# Matt DeCanio, a few bricks shy.........



## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

I initially admired his attempts at trying to make things better in domestic racing as far as doping goes but lately his postings on his websites have become more and more irrational if not a little disturbing. He was sacked this week for not complying with his contract. I hope this doesn't lead to something bad.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*yeah looks like a meltdown (this is a rant sorry)*

and no offense to anyone, but there is nothing that bothers me more than a former ex
(insert alcoholic, drug addict, gambling addict, porn addict, now sports doper) turned Christian who gets on a high horse.
There was a sex addict turned self righteous who developed an antiporn software system
for the computer on the radio and he said to the interviewers "If it happened to me (surfing porn for 16 hr stretches) a good Christian family man, it can happen to anyone"
The DJ's just lost it. They started yelling, "what do you mean? you are the type it DOES happen to" "I'm just a normal guy with a normal sex life and I've never surfed internet porn" said one of the DJ's. It got me thinking, I grew up in the late 70's early 80's, played music professionally for 14 years, spent more time in bars than most would ever care to, was exposed to as much sex, drugs, booze and whatever as anyone on earth and I never had a problem. I work on computers, had a co-worker who has a porn site and I don't surf porn either. I saw the reason behind the DJ's outrage, 12 steppers think everyone on earth has their lack of self control or will power so they try to get the rest of us to adhere to the set of guidelines that keeps them on the straight and narrow. (I know, they'll just say I'm in denial). I think this is what raises my ire so much about this.
yes, doping in sport is bad and should be eradicated and I actually think a 'one time' immunity could be a good thing so we could really take a look at the problem, but I think
Mr DiCanio's fervor says more about his own personality faults than the drug problems in sport.


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## Utah CragHopper (May 9, 2003)

DeCanio would be a much better crusader if he turned it down a few notches. It is better for him to be racing while making a quieter stand than to be left raving on the sidelines. But he is _really_ pissed off and it is not in his personality to do things that way in the first place.

Matt is talented, and I hope he finds another team. Just chill a little, Bro.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*hey we agree on something*

if he doesn't chill he's gonna wind up one of those unshaven, talking to themselves types standing on soapboxes in major metro areas.


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## technocycle (Oct 29, 2004)

OnTheRivet said:


> I initially admired his attempts at trying to make things better in domestic racing as far as doping goes but lately his postings on his websites have become more and more irrational if not a little disturbing. He was sacked this week for not complying with his contract. I hope this doesn't lead to something bad.



I tried to look at his site. Pretty sad. Another wasted talented rider. I know he admits to being a party animal and drug user in his rock star days(you know, he had that Lance fame, LOL, LOL). Perhaps this guy dropped a few too many tabs while hanging with Paris and Linsey at the Viper Room in LA.


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## argylesocks (Aug 2, 2004)

atpjunkie said:


> and no offense to anyone, but there is nothing that bothers me more than a former ex
> (insert alcoholic, drug addict, gambling addict, porn addict, now sports doper) turned Christian who gets on a high horse.


why does it only bother you when they turn christian??? i think thats a little irrelevant....
a high horse is a high horse, regardless of spiritual beliefs....

oh yeah.. if you are an ex drug addict, shouldnt you be staying away from "high" horses?? seems like they would bring you down..

agree with the basic principle of your post... seems like if you had a problem with something (drugs, alch. porn, etc) in the past that you should be a little humble and understanding to people with a similar problem. thats actually the real christian thing to do. 

and yes, matt's site does seem to be a little over the top, yelling at people for doing the same thing he admitted to doing.


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## argylesocks (Aug 2, 2004)

technocycle said:


> I tried to look at his site. Pretty sad. Another wasted talented rider. I know he admits to being a party animal and drug user in his rock star days(you know, he had that Lance fame, LOL, LOL). Perhaps this guy dropped a few too many tabs while hanging with Paris and Linsey at the Viper Room in LA.



haha lmao


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## Utah CragHopper (May 9, 2003)

argylesocks said:


> why does it only bother you when they turn christian??? i think thats a little irrelevant....a high horse is a high horse, regardless of spiritual beliefs....


In general people who feel they have been "Saved by Jesus" (tm) tend to look upon their past problems not as mistakes but as sins, so they often have no empathy for people in the same situation. Those people are now seen as evil doers or heathens who need to be converted. They often lack any sense of gray; everything is black or white. From there, it is an easy step for people with a zealous personality type to take things to full scale jihad. This then makes the saved completely intolerable to be around.

