Bloody Hell! Do Believe The Hype

[Toks]

http://www.cuttingedgemuscle.com/Forum/ ... &forumid=9
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[Matthew Ives]

Wow...that forum's an eye opener!!!

Just confirms what I already suspected and have heard elsewhere. Namely that top amateur cyclists are now doping as well.
Where will it end, I wonder? Dope tests @ The Palace ?

[John Cochrane]

What a disturbing site. I can't believe the carefree way they discuss their cheating drug taking. What a bunch of sick losers.

[Andrew G]

Couldn't agree more John. You've got to be a loser to take drugs fullstop, but at amateur level! Just think you could move from 3rd to 2nd cat and kill yourself before you hit 50 at the same time. How tempting that sounds.

[Mike Runner]

From what I understand, and have understood for a long time, all pro riders are on drugs of some kind, maybe with one or two exceptions over the years.
Cycling fans all over Europe have known this yet they still love the sport. I find it quite strange that all of a sudden people are getting upset with the drug taking. So, if you've got to be a loser to take drugs, then all the great champions, from Henri Pellisier through to Coppi, Bartalli, Merckx ,Hinault and Anquetil were all losers.

It takes sheer hard work , masses of natural talent and intense training ,dedication and an ability to suffer to be a pro. That doesn't change whether you are on drugs or not. That is what the French and Italians support when they support pro cycle racing.
The only objection I have to drug taking is that it seems that drugs affect riders in different ways. From reading around the subject of sports doping and reading peoples 1st hand accounts of doping, it seems that doping isn't a level playing field. For example, two equally fit riders can take EPO and one will get a massive boost in performance whilst another only a small increase. That's why it's unfair to say that Armstrong would have won the tour even if he and all the other ridrs had been clean. That certainly isn't a given .

[Elliot M]

Even for a cynic like myself that forum is a bit of shocker - doping programmes in 4th cat...!

[sid_day]

Can I recommend a book called "Sweat of the Gods" by Benjo Maso.
This was an eye-opener about the Tour de France and the history of drug taking. They go hand in hand.