO, WADA, USADA, UCI - not a one of them is worth my time.
A pox on them all.
Feh.
Aside: Watch or read The Flying Scotsman for an example of just how petty and spiteful the UCI can be. Double that for WADA and USADA. Then, of course, there’s Landis’ own book. But the Obree story is undisputed and long established fact.
