David Veilleux announces his retirement

[MrBond]

25 years old ?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/david-v ... retirement

[jonovision_man]

I'd like to retire... from my desk job to go ride my bike all the time. He's doing the exact opposite?? Lunacy!

jono

[Wu wei]

Smart kid.

He'll have a far more secure future as an engineer than a professional athlete.

[jonovision_man]

Not sure what kind of salary he'd have been drawing? Probably decent though.

Maybe he saw Horner at 41 winning the Vuelta, realized the sport is still dirty as hell and decided to get out rather than mess up his body.

jono

[Pat Menzies]

I'm not sure how a 41 year old winning a big race shows a youngster that he's going to "mess up his body". It seems like the opposite is true.

[jonovision_man]

I'm not sure how a 41 year old winning a big race shows a youngster that he's going to "mess up his body". It seems like the opposite is true.

You mean that the doping hasn't hurt Horner's health any so he should go for it?

jono

[Pat Menzies]

Meaning that there is no evidence that Horner's body is messed up, doping or not.

[jonovision_man]

Meaning that there is no evidence that Horner's body is messed up, doping or not.

I was merely pointing out that his win at 41 looked insanely suspicious. If you already accept the premise that doping can cause health problems (most would) and you then see that you still have to dope to get to the top level of the sport, then it stands to reason you might retire rather than risking it. Horner may yet have health consequences - Lance is one testicle short, other guys have died suspiciously, some have ended up in ICU after injecting the wrong blood bag - doping is russian roulette.

jono

[Pat Menzies]

I was merely pointing out that his win at 41 looked insanely suspicious. If you already accept the premise that doping can cause health problems (most would) and you then see that you still have to dope to get to the top level of the sport, then it stands to reason you might retire rather than risking it. Horner may yet have health consequences - Lance is one testicle short, other guys have died suspiciously, some have ended up in ICU after injecting the wrong blood bag - doping is russian roulette.

jono

Most would accept the premise but they would be those who don't actually know for sure. Life is more Russian roulette than doping will ever be.
Everyone ends up with "health consequences".
There is pretty good evidence that just training on the edge doesn't do much good for long term health.

[jonovision_man]

You sound like big tobacco in the 80's!

So let's assume that Veilleux didn't see it as that harmful. He's still in a sport where cheating is rewarded, and he'd have to overcome his any notions of sportsmanship or morality against cheating and become part of the system. He'd have to risk his reputation among his fans, his family... that's what it takes to be competitive in cycling.

Sad, really, and I don't think we should be all that surprised to see a 25 year old entering the prime of his career walk away.

jono

[jamix]

You sound like big tobacco in the 80's!

So let's assume that Veilleux didn't see it as that harmful. He's still in a sport where cheating is rewarded, and he'd have to overcome his any notions of sportsmanship or morality against cheating and become part of the system. He'd have to risk his reputation among his fans, his family... that's what it takes to be competitive in cycling.

Sad, really, and I don't think we should be all that surprised to see a 25 year old entering the prime of his career walk away.

jono

The life of a pro cyclist (on a doping program or otherwise) looks exhausting and perhaps even boring depending on one's point of view. Armstrong's life might've looked glamourous, but I suspect for most others, its not. If this cyclist feels he has other options/ambitions in life, isn't it more probable he simply wanted to do that instead?

As for Horner; Good for him for being smart by showing up in peak condition and being able to take advantage of a flawed doping control system (if he is indeed doping). If at age 85 he has a heart attack in his sleep, we'll point to the drugs then

[jonovision_man]

I'm admittedly speculating, we don't know for sure why Veilleux retired. Pretty rare for a 25-year-old on the way up to walk away from any sport, though.

jono

[Jwolf]

In his own words:

How did you come to this decision?
DV: It really happened quickly since I’ve been back from the Tour. I realized that I have achieved my goals in cycling and now it’s time to focus on school and other parts of my life. After wearing the yellow jersey at the Dauphine and getting to ride and complete the Tour it was a dream come true and the time feels right to move in a new direction.

You have lots of potential in the cycling – was it a tough decision ?
DV: Yes, but there but there is no way to know what will happen in the future and what goals may or may not be achieved. Right now I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished… the more I thought about it the more it felt like the right choice. I’ve spent a lot of time in cycling, from my youth until now, and I’ve had lots of dreams and success along the way. I’m grateful for all of the support… but I have other personal goals as well and need to spend time on them.

http://pedalmag.com/interview-with-davi ... etirement/

So essentially what Jamix said.

Nice to see someone with a pretty balanced view.

[jonovision_man]

What else is he going to say... "the sport is dirty and I can't compete without doping myself to the gills, so I'm out"? I guess, depending on his personality and desire to burn bridges. I'd be surprised if doping didn't play some role, if not the key one.

jono

[Pat Menzies]

He won races so he's as suspect as anyone if you're going to use the "can't win without doping" line.
You don't hear of too many sportsmen having much intellectual aptitude and those that do tend to be the few who walk away if there is that option.
Tony Sandoval and Bob Kempainien both won the US Olympic trials in the marathon and walked away from the sport to become medical doctors.

[Spirit Unleashed]

My hunch is that he knows there are other things in life than cycling, which can provide a livelihood for another 40 years.

[jonovision_man]

Found a kind of interesting quote from him, circa 2011:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/veilleu ... an-cycling

"Today, I take part in high level competitions that I used to watch on video as a kid," said Veilleux. "I have gotten to this level with hard work, self-discipline and lots of determination.

"It has been possible for me, like others, to reach the professional level without risking my health, my life and that of people around me. I sincerely wish that the young people around me who want to become cycling racers do not let themselves be lured by a few individuals’ wrongdoing.

"To race cleanly and win is possible."

Emphasis mine. Not sure if he really believed that in 2011, but clearly at the top levels of the sport it's still not the case in 2013. Maybe we never know if it's the reason behind his decision, but certainly it would have put a guy off.

jono

[La]

Found a kind of interesting quote from him, circa 2011:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/veilleu ... an-cycling

"Today, I take part in high level competitions that I used to watch on video as a kid," said Veilleux. "I have gotten to this level with hard work, self-discipline and lots of determination.

"It has been possible for me, like others, to reach the professional level without risking my health, my life and that of people around me. I sincerely wish that the young people around me who want to become cycling racers do not let themselves be lured by a few individuals’ wrongdoing.

"To race cleanly and win is possible."

Emphasis mine. Not sure if he really believed that in 2011, but clearly at the top levels of the sport it's still not the case in 2013. Maybe we never know if it's the reason behind his decision, but certainly it would have put a guy off.

I really think you're projecting your own bias/opinion about doping in cycling onto Veilleux.

[jonovision_man]

Found a kind of interesting quote from him, circa 2011:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/veilleu ... an-cycling

"Today, I take part in high level competitions that I used to watch on video as a kid," said Veilleux. "I have gotten to this level with hard work, self-discipline and lots of determination.

"It has been possible for me, like others, to reach the professional level without risking my health, my life and that of people around me. I sincerely wish that the young people around me who want to become cycling racers do not let themselves be lured by a few individuals’ wrongdoing.

"To race cleanly and win is possible."

Emphasis mine. Not sure if he really believed that in 2011, but clearly at the top levels of the sport it's still not the case in 2013. Maybe we never know if it's the reason behind his decision, but certainly it would have put a guy off.

I really think you're projecting your own bias/opinion about doping in cycling onto Veilleux.

Sure, that's fair. Although I would suggest that the opinion that doping is prevalent in cycling and the only way to win at the highest levels is hardly controversial...

jono