Bored stupid of all the drugs talk

nochain

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.

paul mckeaney

yes i totally agree. yes it would be nice if everyone was legal but it isn't going to happen. champions are still champions. i enjoy the spectacle and can turn a blind eye to what goes into the performance. i would do it...have done it... although i am upset that directeur sportifs will dupe neopros into drugs without their consent

but the main point - cars - LAZY, DANGEROUS,UNCARING,SELFISH, people. i echo your sentiments.

jerry3571

Yup! I think that as long as they're caught and booked then there's no problem. Doping has gone on since the beginning of Bike Racing.
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.

early rising boy

Hi Guys,

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.

jerry3571

Just a couple of days ago I had a chat with a big chap who is a keen University Rugby player. He has friends who are going on to be pro Rugby Players and was telling me about when they have met up a year or two later, the physical difference was huge. This chap was also saying he has friends who claim to be frequent users of HGH and Steroids.
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.

youidiots

You guys dont get it do you! For anyone who has followed and watched cycling for years the feeling of disgust and disappointment towards our supposed "heroes of the road" is total.
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?

notanotherhill

I completley agree with youidiots on this one. I love this sport. Have done from the time I was 11 yrs old. I grew up in an era where my small ass little country had two of the best cyclists winning between them everything in sight.
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...........

overmars

But youidiots... we live in a World where we have mobile phones, home computers that could run a small country, sweat wicking clothes, er... lycra, energy saving light bulbs, drugs that can cure diseases, labs that can grow body parts, bombs that can kill people and leave buildings standing, garage door openers etc, etc.

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.

notanotherhill

Overmars im not really sure what point your making, but doping in cycling isnt a new problem.
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

overmars

I'm saying that it's a part of everyday life more now than ever. I'm saying that one day a cheating athlete is going to be virtually undetectable.

What's the answer... well I remember reading a Judge Dredd story along similar lines where the athletes were called mutants...

speedbump

If I was really bored of reading about doping I wouldn't look at a message board called pharmacy on a cycling website!

jerry3571

I've been into cycling since Stephen Roche won the Tour and if you were into bike riding since then you would've read Paul Kimmage's book and been subjected to the shady side of the Peleton.
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

youidiots

Ummmm Ok lets get personal.......... Overmars you are on another planet. Do you waste your time watching the tdf whilst on your mobile ( a sign of the times)happy with the dopers on screen?
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 ...............

overmars

youidiots wrote:

Ummmm Ok lets get personal.......... Overmars you are on another planet.

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.

youidiots wrote:

Do you waste your time watching the tdf whilst on your mobile ( a sign of the times)happy with the dopers on screen?

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.

youidiots wrote:

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.

So what you moaning about??

youidiots wrote:

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.

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.

youidiots wrote:

Bet no one answers this. If you do well done ...............

Doh!

cougie

I'm not interested in going back 10 years or so in pro cycling. Pretty much everyone was on the juice there, with a couple of exceptions.

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.

overmars

Playing devil's advocate: Would banning for life be countered with "Stopping me from making a living"? I could see that being a very long court case.

jerry3571

I just don't get it. The only way anyone is going to get a fair result is if they can produce effective drug testing that works 100%. The drugs tests usually find nothing and that is the problem. The next thing would be to bring in a "lie detector" and ask them straight.
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