Rocko published a new article:
Dan Martin wins Stage 9 of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees
Rocko, that’s just linking to a 2006 thread
Hmmm,… where is it doing that? And is that on the App or on a PC? Can anyone else see the article?
I read your article on my laptop. I enjoyed it, pal.
Same as talkback, some old thread
Doing it on apple app too
On the iPhone app
+1
Fucking Apple.
Right well that app is getting fixed soon. Seems to be working fine on the beta version of the new Android app but I’d be grateful if someone could confirm on the normal version.
Here’s a copy and paste for those who want to read it anyway:
It’s not easy being a cycling fan, even a mostly lapsed one. Every year your admiration for the spectacle of the sport, and the guts of the competitors, is dulled by the ever-present cloud of doping. The occasional viewers of the sport even chip in from time to time with moral outrage when a cyclist is caught doping at one of the big races. As if the problem was the guys who were failing tests. The strange thing is, the sport would be in fine shape if it was just the proven guilty dopers we had to worry about.
Cycling has been governed by a sick administration, and the rot of doping has been allowed to fester and to taint many with suspicion. What passes for unbelievable or extraordinary in other sports, is too good to be true in cycling. The very words “incredible” and “unbelievable” have long since lost their idiomatic meaning in cycling - they are now literally question marks over a performance. Spectacular victories make great television, they also create great waves of doubt.
So how refreshing it was today to see Dan Martin pull clear on the final climb in the Pyrenees and fight off the challenge of Jakob Fuglsang to record a rare Irish stage victory in the greatest race of them all. Martin is a terrific athlete, blessed with the rare gift of enjoying mountain stages, and his career deserved a stage win at this level.
And for once there is no suggestion of suspicion. This isn’t blind patriotism, the type of naivety the country wallowed in during the Atlanta Olympics. Our country doesn’t have much pedigree in the fight against doping in cycling. Our greatest cyclists are both tainted not just by their deeds, but by their failure to acknowledge them. But there are no teams run as cleanly as Garmin and even a cursory glance at Martin’s interviews over his career tells a story of a cyclist absolutely committed to winning clean.
The fact that Martin won this stage in a Garmin shirt means everything. Sky’s utter dominance and decimation of the field yesterday was a stark reminder of just how powerful the big cycling teams are.[SIZE=1][1][/SIZE] Even if Lance Armstrong had never been convicted, or even suspected of doping, his career would have been forever tainted in the eyes of many by the fact he was helped up those mountains by cheats. Fuglsang didn’t appear to have much help from Astana colleagues on the final climb today, but no rider competes alone. There are few sights in cycling as sickening to anyone with a contempt for doping as the pale blue Astana jersey. And Fuglsang has joined from a career riding with the Schlecks under Riis and Bruyneel. He may well be clean but his team-mates haven’t been.
It’s a little unfair to write about a stage win for Dan Martin and turn only to the doping question [SIZE=1][2] [/SIZE], but cycling has long since surrendered itself to that necessary analysis, and there are only a minority of riders in the Tour who are completely above suspicion, fewer still who are in contention for a stage win, and a very very select group who could win in the mountains. This was a great result for Irish cycling, and for the sport as a whole.
[SIZE=1][1] [/SIZE][SIZE=2]If cycling, or indeed any sport, wants to commit wholeheartedly to eradicating doping, then they should look at extending the responsibility for conviction wider than individual riders. For example, if Porte (or indeed any Sky rider who was involved in yesterday’s show of strength) tested positive during this Tour, should the team as a whole not be punished for benefiting? If Froome doesn’t dope, but follows the wheels of those who do, then his yellow jersey is unearned and undeserved. For too long cycling teams have pretended to the world that they were oblivious to the sophisticated medical practices taking place in their trailers and hotel rooms. Find one rider clean, and ban the team and you might just get riders with a wider sense of responsibility, less reliance on doped up domestiques and hopefully less pressure on riders to outperform their natural ability levels. Of course, you may well just end up with more sophisticated and orchestrated regimens, but it’s worth a try.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1][2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2]For what it’s worth, that was a gutsy ride from Martin, topped off by astute tactics at the finish. He contributed heavily early on in the breakaway, then shared the work fairly equally, before getting himself into the perfect positions with 1km to go and then again with 150m to go.[/SIZE]
Great article Rocko. Dan Martins win was my highlight of the sporting weekend and I say that as a big rugby fan and a Dub.
Working fine on the normal android app, Rocko.
Thanks Tallback. It really restored my faith in the sport. An awful lot of work left to be done but that was a glimpse at how great the sport can be. The atmosphere was incredible, as usual, and the tension approaching the finish was something else.
Fair play good article, watched from start to finish today and found it very entertaining.
Still being linked to old article, this is a joke.
Rocko and the rest of the cycling ilk are too high to notice
Super read rocko. Your point about minority of riders being above suspicion is one I’d disagree with. All subjective though I suppose. Vaughters has long been a friend of the forum so he will be delighted with such praise for his team coming from the hierarchy.
He is a well known doper.
Fair play to Martin.
Very good read Rocko, I hadn’t considered the point about riders benefitting from teammates doping before and extending the punishment.
Fair play Rocko. I don’t know how you find the time to write articles like this what with the new kid and making a balls of the app. By the way, tagging not working now:rolleyes:.
Anyhoo, a couple of points. That is a great point about punishing the team-could be the answer. Also, is it fair to assume that there are less dopers there this year if a clean rider is winning a stage?
Theres no cyclists you can believe in. The sport should be wound up