DeCanio raced most of his career clean, and even while racing clean he was mad as hell that people on drugs were beating him. 

His latest, more subdued, offering:

"Over the last 3 months my life has been a roller coaster. But over the 
last 9 years my life has been a war. My war started the second I stepped 
foot into my Italian apartment. My war started when I saw my first needle. 
At the age of 19 drugs were first introduced to me. They were presented in 
a fashion that drugs were the road to becoming a champion.

My coach was the former Italian National Team Coach. He helped develop 
Mario Cipollini into a world-class sprinter. This coach along with my 
general manager ran a solid medical program. As a rider on the team we were 
instructed to take EPO, HGH, and cortisone. Every single race I denied it. 
Every single race I struggled to finish. At training camp I was the 
strongest rider on the team, and 4 weeks later I became the weakest.

Because I refused to take drugs, I was given a steel bike, I was not paid, 
and I was treated like dirt. Talked down to. In some cases starved. I was 
constantly yelled at and not encouraged by any of my top 15 results. 
Instead it was a shrug of the shoulders and them telling me so what?

For 2 seasons I put myself through this hell trying to beat the drugs. This 
was when riders had hematocrits in the 60s. All enjoyment I had from the 
sport of cycling had left. 2 years before I was the national champion on 
top of the world, and now I was living in hell.

I quit the sport and went to college but my dream never left me. 1 year 
later, I began training again spending upwards of 9 hours on the bike. This 
got me back on the national team and after a strong performance at worlds a 
spot on the Division 2 European pro team Linda McCartney.

When I arrived drugs were not talked about. But not a month later, my then 
roommate Ben Brooks who now rides for Jelly Belly traveled to Spain to buy 
over 20 vials of EPO which he took for racing. These drugs sat in our 
shared refrigerator. We both trained at different times of the day. Even 
without me taking drugs our performances were very similar and it was a toss 
up for a spot in the Giro d'Italia. I prayed I would get the starting 
position. I was denied. I was heart broken again. I returned to America 
briefly to finish up my schooling at APP State and returned to Europe in the 
summer.

Once back in Europe all the guys on the team talked about drugs. Everyone 
admitted to taking them, except one other rider. I tried my best to beat 
the drugs training again up to 9'50 minutes riding 14 cols in the Pyrenees. 
But I wasn't winning races and was not invited back to the team.

I signed with Saturn. I thought America was clean, I was wrong. I had 
spent the last 7 years racing in Europe and had no idea the drug culture was 
also in America. My struggles with doping would not leave my side. After 
being asked to help with an injection for my teammate Trent Klasna my heart 
was broken a 3rd time.

I left Saturn for Prime Alliance the only team I had hopes would be clean. 
I raced my hardest and finally got 2 yellow jerseys. However, after yelling 
at team Mapei that I was racing clean, I was black listed. I had officially 
lost my chances to return to Europe clean. They knew I would tell the 
stories.

2003 I had lost all hope for life and the sport of cycling, which I loved. 
I started to smoke cigarettes, drink lots of alcohol and smoke marijuana to 
kill the pain of my reality. My friend David Clinger told me stories of the 
drug use on US Postal Service and I finally decided to cave in. I started 
to take testosterone in the spring and EPO just before Housatonic. But when 
I took these drugs, I hated what I had finally become. I stopped after 3 
shots, and smoked pot the remainder of the season to take away the pain.

During the fall of 2003 I walked away from racing, and swore it off getting 
myself off of pot. I decided to try to make a little cash so I could keep 
my car, and got into coaching. That was when I had the email confrontation 
with Rick Crawford who approached my friend David Clinger to do a deal for 
coaching which involved drugs including EPO and blood spinners. This was 
when Stolen Underground was born.

From that day on, I have been doing everything in my ability to clean up the 
sport. This ridiculous web site that lacks dignity and a high plane of 
conduct has been my weapon. I have used this weapon to fight doping and to 
change the sport. It is 100 percent real. I speak with USADA on the phone.

