BIG TOUR DRUGS SCANDALS - 2007

[A J C]

I agree about womens cycling, its more like amateur races, more attacks.

Thus much more exciting to watch, theres way to much of a hierarchy in the mens sport.

Anyway, im not on drugs, promise. To me, thats all that matters. I don't bother defending the pros anymore to my friends and family, i just say more or less what has been said already. Drugs or no drugs, i don't think there would be much difference in the results. At the end of the day, you've gotta have the talent to get that far, before some 'Dr' wants to help you. But thats not much of an explanation.

Plus i am far from convinced that other sports are clean, Football. No feckin way, with the money involved, it would be easy enough to keep quiet. Plus, people would bury their heads in the sand, more so than in cycling. How else do they go out evey other night, on the piss, on the pull, then still get up and run around for 90mins!?

Hmmmmmmmmm...

[richv]

It simply isn't true to say that it would be the same with or without drugs. Drugs affect people in different ways and the 'well they're all doing it so it doesn't make any difference' line merely helps to legitmise their use.

Take EPO for example. If you have naturally high haemocrit levels the advantage you can get from EPO (especially given the 50% 'cap' operated by the UCI) is limited. If you have naturally low haemocrit levels then you can boost your performance much more without worrying about the 50% 'cap' or your blood gluing up in your sleep and killing you.

Similarly other drugs will have different effects on different people. Riis is the classic example of turning a donkey into a racehorse using drugs. There is no way that he was one of the 'naturally' best riders of his generation.

To say the top riders would be the same does a disservice to those who were strong enough not to take the drugs. I don't know (how can we ever be sure?) that Obree and Boardman were clean but if they were then they are two riders who may well have been up at the top of a 'clean' peleton.

[Graham O]

I think that at the moment, drugs are part of cycling culture. Its going to take something pretty serious to break it...

Taking a step back, I think alot of this has to do with the pressures of commercialism. These days, we seem to expect people to win.

You see it in football at international level. If we don't win, the media calls for players and mangers to be got rid of. Similarly, when we don't do well at the olympics, the athletes are panned, even though they have done their best.

You could talk about this for years.

[tel]

Some years ago I had a heated discussion with Shane Sutton, the BC coach. He seemed to think that as all the continental peleton were charging it would be a good idea just to let them get on with it and the rider with the best chemicals won.
I, obviously disagreed but i seem to think that perhaps he has a point. Whatever controls are put in place there seems a way around it.
I`m not interested in pro racing any more, but maybe I`ll go to the prologue just to see Bradley, etc.

[Will]

[quote="marco"]edit: I think you could be onto something Terry, pro sport may have reached its pinnacle in terms of human achievement. Theres a strong argument that sport is meaningless (ie K.o.F.A. - you won , you are king. of what exactly?!? and how long will it last!?!?!?) . An engineer can take something and refine it, refine it some more, and then refine it in smaller and smaller increments until it cant be refined any more. With genetic science e may have just reached the end of meaningful sports in any discipline)

[Elliot M]

[img]http://pspupdates.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/76136/rocky_balboa_2_qjpreviewth.jpg[/img]

[Andrew G]

[quote]Take EPO for example. If you have naturally high haemocrit levels the advantage you can get from EPO (especially given the 50% 'cap' operated by the UCI) is limited.

[adrian]

[quote]
And we all know they kept you in longer than usual just to check your...allergies

[adrian]

Thanks for reminding me - just as I'm trying to digest a huge lunch of fish, chips and [gags] mushy peas

[Andrew G]

Cheers fellas
Marco, I tried.
Sean, she was very, very nice (and had quick reactions). Probably a good job it wasn't you in there, Pez wouldn't have been able to cope with all the photos you'd have sent them.

[Andrew G]

She might have put her truncheon somewhere you'd have needed one of the doctors to retrieve it from.

You'd never guess it was last knocking on a Friday afternoon would you

[Sylv]

what's the word on doping in the pro mtb world marco?

[Mike I]

[quote]I'm trying to digest a huge lunch of fish, chips and [gags] mushy peas

[Grahame]

[quote="Sylv (Tonton Tapis)"]what's the word on doping in the pro mtb world marco?

[Will]

[url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/jun07/jun16news]Basso receives maximum suspension[/url]