Goat Got as Press Tries (Allegedly) Geared Up Granny.
by wjohngalloway
While Scott does sterling work tilting at the Windmills of Aigle I’ve been neglecting this blog. I’ve mentioned struggling to find time for these unpaid endeavours so often that it’s become a mantra. The simple truth though is that, whilst I’m conceited enough to believe I can write passably, I’m not passionate about the the “craft” of writing. It’s merely a means to an end. I only post when I have no other way to talk about things that mean something to me.
So, here’s something that’ll take more than 140 characters and I’m not doing other media (at the moment).
The latest cycling legend to be accused of having feet of clay is the venerable Jeannie Longo. 52 years old and owner of a palmares that makes Eddy look twice. As the decades passed and Longo kept winning the rumours of dopage gathered as quickly as the trophies she was taking from women half her age. As those rumours came to a head this week Longo claimed to be “the most tested athlete on the planet”. Given the length of her career I’d be inclined to take her word on that above the word of The Texan, who also claims that distinction.
Is Longo guilty? Well, I have an opinion but it’s only that, an opinion. All athletes deserve the benefit of the doubt until due process has run it’s course, even if that course takes longer than the time it takes to rear a Catalan cow.
So, as I sit here, Duvel at my side, you may well ask “Why the hell is John wasting my time if he’s not ranting about Jeannie Longo doping?”
Two words. Joe Papp.
Now, on the face of it, Joe should be the poster child for the rehab path that Scott and I have espoused since the early days of The Velocast. Don’t ostracise or demonise genuinely repentant dopers. Welcome them back and use their expertise to cleanse the sport of the corrupt subculture that’s existed for decades. Turn poachers into gamekeepers. I still believe that’s the way forward.
There’s something about Mr Papp though. Laying aside the fact that his cocktail of sampled PED’s reads like a wine list, he also admits to being a supplier.
I once had a weird Twitter exchange with him in which all of my posts were public and all of his replies were DM’s. I’m a firm believer in public debate so I un-followed Joe so he wouldn’t be able to DM me. The conversation stopped.
Derek, my co-host on the Flammecast used to get particularly apoplectic about some of Joe’s posts.
Let’s forget the past though and focus on today, let’s focus on a piece by Shane Stokes over on VeloNation . Which, by the way, you should all visit regularly. Great site.
Let’s focus on this quote:
“At this time I have not been called to testify in the case of Jeannie Longo, though it would not surprise me if based on my activities as an intermediary between various professional and amateur athletes and the Chinese sellers of the Eposino-brand of EPO and Jintropin HGH, I was asked to recount my dealings with a certain client in France who purchased EPO,”
I’ll keep this brief, since my beer is warming. The correct answer to the questions put to to Joe if he genuinely wanted to support due process and make a difference in the fight against doping would have been.
“I have no comment at this time”
Then go away and testify and be part of the solution.
If instead you choose to say (here it comes again)
“At this time I have not been called to testify in the case of Jeannie Longo, though it would not surprise me if based on my activities as an intermediary between various professional and amateur athletes and the Chinese sellers of the Eposino-brand of EPO and Jintropin HGH, I was asked to recount my dealings with a certain client in France who purchased EPO,”
What you are actually saying is
” I know more than you, I’m important, and by the way I sold Jeannie some good shit! Look at me please! I’m cool and in the know. Honest guv!”
In short, self aggrandising, attention seeking, playground level boasting totally at odds with respecting the previously mentioned due process. Lacking in class. Sleazy.
Happy to have a discussion any time if you disagree Joe.
Don’t get me started about Rebellin and Katusha. This retweet by Geraint Thomas says it all.
“@Daleappleby86: Why do WorldTour teams keep signing ex-chargers? So many good up & coming clean riders. #givethemachance”well said
Update 10/9/11
Today I’ve received feedback from other’s who have been recipients of Mr Papp’s DM Twitter exchanges. I’m not alone.
In the interest of balance I’d also like to point folk at this post by Cyclisme Spandelles. Well worth a read. Mr Papp has been participating in the comment thread so I’ve left him a couple of questions.
You’re entitled to your opinion but in this specific case I disagree with you, and I do so from a position where I possess what is most likely more information that you such that it’s informed my decision so that I am comfortable with my statements re. this situation. So you can either take my word for it and keep watching and see what, if anything, develops, or you can decide that because I didn’t follow the script that you think I should follow, I’m somehow acting inappropriately. I just wonder if you’re so wedded to your position that you won’t be able to abandon it when things have run their natural course. Whatever, though. As I’ve said elsewhere, there isn’t a universal script for these situations and you’re entitled to think that I’m improvising inappropriately. I disagree but I don’t say that you shouldn’t be entitled to think what you want.