I have been banned for having this site because it lacks dignity and a high 
plane of conduct. However if this site had those things, you wouldn't be 
here right now because you would have never heard about it. This entire 
catastrophe is to get attention and to change the sport. I could not let it 
go, because if I did my dream of cleaning up the sport would seem to go with 
it. My voice was to be taken away. That is how drugs, lies, and corruption 
continue to flourish.

I have a real chance to help open eyes and change the sport if you will 
support me. I know how to fix the problems and I have the courage to stand 
up to the corrupt. I am not scared of anyone or anything. When I see the 
drugs, the lies, and the corruption I get a burning desire to eliminate 
them. They are the reasons for the pain in my life. I want that pain to go 
away.

I need your support because I am losing the battle. USADA is going to 
sanction me and I have lost my contract. I need your help. Please email 
them and tell them to get me back on the bike. I have the courage to stand 
up to the drugs, I have the courage to stand up to the pros, I have the 
courage to stand up to the system. HELP ME DO IT. HELP ME MAKE THE 
CHANGES.

There needs to be immunity so more people can come forward to tell their 
stories. Right now there is too much at stake to risk it. I am the only 
person in the world who has admitted EPO use without failing a test, or the 
police finding drugs that I know of. I made the sacrifice, now please 
sacrifice a little of your time to send an email in support.

This isn't a trick to get me racing for my own personal agenda. I could 
have stayed a pro instead of coming forward to help make the changes. 
Please support me. My fear is that once I am gone so will be the fight 
against those who will continue to corrupt future generations. Please use 
me as your weapon to fight these people. Please support me, I get 1000 
visitors a day here, if everyone writes in USADA they have to listen. They 
do read all of your emails and it is ok to send them. Kurt also has to 
listen. You guys are my only hope and I am relying on you to use your best 
judgement to support me."


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## Silver222 (Aug 5, 2004)

I just wish he had a friend that was better at web design than my dog is.

God, that site is horribly laid out and annoying.


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## Utah CragHopper (May 9, 2003)

Silver222 said:


> I just wish he had a friend that was better at web design than my dog is.
> 
> God, that site is horribly laid out and annoying.


And yet--somehow--Ain't It Cool News continues to survive...


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*it's not that they turn.....*



argylesocks said:


> why does it only bother you when they turn christian???
> most 12 step programs involve turning your life over to a higher power which in most cases is Christianity. Now I have nothing against Christianity but ex addicts tend to get as addicted to religion as they were to their chosen substances. They have the same passion (transference) and tend to look down on those who don't.
> then they get self righteous and say "if it could happen to me...." while they are the perfect type for all kinds of addictive behavior while those they are preaching 'down' to share neiter their faith (or intensity of) nor their folly (addiction).
> I'm against the whole 'turn yourself over' thing of 12 steps for the same reason I'm against calling addictions diseases. IMHO this furthers the whole 'victim mentality' and instead of producing stronger people who've beaten their problems you wind up with equally weak people but with a new addiction. This IMHO isn't really a 'help' and it allows the addict to not take any personal responsibility or accountability.
> ...


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## Silver222 (Aug 5, 2004)

Off topic, but you'll find that a lot of people who have controlled an addiction with the use of AA/NA/etc are anything but people who fall onto the "I'm a victim!" sword at every turn.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*yes you do (agrred) and*

I'm not generalizing and I even have nothing against those who use 'the higher power'. I just have an issue when those that do that start preaching. like I said 'my soapbox'. as an ex musician I have friends in recovery, still messed up and some 6 feet under. 
I just don't like ex-addicts assuming those of us who lack the predisposition have the same weaknesses they do and thusly need the same salvation.


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## e-RICHIE (Apr 21, 2002)

another point of view:
http://bicycling.com/article/0,3253,s1-11161,00.html?category_id=441


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## wheel_suker (Feb 3, 2005)

*Loser!*

You try to feel for this guy then you read crap he posts about smoking dope etc. and all I can think of is LOSER! He needs to get his act together, leave the sport, it's over for him and get a real job. Maybe in 15 years he can come back as a masters racer and kick butt, but for now he needs a change of direction.


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## technocycle (Oct 29, 2004)

wheel_suker said:


> You try to feel for this guy then you read crap he posts about smoking dope etc. and all I can think of is LOSER! He needs to get his act together, leave the sport, it's over for him and get a real job. Maybe in 15 years he can come back as a masters racer and kick butt, but for now he needs a change of direction.


Amen to that.


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