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Vincenzo Nibali escapes public grilling on drugs in Tour de France Vincenzo Nibali escapes public grilling on drugs in Tour de France
(about 1 hour later)
Cycling will struggle for a good while to escape its doping past, and the little run of stories in recent weeks – Daryl Impey, Roman Kreuziger, Jonathan Tiernan-Locke - have done nothing to help. Last year, it seemed inevitable that Chris Froome would be asked questions about his ethics, given the rapidity of his rise and the relative ease with which he dominated much of the Tour; 12 months on, Vincenzo Nibali has faced none of the same interrogation. The contrast has not escaped Sir Dave Brailsford, whose final point to the press on the rest day was a simple question: why has there been less questioning around Nibali than his manFroome?Cycling will struggle for a good while to escape its doping past, and the little run of stories in recent weeks – Daryl Impey, Roman Kreuziger, Jonathan Tiernan-Locke - have done nothing to help. Last year, it seemed inevitable that Chris Froome would be asked questions about his ethics, given the rapidity of his rise and the relative ease with which he dominated much of the Tour; 12 months on, Vincenzo Nibali has faced none of the same interrogation. The contrast has not escaped Sir Dave Brailsford, whose final point to the press on the rest day was a simple question: why has there been less questioning around Nibali than his manFroome?
It’s a fair one. Eight days from the finish, the Italian looks as likely a winner as Froome did after winning the stage on top of Mont Ventoux, and he has been every bit as dominant, winning three stages in the first 12 days, each calling for a slightly different skill set. Thus far, however, there has been none of the overt speculation in which, say, French television indulged themselves about Froome, particularly after the Ventoux finish.It’s a fair one. Eight days from the finish, the Italian looks as likely a winner as Froome did after winning the stage on top of Mont Ventoux, and he has been every bit as dominant, winning three stages in the first 12 days, each calling for a slightly different skill set. Thus far, however, there has been none of the overt speculation in which, say, French television indulged themselves about Froome, particularly after the Ventoux finish.
Ironically, Nibali’s connections – or more specifically those of his Astana team – carry far more baggage than those of Froome and Sky. Astana is run by the Kazakh superstar Alexandr Vinokourov, Olympic road race champion at the London Games after – unrepentantly – serving a two-year ban for blood doping. Notoriously, the team was refused entry into the 2008 Tour following Vino’s positive in the 2007 race. Ironically, Nibali’s connections – or more specifically those of his Astana team – carry far more baggage than those of Froome and Sky. Astana is run by the Kazakh superstar Alexandr Vinokourov, Olympic road race champion at the London Games after – unrepentantly – serving a two‑year ban for blood doping. Notoriously, the team were refused entry into the 2008 Tour following Vino’s positive in the 2007 race.
Alongside Vino the team is directed on the road by the genial Italian Giuseppe Martinelli, one of the more adept directeurs sportifs in the game, but a man whose roots go back into the 1990s, when he worked at the Carrera team alongside Claudio Chiappucci, and more famously, with the late Marco Pantani, a superbly charismatic and much-loved climber whose name is synonymous with the abuse of EPO. Alongside Vino the team is directed on the road by the genial Italian Giuseppe Martinelli, one of the more adept directeurs sportifs in the game but a man whose roots go back into the 1990s, when he worked at the Carrera team alongside Claudio Chiappucci and, more famously, with the late Marco Pantani, a superbly charismatic and much-loved climber whose name is synonymous with the abuse of erythropoietin (EPO).
Martinelli, like many of those who knew Pantani and liked him, argues that the issues around Pantani – known as “the Pirate” – are not black and white but he is certainly no blinkered defender of his former protege. “Doping is a complex issue, and if Marco is being rehabilitated, that’s because there is no reason to reject him when Coppi and [Jacques] Anquetil are loved and they too were doped.”Martinelli, like many of those who knew Pantani and liked him, argues that the issues around Pantani – known as “the Pirate” – are not black and white but he is certainly no blinkered defender of his former protege. “Doping is a complex issue, and if Marco is being rehabilitated, that’s because there is no reason to reject him when Coppi and [Jacques] Anquetil are loved and they too were doped.”
Nibali shows the same openness when asked similar questions to those posed to Froome last year. “Yes, I think it’s normal [to be asked about doping],” he said. “I had the same questions at the Giro last year and in the past too at training camps. It’s clearly a hot topic but I think that it’s also something that’s part of the past. Nibali does not seem defensive when asked similar questions to those that Froome was posed last year, and on Saturday he responded to a question about alleged links with Armstrong’s notorious trainer Michele Ferrari, stating that they had never met and that the claim had been withdrawn during a legal case. He is clearly used to the questioning. “I think it’s normal [to be asked about doping],” he said. “I had the same questions at the Giro last year and in the past too at training camps. It’s clearly a hot topic but it’s also something that’s part of the past.
“I can’t be the spokesman for the whole peloton, certainly, but the goodwill to improve and do something more is certainly exceptional. Mistakes were made by a lot of riders. We need to leave these mistakes in the past, and give younger riders a chance. We still have some isolated incidents now because unfortunately, the mother of the imbecile is always pregnant.”“I can’t be the spokesman for the whole peloton, certainly, but the goodwill to improve and do something more is certainly exceptional. Mistakes were made by a lot of riders. We need to leave these mistakes in the past, and give younger riders a chance. We still have some isolated incidents now because unfortunately, the mother of the imbecile is always pregnant.”
There are other reasons that can be suggested as well as the fact that Nibali and company seem less hostile when questioned about doping issues than Sky did in 2012 and 2013. One is that Nibali’s rise is less sudden than the Kenyan-born Briton’s, as he has been winning major Tours since his victory in the Vuelta in 2010, but the main one is that Froome and his team suffered an inevitable backlash after Lance Armstrong’s final unmasking. It was often suggested that 2013 was always a tough Tour to win, and on the evidence of 2014, that seems to be the case. There are other reasons that can be suggested for the decline in doping questions. One is that Nibali’s rise is less sudden than Froome’s, as he has been winning major Tours since his victory in the Vuelta in 2010, but the main difference is that Froome and Sky suffered an inevitable backlash in the Tour that immediately followed Lance Armstrong’s final unmasking. It was often suggested that 2013 was always a tough Tour to win and on the evidence of 2014 that seems to be the case.