Charly Wegelius' book

[dragon72]

Anybody read(ing) it yet?

 

[just jim]

Looks like a good read.

 

[dragon72]

I'm keen to hear his side of the story of that World Champs race where he rode for the wrong team...

 

[Noodley]

Yep, got it the other day - good so far.

 

[rich p]

Does he fess up to doping yet?

 

[Noodley]

Does he fess up to doping yet?

Nope, he states early on that this is his story about the toils of being a domestique and that he rode clean. But that he mentions doping within the book, however the book is not an exposee. He then goes on to say that this has protected some people, and that it may in some way "repay some act of human decency that they themselves have shown me. There are others who showed the opposite...whom I have been forced to protect by the lawyers...and to them I say: You got lucky, bastards."

I am now on page 67.

 

[rich p]

I always assumed he was on the juice but you think he's clean?

 

[Noodley]

He says he was... I have an open mind on it. We'll see. Actually, not very open but I am open to being convinced...

 

[Hont]

I always assumed he was on the juice but you think he's clean?

I always assumed that the domestiques were generally clean (post EPO test) - simply due to a lack of funds. According to the USADA document on LA even the USPS team did not start doping the domestiques until a few years in.

If Charly was doping he should ask for his money back. I don't think he ever won a race did he?

 

[Noodley]

Anyway, it's a decent read and well written by Tom Southam.

 

[Noodley]

Anyway, it's a decent read and well written by Tom Southam.

Ok, I'll have to revise this view - it was a good read to start with and then got progressively less so...

If you want a summary:
I tried really hard and then went overseas, I tried hard there too, came back for a bit then went to Italy. It was hard, I got better, knobbed a few Italian birds, I changed teams, I didn't see di Luca doping, I have a very high haematocrit level and once got stopped from racing because of it but I went and did tests at the UCI and they said it was okay, I still trained at altitude and went to south American countries to train but it was all above board, I got banned for life from cycling for GB, I really like the Giro, I don't really like the Tour, I got married, it is very hard being a domestique. The end.

 

[resal]

Thanks Noodley. Herrety got blown away at the same time. It was alleged that he took a cut in what went Charlie's way. Sir Dave Brailsford was Herrety's manager many years ago.

Anyway nice to know the true reason for that "Health Rest". Very re-assuring to know that that it was all above board, nothing sinister or untoward going on. Exactly as it was for Rob Hayles. And Rob Hayles is commercial manager for Mark Cavendish.

We need a strong man at the helm of the UCI who can sort out rotten, cheating, johnny foreigner. One who makes sure there is nothing wonky going on in his patch. (Turn up the soundtrack of Bonnie Tyler - my own view, I think she will need to be "holding out" for quite a bit longer !)

 

[beastie]

Thanks Noodley. Herrety got blown away at the same time. It was alleged that he took a cut in what went Charlie's way. Sir Dave Brailsford was Herrety's manager many years ago.

I am pretty sure that it was the other way round. DB was a soigneur for Herety befor he went to sell bikes for Muddy Fox.

Edit. Although I suppose Brailsord being in charge of British cycling , and Herety his subordinate would fit. Sorry, brain fade!