Although I allowed myself to slip off into rapid-fire commenting of the sort i’ve not done for awhile, it’s just to distract (myself) from the excruciating, dispiriting, anxiety-inducing, suicidal ideation inspiring existence that is the wait to learn when I’ll find out if and for how long I’ll be sent to federal prison, at which point I’ll have to then determine if I have the hope and perseverance required to survive such an ordeal, and what does that mean for how I approach these last days. In short, feel free to take me to task and criticize whatever, but don’t imagine that you have enough insight into my situation to be capable of judging what I say on the internet.
Joe, I actually just said to a friend I regretted our exchange since I felt you were vulnerable. I care passionately about our sport having spent many unpaid hours contributing what little I could to the commentary on it.
Words said in anger reflect one aspect of our personality and it’s all too easy to adopt a strictly polarised position in the emotionally abstract atmosphere of the internet.
Ultimately though, as one who has also stared into the abyss where we call our very existence into question and debate whether our loved ones would be better off without us, albeit many years ago? I’ll say this to you.
It’s just fucking cycling, we care about it passionately but it’s not worth a single human life and if it comes to prison? Well, lots of folk get through that and come out of the other side.
Look after yourself Joe and if you feel like a long, non judgemental chat anytime? There’s be a barely understandable Scottish bloke listening.
You should nevertheless really consider getting advice about what you say/do.
Some hours later I’m torn. Joe sounds desperate and given my struggles with depression in the past my first instinct is to grant the benefit of the doubt. I don’t want to be played and my instinct is that Joe is genuinely fragile.
Not sure what to do. I’ll leave it but suggest we all encourage him to get healthy and ignore his courting of the media.
Bottom line remains..it’s just cycling.
John: Let’s assume that you’re correct and Joe Papp is in fact medically depressed and probably financially destitute. Recommending that he get professional advice for how to tweet, blog, or email seems a little unreasonable under that premise.
As for Jeannie, I’ve always admired her fortitude and general French femme studliness (there’s a concept) and it will be sad to see all the facts come out. My only hope is that they come out quickly and we can put this shaid behind us.
Finally, I think “it’s only cycling” is naive. People build their lives around all sorts of silly crap and it ends up becoming their… uh, life. My guess is that Mr. Papp has in fact hung his entire being and identity on the world of bicycle racing, and I have to admit that’s no goofier than hanging it on pugilism, plumbing, or politics. Combine this with my original premise, your own admission of dealing with depression, and I wonder why you go out of your way to beat the guy about the head and shoulders.
Let’s go attack Texan bullies instead…
Fair points. Here are my thoughts.
I didn’t say professional advice, a friend with Joe’s best interests at heart would be far more useful.
As to being naive about it only being cycling? It’s now a long while since I REALLY struggled with depression but a major part of me learning to come to terms with life was the realisation that things I thought were, quite literally, of life and death import, things I had “built my life around” were far less important than the people I loved and who loved me and my own sense of self. Depression causes a loss of perspective, my encouragement to remember “it’s only cycling” was an attempt to restore that perspective.
Naive? Perhaps, but it’s exactly the kind of realisation that turned my life around.
Beating Joe about the head and shoulders? Well, as you’ve probably noticed I care about cycling and took issue with how Joe was behaving. Once we got into a discussion and I read Joe’s comment above?
I stopped.
Re Longo. She deserves the due process that a trial by innuendo will deny her.
Lots of philosophical debate above, but I think it boils down to a much more tangible point…
If Joe took the sugested ‘no comment’ option and waited to testify… exactly WHERE would he be testifying??
Sporting Tribunal? Criminal Court? Civil Court?
Given the timelines and France’s statute of limitations, it’s pretty clear that there can no formal action taken against Longo or Ciprelli. Will French prosecutors bring an action for their (alleged) impost of proscribed drugs into the country? With those quantitities? Quite clearly at levels consistant with personal use… it would be hard to make them look like some Columbian cartel. …
Seemns clear to me there will be no case brought. This shouldn’t be news to anyone as clearly L’Equipe figured that one out some time ago, or they would not be publishing this story right now, would they? The court of public opinion is the only place that this can be aired.