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[url= http://road.cc/content/news/70004-graeme-obree-speaks-out-doping-and-bonus-video-airships ]Quite shocking really...[/url]
“I was almost scared to [use] the changing room in case I’d get beaten up
“This one Italian guy in particular asked, quite casually, ‘What did you use for the Hour record?’ and when I said ‘Nothing,’ he literally waved his hand up and down as the Italians do, said ‘amatore’ [amateur] and turned away in disgust,” he explained.
I heard about that on Velocast today(possibly old news by the time I get to hear it) but the chap has gone up in my estimation massively. Although that's from "strange guy" to "I'd like to meet him for a coffee / tea sometime" status.
otoh - the other velocast stuff is just eye-watering / mindboggling..
Always had a lot of respect for obree, this just shows what a honourable guy he is .
He did make lot of this quite clear 10 years ago.
lot of respect here for Mr Obree
Graeme is truly one of the cycling "greats", he is also incredibly humble regarding his many cycling achievements and is incredibly fascinating to meet or converse with as he is so intense when he gets started on a subject he's passionate about.
He mentioned the doping regarding the "Le Groupement" team back in an interview in 1996 but he was basically silenced by the UCI on making further allegations under threat of legal action and i consider it led or at the very least aggravated his bi-polar disorder to such an extent that he could no longer control it through his focus on cycling as he had done for years previously - i hope the UCI gets shook so hard with the current doping allegations that Verbruggen and McQuaid both get dragged through the courts for aiding drug abuse and complicity in covering it up.
Obree is a national Sottish (British) hero and should be celebrated as such, he cycled clean and bet the best in the world fuelled by jam pieces on white bread and trained up and down the busy A76 and A77 in Ayrshire in all weathers, a genuine hero that kids can look up to in my opinion.
The Le Groupement story is described in Obree's autobiography, "Flying Scotsman", where he recounts how Robert Millar outlined the £2000 fee that would be deducted from his salary to pay for the "medical assistance" provided by the team. Obree informed Millar that he didn't require this service.
(just to pre-empt some of the replies that were posted last time I mentioned Millar, I am referring to Robert, who tested positive for testosterone in the '92 Vuelta, not David, who confessed to EPO use in 2004)
Graham Obree is my personal hero. He's saved me hundreds on gels and energy drinks - every time I think of buying one I just have a marmalade sandwich instead!
BTW his training manual is well worth a read.
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Obree-Way-ebook/dp/B0094382WC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352278718&sr=8-1 ]Not the usual prescriptive diary type thing[/url]
The Le Groupement story is described in Obree's autobiography, "Flying Scotsman", where he recounts how Robert Millar outlined the £2000 fee that would be deducted from his salary to pay for the "medical assistance" provided by the team. Obree informed Millar that he didn't require this service.
which due to the quality of cycling journalism we have has never been followed up on in an interview
somebody should ask Chris Newton why he urinated on Obree's bed as well