EPO manufacturer gets behind cycling

The title sponsor of the new 'Tour of California '
(http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com)is Amgen, the world's leading
producer of EPO . The company actually made an announcement to
address the inevitable questions...
"We are associating our name with this premier cycling event to
underscore the value of a healthy lifestyle . . . and emphasize the
proper use of our medicines,"

What is the Tour organiser thinking?!?! Partnering up with a market
leader in the manufacture of the drug that has brought so much bad
press to the sport. I kind of get where they're coming from....Amgen
must be paying *big* bucks for this.


--
Walrus

... or to draw a comparison (of sorts)

The Benson & Hedges World series Cricket

Marlboro racing Team

TAC Richmond Tigers

Team Saeco (oh, that's right. caffiene is legal now )

Must be a mobile phone Co sponsoring a car team somewhere...


--
flyingdutch

flyingdutch Wrote:
... or to draw a comparison (of sorts)

The Benson & Hedges World series Cricket

Marlboro racing Team

TAC Richmond Tigers

Team Saeco (oh, that's right. caffiene is legal now )

Must be a mobile phone Co sponsoring a car team somewhere...But this is even more ironic. It's like a steroid company sponsoring
the Mr Universe competition.


--
Walrus

flyingdutch wrote:

Team Saeco (oh, that's right. caffiene is legal now )

speaking of caffeine, noticed that Aldi cola is just gassy water, sugar,
caffeine and a few numbers. Don't know if it is any good for mainliners
as the effect only lasted about 15 minutes..

Walrus wrote:
The title sponsor of the new 'Tour of California '
(http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com)is Amgen, the world's leading
producer of EPO . The company actually made an announcement to
address the inevitable questions...
"We are associating our name with this premier cycling event to
underscore the value of a healthy lifestyle . . . and emphasize the
proper use of our medicines,"

What is the Tour organiser thinking?!?! Partnering up with a market
leader in the manufacture of the drug that has brought so much bad
press to the sport. I kind of get where they're coming from....Amgen
must be paying *big* bucks for this.

Astounding!

I loved Somerville's Tour de France cartoon last year. A statue of Joan
of Arc on a bicycle with these words inscribed below her:
"Le Tour: Liberté, Egality, Laboratoire!"

Peter
--
Peter McCallum
Mackay Qld AUSTRALIA

Terry Collins Wrote:
flyingdutch wrote:

Team Saeco (oh, that's right. caffiene is legal now )

speaking of caffeine, noticed that Aldi cola is just gassy water,
sugar,
caffeine and a few numbers. Don't know if it is any good for mainliners
as the effect only lasted about 15 minutes..
MY GOD! CALL RAY MARTIN!

You're not a scientific person are you Terry........


--
Shabby

Shabby wrote:
Terry Collins Wrote:

flyingdutch wrote:


Team Saeco (oh, that's right. caffiene is legal now )

speaking of caffeine, noticed that Aldi cola is just gassy water,
sugar,
caffeine and a few numbers. Don't know if it is any good for mainliners
as the effect only lasted about 15 minutes..

MY GOD! CALL RAY MARTIN!

You're not a scientific person are you Terry........

Nope, I was feeling kinda sleepy from eating at the local free
italian[1], but when I had a glass I sort of perked up for about 15
minutes before the sleepiness returned {:-). Closest this comes to
bicycle is that host now has a dually Huffy that I will adjust for him.
$100 for bicycle and now $100 for helmets, lights, rear rack.



[1] Quotes of the night
"If I give you the recipe, then you'll stop coming here to eat"
(Okay, don't give me the recipe and I'll come up here and eat whenever
you invite me {:-)

"I've only got the brains of a chicken" (so lets not talk politics and
change topic to the BIG cauliflower that he grew that was a dish tonight.)

"ITALIANS! Stop talking with your hands" (Guido's wife to stop hubby
with arthritis and damaged shoulder joints from waving arms around.)

I have a fading memory that practically every leukaemia patient uses
EPO to try and build their red blood cell counts after chemo/radio
therapy. Bit of a long bow to accuse the manufacturer of organised
drug cheating in sports.
In the AFL No-doze must be looking around for a team to sponsor after
this years revelations

"Amgen must be paying *big* bucks for this. "

oh yeah
but then big pharma has got heaps of your bucks already.

Walrus wrote:
The title sponsor of the new 'Tour of California '
(http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com)is Amgen, the world's leading
producer of EPO . The company actually made an announcement to
address the inevitable questions...
"We are associating our name with this premier cycling event to
underscore the value of a healthy lifestyle . . . and emphasize the
proper use of our medicines,"

What is the Tour organiser thinking?!?! Partnering up with a market
leader in the manufacture of the drug that has brought so much bad
press to the sport. I kind of get where they're coming from....Amgen
must be paying *big* bucks for this.

rEPO is an enormously valuable, life-saving drug when used properly.
All the publicity it gets is bad - because sometimes it gets abused.

It looks like the kneejerk reaction here is a little absurd. What's
wrong with the manufacturer trying to set the record straight a little?
It's not like they're the ones pushing it into the cheats.

Bleve Wrote:
Walrus wrote:
The title sponsor of the new 'Tour of California '
('http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com'
(http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/))is Amgen, the world's leading
producer of EPO . The company actually made an announcement to
address the inevitable questions...
"We are associating our name with this premier cycling event to
underscore the value of a healthy lifestyle . . . and emphasize the
proper use of our medicines,"

What is the Tour organiser thinking?!?! Partnering up with a market
leader in the manufacture of the drug that has brought so much bad
press to the sport. I kind of get where they're coming from....Amgen
must be paying *big* bucks for this.

rEPO is an enormously valuable, life-saving drug when used properly.
All the publicity it gets is bad - because sometimes it gets abused.

It looks like the kneejerk reaction here is a little absurd. What's
wrong with the manufacturer trying to set the record straight a little?
It's not like they're the ones pushing it into the cheats.

Almost* all the pharmaceuticals used by athletes to illegally boost
their performance have come into existence for "good" rather than
"evil" and continue to have clinically important roles outside sport
performance enhancement.

(* I would say 'all' but there might be a few exceptions I cannot think
of at the moment)

Sponsorship of pro teams is about getting your name on a mobile
billboard in front of TV cameras. Outside the sponsors who provide
equipment, sponsors' products are seldom directly cycling related, eg
banks, building products, food, drink, kitchen (coffee) machines,
postal services etc

That one of a sponsor's products has been abused by pro cyclists seems
an unfortunate marketing problem. At best, a company putting $s into a
sport where competitors have abused one of that company's products could
be seen as the company trying to increase its karma points. (there's a
nice positive spin even if the truth is that companies only do what is
good for their bottom lines)

Steve(open to approaches from any sponsors........please)A


--
SteveA