I used to like you, Jon Vaughters. You seemed like a nice guy with great references; one of the few riders everyone could believe really was clean. But then you came out saying you never saw any evidence of doping during your time at US Postal. That didn’t lessen you any in my eyes, per se, until you ran your mouth to your old friend Frankie Andreu about everyone’s doping regimens. Of course, that was all “embellishments and BS”, right? Sure, until L’Equipe published some excerpts a few days back; now you claim it’s all second-hand information.
Jonathan, Jonathan, what have we ever done to make you treat us so disrespectfully? Had you spoken to us in honesty, then this scum that made you dope would be suffering this very day. But now, you’ve cast doubt on your own reliability, so that someday, and that day may never come, if do you decide to really tell the truth about the goings on at US Postal in 1999, no one will ever be able to believe you.
Ah well. The good news is that by speaking so carefully, you’ve cast no doubt on the Tailwind Sports franchise, meaning that the wrongfully maligned (if still probably guilty) Ivan Basso will have a place to roost in 2007. Yes, after years of collaboration, Bjarne Riis insists his team’s reputation be as immaculate and shiny as his forehead. I wonder if that’s because a conscience is much harder to clear than a urine sample?