by prendrefeu on Thu Jul 18, 2013 2:51 am
Can you really blame a fan base for their skepticism after they've been burned for so many years? Really?
Things were already bad enough prior to 2012, with a waterfall of former greats falling down in disgrace. Years of stage winners and GT winners such as Ricco and DiLuca doping with an air about them that surfaced as pompous but ultimately pointed to a serious, and tragic, addiction in disturbed psyches. Years of fallout from Operation Puerto and other drug-related stings. Then came the US Postal revelations - which stretched even beyond Armstrong himself, even though he was the focal point. The knife cutting that final bit of skin was implicit involvement with the UCI.
That was just last year.
It's now barely a year since the last major saga that we've been through and we're seeing things that - objectively speaking - are reminiscent of past performances, both individually and with a team. With the team in question, the same patterns of action and public relations are all too familiar.
So, even if you believe this is not history repeating itself, objectively speaking this is uncannily reminiscent of an all-too-familiar past. Even if you believe that everything is clean, how can you blame your fellow cycling fan for being skeptical, apprehensive, or reticent to accept the reality that you want to believe?
If they are skeptical, that's fine. If they don't believe the "clean reality" that you see, that's fine. They have every right to be skeptical and question things, just as any person can - but especially after having been burned for years.
In time we will know the truth of the matter - in either direction - but please, let's have some respect for both sides of an opinion here. It is justified.
Thanks.
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