Cycling's Bond villain

26 April 2010 | 0:00 - By Philip Gomes

Alexandre Vinokourov's Liege-Bastogne-Liege win has left many cycling fans conflicted and confused and unable to enjoy any winning performance, writes Philip Gomes.

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Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov (Photo:AAP)

"Drain a litre of blood from that bastard and run every damn test in the book," @nicodonnell via Twitter.

The above quote, in response to Alexandre Vinokourov's win in Liege-Bastogne-Liege (LBL), culled from thousands of similar responses on Twitter, pretty well sums up fan reactions to the Kazakh.

To say Vinokourov is unpopular is an understatement. Even among his colleagues in the professional peloton the silence has been deafening, with few congratulatory remarks directed his way.

Indeed, my redoubtable colleague Mike Tomalaris took a straw poll on Twitter asking "does anyone like Vino?" which resulted in a resounding result. No: 24 votes. Yes: 1 vote.

Only surprising because I didn't realise Vinokourov's mum was on Twitter. Today the Kazakh is the Bond villain of the professional peloton.

For the 'tifosi', this years LBL podium has two sets of faces, the official winners - a troika of Alex's - Vinokourov, Koloblev and Valverde replaced by the 'peoples podium' of Kolobnev, Cadel Evans, and Phillippe Gilbert.

All of this follows a week in cycling where a rash of doping suspensions were announced and where the Giro del Trentino saw it's general classification dominated by riders who have returned from high-profile suspensions of their own - led by Vinokourov, who won the race.

The reactions to 'Vino's' Trentino win was similarly visceral and included a bonus dose of caustic comment directed at the runner-up, Riccardo Ricco.

Scanning the social media commentary, clearly there is now no room left amongst the fans for redemption and rehabilitation of dopers, with many calling for life bans for proven offenders.

But to me much of the comment resembles the tabloid 'law and order' beat-ups employed by politicians and media alike - "lock 'em up and throw away the key!" bays the inflamed mob.

I see this very differently. Every rider deserves at least one return from a doping suspension. It's called natural justice, or law.

The Wikipedia definition states that man is basically good, that a person of good intent should not be harmed, and one should treat others as one would like to be treated.

That Vino, and a host of other riders in his position, broke the rules of the game is irrefutable. But it is also true that he has served his time and is entitled by those rules to return to racing.

Nowhere does it say he can return but is not allowed on the podium. Nowhere does it say that he must display an appropriate amount of contrition before winning back the fans' love.

Indeed the matter of fact Kazakh could not have put it more succinctly when he said: "I've turned the page, I've returned stronger than before and I've shown everybody that 'Vino' is back.

"This team was created for and also thanks to me. I've completed my punishment so I don't see why I shouldn't come back."

Years ago Vinokourov had the fans love, with many lauding his swashbuckling take-no-prisoners style; where he would launch himself on one seemingly suicidal attack after another disrupting the cosy hegemony of a well ordered peloton.

So maybe it was that love which has resulted in today's reactions - betrayal always seems greater when the love is stronger.

Important too is this. Vinokourov would have to be one of the world's most watched and tested sportsmen, today he probably looks like a pincushion with a bad haircut now that the sport has a comprehensive system for rooting out the cheats.

The anti-doping officials will have taken blood, hair and urine and have probably included Vino's mum and any pets he may have just to make sure.

With intense media, fan and official scrutiny now the norm for any rider returning from a doping suspension we now have a situation of 'trust but verify'.

Vinokourov says he won LBL clean so I'm prepared to cut him some slack and enjoy his unpopular victory in the great race.

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07 May 2010 16:04 AEST

Drew

From: Sydney

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Lets face it the guy can race and he can do it far better than just about everyone else on the planet. I for one love watching him jam a move as there simply aren't many guys who race with the nouse he has for when and where to go He's done time for the crime, now let him be. For those who want to continue to bitch about who what & why just ask yourselves out of the 200 odd samples found in Operación Puerto 50 of which can be directly attributed to cyclists what ever happened to the soccer, track & tennis stars also found on the ledgers? Nothing !! We now have a program within our sport that no other sport could hold a candle so be proud of that and move on.

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04 May 2010 20:07 AEST

Big dragon

From: Melbourne

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Eddy Merckx is making a comeback dhm???? I thought he was the worlds greatest cyclist?? Yes the UCI set the penalties (nowhere near harsh enough to get rid of the cheats), but there is nothing I can do about that. No way i can applaud any of the cheats, Basso, Vino, Rico...what a shame for the sport. Vino has obvious talent...thats the real pity of it all, along with the disappointment the clean riders must face.

