On Zirbel

Submitted by adammyerson on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 13:40

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/usada-ends-tom-zirbels-suspension-early

Some quick thoughts pulled from comments I made in other places:

My thoughts are that he's a victim of the system, not a doper, and I'm glad he got his ban reduced.

I think the way his ban was reduced is part of why he's a victim of the system, and his own thoughts echo that. It's not the way he wanted his ban reduced. But he also isn't in charge of the rules of the game, he's just stuck having to play it. You can't expect him not to accept the reduction in his sentence even if he himself thinks it's a strange way for it to have gotten reduced. Part of me thinks USADA is looking at Contador, knows Zirbel got a bad deal, and found a way to, in the end, give him the 1-year ban he should probably have received in the first place. 

Zirbel seems to me to be a righteous dude, and he walks the walk, in my opinion. I may be a sucker, but I buy it, because it doesn't ever seem to have been for his own profit. He's not shilling his good deeds and heroism as a marketing ploy, a la LA. He's just quietly doing good work in his personal life, before, after, and unrelated to his ban.

I know that nice guys dope. I just don't think Zirbel is one of them.

Comments

Submitted by bmackiernan on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 15:27.
If Zirbel had "incriminating evidance" against otheres, wouldn't he have that information because he knows his way around doping, maybe doped himself? That being said, I tink powers at be shuld allow for some flexibility when a rider gives them info, it will encourage to turn in the cheats, ultimatley it's a good tool to stop doping. Do you tink he had info on LA?
Submitted by skibikejunkie on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 15:45.
I don't know if Zirbel doped or not, but I like the way his ban was reduced. I think the same incentive should be offered to anyone who gets popped. Half of the problem is guys using PEDs. The other half of the problem is guys not using PEDs who refuse to say anything to or about the guys who are. Omerta. I can see why the mafia does it that way, but why cycling?