Kimmage Interview

Raam

http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2009/paul-kimmage

Dura Ace

Really good interview.

TinyExplosions

I find this part the most telling:

AS: In your book, it almost seems as though, even though there was rampant doping in your time, you felt a lot of pressure, you felt you were at a disadvantage, it seemed like it was almost quaint in comparison. People would offer you something, you'd say no, they'd smile and say 'ok, that's fine'. It seems that at some point it became a lot more hardcore. You couldn't say no any more.

PK: That's partly due to the nature of the drugs themselves. We were talking about testosterone, cortisone, and then in the races where there's no control or limited control, amphetamines. Now, obviously amphetamines made a huge difference, the other stuff, made a difference, but not the same kind of difference as drugs like EPO, where you actually could not compete without those. So the choices were much harder in the years after mine, the 90's, it became much harder to say no. While there was rampant abuse in my time, I don't think it altered, for example, if I had taken testosterone, cortisone, stuff like that for the Tours that I rode, there isn't a chance in hell I'd have won the Tour. Might've won a stage, certainly would've been a better rider. But in terms of winning a Tour, absolutely no way. So I don't think overall, the drugs had the same impact on the hierarchy of the sport as it did after that.

There's that old saying, you can't make a donkey into a racehorse. Well, I think the nature of the drugs that came into the sport in the 90's the EPO, the growth hormone, stuff like that, I think you actually could transform a donkey into a racehorse, and that was the difference. And that's what made it hard to say no. So if it's quaint, it's quaint for that reason.

happygoose

Is this stuff easy to get? I assume so, you can get anything on the 'net.

Does testing go on in races in Ireland?

scottreynolds

Dura Ace wrote: »

Really good interview.

Thats one good long interview. I've been thinking that they really need to get to the bottom of this problem cause its pissing me off.

RobFowl

happygoose wrote: »

Is this stuff easy to get? I assume so, you can get anything on the 'net.

Does testing go on in races in Ireland?

The "stuff" is not easy to get but "gettable" usually online pharmacies (though whether it is what it says on the label is far from guaranteed)

In terms of testing cycling is the highest tested sport (per head of competitors) in ireland. Almost all the tests are done at the Ras and national championships though theoretically they can test at any race.

Bottom line if you're any good you'll probably be tested if not then you'd have to be a sad loser to dope to ride club or 3rd cat races :rolleyes:

petethedrummer

RobFowl wrote: »

you'd have to be a sad loser to dope to ride club or 3rd cat races :rolleyes:

I'm up for a bit of doping, need to get my commute times down.

paddy's hill

Very good interview. Paul is a top man, its a pity there are not more ex-pros like him.

Chips Lovell

That was a great interview. Kimmage is a guy who isn't afraid to talk. And he says an awful lot more in between the lines.

petethedrummer

I wish Bassons' book was available in english http://www.amazon.ca/POSITIF-CHRISTOPHE-BASSONS/dp/2234053064

Any french speakers wanna translate it for me, s’il vous plaît?

Chips Lovell

RobFowl wrote: »

The "stuff" is not easy to get but "gettable" usually online pharmacies (though whether it is what it says on the label is far from guaranteed)

In terms of testing cycling is the highest tested sport (per head of competitors) in ireland. Almost all the tests are done at the Ras and national championships though theoretically they can test at any race.

Bottom line if you're any good you'll probably be tested if not then you'd have to be a sad loser to dope to ride club or 3rd cat races :rolleyes:

I'd tend to agree with this. Look hard enough on the net and you'll find anything. I've come across a few body building forums whre its openly discussed.

Funkyzeit

el tonto wrote: »

I've come across a few body building forums whre its openly discussed.

There is an excellent documentary out called Bigger,Stronger, Faster - shows how rife the use of performance enhancing drugs is even in normal society - although warning Landis appears in it citing the use of his atmospheric machine...and not his testosterone levels...

Slideshowbob

Good interview

If we all had the balls of Kimmage doping would diminish.

But I don't get his admiration for Bob Stapleton of High Road, who has George the climber in his team and who was involved with T mob few years back when they had Jan and Oscar?

I know Stapleton's High Road has a anti doping programme but hey - does that make him an angel?

Chips Lovell

Slideshowbob wrote: »

But I don't get his admiration for Bob Stapleton of High Road, who has George the climber in his team and who was involved with T mob few years back when they had Jan and Oscar?

I know Stapleton's High Road has a anti doping programme but hey - does that make him an angel?

What makes Hincapie any different from the ex-Postal Garmin guys Kimmage refers to?

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

What makes Hincapie any different from the ex-Postal Garmin guys Kimmage refers to?

And indeed, Vaughters himself.

Slideshowbob

Raam wrote: »

And indeed, Vaughters himself.

GH taken as an example. Reference made in Kimmage interview to link which refers to GH at:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/landis/instantmessage.html

quote:
''FDREU: what abut GH climbing the mountains better than azevedo and the entire group

Cyclevaughters: from how floyd described it, i know exactly the methos''

Do you guys think GH is a natural born climber?

Chips Lovell

I don't think anyone is saying that (and that's the IM exchange where Vaughters himself makes his famous 'hot sauce' remark).

SerialComplaint

I don't think it's a great sign when then journalist becomes the story themselves. He'd be better off writing about it than being interviewed about it IMHO.

petethedrummer

When you're the only journalist with the nuts to ask Lance the hard questions, you become part of the story. I don't think it matters if he writes his opinions in an article or answers someone else's questions with his opinions. They're still his opinions.