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01 May 2010 13:03 AEST

dhm

From: sydney

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I was happy to see Vino win. He served his time - so get over it. The UCI has that is why he has his licence back and, whether you like it or not, they are the arbiters. Lots of jokers got caught and some were, and still are, clever enough not to be. Judging by who has been caught since the early 2000s, I doubt whether one of the top twenty riders in any one day or multi-stage wasn't using something - from a simple steroid patch or two to the very latest untraceable thing in hGh or blood doping. Btw: hiring the former head of a national drug testing authority as a personal adviser – what is that about?? A Ferrari, not enough? Or am I being too cynical? Is there such a thing as "too cynical"? Besides, I like his up yours attitude. (Him attacking both TdF favourites and their teams in the Juras was my best TdF moment- ever.) You can’t dope for that. Can’t wait to see him shove it to the "world greatest cyclist" in July - maybe some slippery pavé will come along.

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30 Apr 2010 13:58 AEST

Dan

From: Darwin

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Hmmm seems like there is alot of ill wind blowing towards Mr Vino's win in LBL I wonder if he will be riding in the TDF and his mighter than thou attitude gets him a smack in the chops! not saying that pro-tour riders are that way inclined but... I had to laugh at Stewie O'Gradys comment about making them pick fruit. Yeah send them to Darwin to pick mangos in the middle of the wet season build up, that would sort them out, if they don't mind the wasps, snakes, 100% humidity, sunburn, and sap burn and rashes. Enough of a penalty?

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30 Apr 2010 9:31 AEST

Rachel

From: Sydney

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this is a good point. http://joepapp.blogspot.com/2010/04/levi-leipheimer-tested-positive-for.html I'm not saying anything about Levi as I like him as a rider or all the innuendo and quasi rumour about disco/johan etc and i don't really like witch hunts or bringing up the past, but this does put it into perspective a little. you can argue, oh he was only 23, it was pre 1998 scandal blah blah blah, but if your main point is 'life is life,' then you have to boo levi too. not that i would boo either. vino: 'is it coz i is kazakh?'

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29 Apr 2010 15:17 AEST

Adam

From: Northcote, Vic

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The reference to Vino 'a pin cushions with a bad hair cut' should not elicit any sympathy for a proven drug cheat whatsoever. All top cyclits are repeatedly poked and proded in the name of searching for a 'clean' sport. This however only occurs at such extremes (blood passports, urine tests, hair samples...) because of cheats like Vino, Ricco and the rest. I for one am glad that these cheats are being made to live with the drug stigma for the rest of their careers and lives, why should the clean athletes be the ones paying the price?

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28 Apr 2010 14:42 AEST

Robert Merkel

From: Melbourne

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Damian, Stuart O'Grady was a successful pro in a European team during some of the worst of the "EPO era". Not saying that he was personally involved in doping, but it's now pretty well established that a large proportion of the peloton were doing so then; the idea that he didn't at least have strong suspicions about what was going on beggars belief. Frankly, that goes for all the other Australian riders of the era too. You might take the view that the unwritten rules of the peloton were different then, and we should forgive the riders of that era and concentrate on the present... But that's precisely what your post doesn't do. Personally, I wonder whether cycling could do with something akin to the South African "truth and reconciliation commission", where riders and others involved could tell the truth about the past history of drug use in their sport without fear of sporting or criminal prosecution (which might be a problem as it would require governments to provide legislative cover, but anyway). But, then again, there's a distinct possibilities that some riders who did very well out of the era, and whose continued sponsorship money depends on their "cleaner-than-clean" reputation, would fight such an inquiry tooth and nail. So I'm not expecting it any time soon.

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28 Apr 2010 12:51 AEST

Nicholas

From: Seattle

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"Ban him, ban him!", blah blah blah; it's like a bloody broken record. These poor bastards are trying to make a living out of this torture, and it's such a fine line between getting caught and not (see Frei's recent comment about 'one more litre'); the temptations must be tremendous.

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28 Apr 2010 8:14 AEST

Damien

From: Scone

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To loosely quote Stuey O'Grady, "..ban the Bastards for life and let them pick fruit for a living". Whether any of the post drug cheats are now clean or not is hardly the issue when it comes to the reaction from fans. It's the destruction of trust in the first place, when everyone is aware of the rules. Everyone deserves one go at natural justice?? Even if sorry does go a long way, we've yet to hear it! Besides, I don't believe the "law" as you have you have so labelled it Phil is often swayed by "..oops, sorry." Cycling is a dangerous sport that, for a sizeable chunk of people's lives, requires sacrifice and committment, and all those caught taking illegal short cuts do not deserve the respect of fans or fellow riders, even retrospectively. Contrition is as warranted as the forgiveness that should follow, but no longer as a professional athlete. Show them the way to the orchards.

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28 Apr 2010 1:40 AEST

Jan

From: Czech Republic

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Sasa: Vino is from Kazachstan. Asia, not "eastern europe". But he has been living and racing in "western europe" for long time. Rules are the same anywhere, as are good people, bad people, people violating some rules and so on.

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