Sympathy Nil.
I love threats. Have learned over the years how to ignore them. !!
We won't do any worse without her.
Oh does she now?
9 posts
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by John the old'un » Thu Aug 09, 2007 11:38 am
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by Toks » Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:42 am
[quote="marco"]I wish athletics, football and tennis would do the same amount of testing cycling does. I think the results would shock people. (ie superstars like paula radcliffe might have their 'training programmess' made more public)
Oh No what are you saying? 
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by Richard (Apples) » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:36 pm
[quote]Ive gradually come to the realisation that the idea of sport we had when we were growing up as kids is long gone now. I dont have the eloquence to get the right words for how I think about it but the days of the sporting hero we can genuinely look up to and aspire to be are over, at least at the top levels of sport. I think weve reached the limits of what the human body can achieve healthily - performances now are going to be at the expense of long term good health.
Thats the saddest thing I've read in a long time
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by Elliot M » Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:21 pm
i pretty much agree -- i have to be honest in the past i have thought marco rather pessimistic regarding drug use but not for at least 3 years!
i think "clean" is an unreachable mirage. i don't believe cycling has ever been or ever will ever be clean at the top level (it's shades of grey anyway - prescription athsma drugs, etc, using absolutely anything not yet declared illegal), and in fact clamping down on it by throwing some riders under suspicion out of the Tour while keeping others in (at least some of whom can be assumed to be doping) makes it more unfair than ever before. is it morally cheating if everyone does it? i haven't decided.
also while the uk may have a history of corinthian ideals i think that assuming brits are cleaner than anyone else is now outdated. i do believe boardman and obree did it all on fig rolls and cups of tea and i very much hope wiggins is a chip off the old block, but i don't feel i can automatically extend this assumption to others, especially those who've already tested positive.
i think "clean" is an unreachable mirage. i don't believe cycling has ever been or ever will ever be clean at the top level (it's shades of grey anyway - prescription athsma drugs, etc, using absolutely anything not yet declared illegal), and in fact clamping down on it by throwing some riders under suspicion out of the Tour while keeping others in (at least some of whom can be assumed to be doping) makes it more unfair than ever before. is it morally cheating if everyone does it? i haven't decided.
also while the uk may have a history of corinthian ideals i think that assuming brits are cleaner than anyone else is now outdated. i do believe boardman and obree did it all on fig rolls and cups of tea and i very much hope wiggins is a chip off the old block, but i don't feel i can automatically extend this assumption to others, especially those who've already tested positive.
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by Andrew G » Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:40 pm
[quote]Ive gradually come to the realisation that the idea of sport we had when we were growing up as kids is long gone now
Small boys in the park, jumpers for goalposts......
I still like to try and believe that most of the athletes (any sport) aren't cheating, but there will always be cheaters in every sport no matter what penalties are imposed.
Sport is just an extension of life in general, and there will always be some people who cheat, or use underhand methods to achieve their goals. Unfortunately the bigger the reward, the greater the temptation.
You only need to look at the high flyers in business and what some of them have got up to. Enron etc and all the devious deals and practices that cause stock market, pension, mortgage problems. Always some rich fella at the top of the tree wants that bit more.
It's the same principle as doping in sport, just another form of cheating. The TdF is the biggest (although hasn't been the best for ages) cycling event so the rewards are the highest, and temptation to perform for that event the greatest.
In fairness the current attitude in cycling appears to be changing with more riders speaking out, and publicly vilifying those who cheat. I think this is more likely to work than fines or bans (not that they should be stopped obviously) as I think the personal guilt and loss of friendships is a greater deterrent to a potential doper.
Maybe just a hippy ideal, but they always seem to find another team to ride for, and even if it's Pro-Continental rather than Pro-Tour you can still earn money and get wildcard places in the big races.
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). She would usually send a txt [sic] from the train, but couldn't this time because she was driving (very safe, well done, cyclists like that sort of thing).
