Bored stupid of all the drugs talk
Is it just me or is there anyone else out there who is bored to death of all the drugs talk and the amount of column inches dedicated to it in all the cycling press? Yes it's obviously a problem but quite frankly what some overpaid paid pro injects into himself has little or no bearing on my enjoyment of cycling and has no effect whatsoever on my very amatuer bike racing career. For me a far greater risk to cyclists today (especially in the UK) is the idiot motorists who have scant regard for the safety of the cyclist as demonstrated by the tragedy that occurred last winter in Wales where several cyclists were killed by a motorist with defective tyres, his punishment? a œ140 fine!!! Lifetime bans for dopers? How about lifetime bans and lenghty prison sentences for drivers who kill, lets dedicate more column inches to this because at the end of the day the only person whose health is jepodised by doping is the idiot that dopes whereas a dangerous driver is a threat to us all.
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but the main point - cars - LAZY, DANGEROUS,UNCARING,SELFISH, people. i echo your sentiments.
Would be nice to catch these companies that pump out these drugs.
I think American Tiler Hammilton (not the famous bike rider) said that "doping doesn't seem to be too dangerous when you're hammering down a mountain doing 80mph".
Also, the bike riders don't have to do cycling as a sport. They could get a job like the rest of us; work in a supermarket, be a brain surgeon, anything.
I think that the professionals also inspire thousands of potential "Fatties" (me) to get out there and get some exercise; in the process ,potentially saving lives from diabetes, strokes and heart attacks. The Professional scene is the shop window of cycling and no more. The bigger picture is much more important.
"You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
-Jacques Anquetil
completely agree with nochain!!!!!!!!!!! everyday cycling is more important than competitive doping. anyway, i think, that there should be actually 2 leagues: 1 like a K1 of cycling (everything goes for very high prizes at the participants' risk) and 2 for those signing an anti-doping charter. i bet the K1 version would attaract more attention. there could be any substance used, any method of riding, anything (maybe even physical aggression). the point would be: have to go all the way on the course, and who crosses the line first. that would be asonishing to see, this is why it would draw a lot of attention.
the other league would be the "traditional" gentleman-like stuff. that would also draw a lot attention as well, as cycling in our world nowadays is the last fraction remaining of knighthood. respect, fairness, etc.
anyway, in hungary - where i live - everyday is paris-roubaix (roads are terrible, drivers are rude, lot of cyclists get hit by cars or drivers. BUT must survive and cycle on. those who want to make a lot of money and want to become heroes of cycling have always done a lot to achieve things and become immortal. they will do the same even if they sign all kinds of charters.
i believe in K1!!!!!!
Dr. G.
For most professional sports I think this is the common reality. Footballers don't get tired towards the end of matches, Athletes carry on breaking World Records, Tennis players don't fatigue like they used to, etc, etc.
I don't know of any other sport where doors are kicked down of people's houses, Hotels are raided and the stars of the sport are put through one court case after another to end up owning up. Other sports don't put up with this; I think if we are to be fair then all sports should be treated the same.
"You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
-Jacques Anquetil
Todays actions are learnt from their peers. We have mangagers,coaches, doctors and even media types who have all been part of the drug culture of cycling (see I dont call it a sport).
Until we have the whole sorry bunch kicked out nothing will change.
Lets make up a list of so called "super cyclists" and get them to stand up and assure us that their greatest victories were achieved in a drug free state. (I bet none will !!!)
Anyone brave enough to start the list?
I cycle and race now. My love of the sport hasn't diminished..............but..............
I have a four year old son, if he took up the sport I would actually be concerned about whether he would become good enough to go pro. Because if he did, as youidiots stated, he would have an awful lot of people pushing him towards doping. And as much as i love this sport, it aint worth that...........
I don't know what age you think we're living in, but... well, what did you expect? At least we're aware of it.
The use of Amphetamines was LEGAL unitl 1965 (or 66, I stand to be corrected on this one) so it has little to do with the fact that we know our sport has a problem, and lots more to do with how we sort it out
What's the answer... well I remember reading a Judge Dredd story along similar lines where the athletes were called mutants...
I went to the Leeds Classic a fair few years ago and saw the Italian "Volpi" win. Oh yes, he didn't win because he was soon disqualified after for drugs.
This is an age old problem and where the hell is the Witch Hunt going to end; what is the end game? Will we only have riders who are honest and good?? They will have a personality test; good people will only ride as a Pro.
There are probably Pros with very average talent who manage to eek out a living by riding for a Pro Team. These guys would have to take drugs to keep his place in the team.
The basic basics are that a Company sponsors a team to advertise their company. The riders are paid to come up with results that will get the company name on the news or on the back pages of the newpapers. If you have a rider who wants to ride clean and can't keep up then the Manager will offer the rider a choice of being able to assist his faster riders or sling his hook. There are no free rides.
We are lecturing the cycling world when we are "speeding in our cars", "smoking Cannibis" and "playing the system". Cycling will be clean when Society is clean. Cycling is a product of our own world and our own making. Good and bad.
People who think there will be a brand new world when the dopers are gone are living in cloud cuckoo land. Dopers and bad people win.
Sorry but that's it.
My only question is that the Peurto Affair contains about one third Cyclists. Who are the rest. Are they Footballers, Athletes, Rowers, American Footballers, Cross country Skiiers, Rugby Players??
Why is Cycling being butchered in such a way when other sports are looking the other way to the doping problem?
Cheers Jerome
"You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
-Jacques Anquetil
Its a "SPORT" or should be! Whats the point? The clean sponsors will pull out and the dodgy ones will pile in, its a no brainer.
I challange all on here to add a name to a list of "heros of the road" that they think were clean whilst winning a major victory.
I will start : Boardman (I know its an easy one but you add more please)
Or lets start a list of all those that were "well prepared" : Team Once/telecom/Liquegas/Festina/all La's henchmen in uspostal. etc
Lets get the gloves off! Im really p..d of at all this nice stuff..... the peloton and managers have lots to answer to us followers for.
Bet no one answers this. If you do well done ...............
Oh great. I say you're in a different age so you say I'm on a different planet. This is gonna be fun. As for personal... look at ya forum name.
Didn't say I was happy youid...(ahem! :oops: ) I said that it's a sign of the times and that one day a cheating athlete will be virtually undectable.
So what you moaning about??
Seemed to be plenty of followers watching the Tour last time I looked. But hey, I could be wrong, I was on my mobile at the time.
Doh!
We do need to turn over a new leaf though and anyone who is convicted of doping from now on should be banned from the sport forever. So no team positions for them. No commentating. Completely cut off.
Do it cleanly or leave the sport.
At present we do not have effective tests to get the bad riders out. The authorities do raids on team buses, hotels, rider's homes, scientists homes and that has been the main route to catching riders. The recent tests catcing Astana riders and others seems to be a good move.
I think raiding riders homes is going too far. If it's not done in other sports then why should Cycling put up with it.
I think if they are caught in a test then that's fair game. Riders dope because they want to be successful and until all of us in society can hold their hands up and say "yes, I've never done anything wrong in my life" then we cannot expect cyclists to be any different from us.
Cheers Jerry
"You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
-Jacques Anquetil