And the list of Astana old boys is terrifying – Armstrong, Bruyneel, Contador, Leipheimer, Kessler, Kreuziger. You’d have to be naive beyond belief to think this was a good team to join if you wanted to ride clean.
Look at the history and personnel of pretty much any pro cycling team and you’d be naive entertain the idea of a clean peleton.
Even SKY turned in a positive test this season and got their first maillot jaune with the help of backroom staff with a very chequered past…
Sure there has been an attitude shift towards an openly anti-doping sentiment which is a step in the right direction but Astana are hardly unique amongst the other ProTour teams. They aren’t the only team being naughty in the latest Italian doping investigations and even then cycling hardly seems unique amongst other pro sports. I do love watching road cycling and in an ideal world everyone would have morals and play fairly but all the gossip and nonsense around the racing is more like Heat magazine for MAMILS. Take it for what it is, hope it is better in the future, but there’s no point in berating one particular team or rider