Doping and the Tour de France

[Wez-O]

There is still some sort of doping in all forms pro cycling, however it is far less than in the past two decades and I think most sportsman in all pro sports are cheating in some way or another, it's just that cycling is the sport in the limelight with the most testing.

Seriously, how can runners break a 100m record on a yearly basis without pumping something illegal into their bodies?

[Jaco-fiets]

There is still some sort of doping in all forms pro cycling, however it is far less than in the past two decades and I think most sportsman in all pro sports are cheating in some way or another, it's just that cycling is the sport in the limelight with the most testing.

Seriously, how can runners break a 100m record on a yearly basis without pumping something illegal into their bodies?

 

Training and genetics? Yeeeee right

[Eldron]

So....3 days into the Tour and no positives - thats a good start :-)

 

Doped tours rocked - Ricco shooting off the front, the 160km core cooling yank break, pantani rippin it up, lance giving "the look" then sprinting uphill for 9km, virenque popping wheelies up mont ventoux, the blue train setting the pace for 2,000km - ahhh those were the years...

 

This new clean war of attrition style racing is boring as fook. Nobody attacks for more than 50m. Slowly but surely they get tailed off and the winner stumbles over the line. Yaaaawn.

 

Bring back the drugs!*

 

 

*yes - this was yongue in cheek.

[Guest Omega Man]

There is still some sort of doping in all forms pro cycling, however it is far less than in the past two decades and I think most sportsman in all pro sports are cheating in some way or another, it's just that cycling is the sport in the limelight with the most testing.

Seriously, how can runners break a 100m record on a yearly basis without pumping something illegal into their bodies?

EXACTLY. You only need to watch the 1995 rugby world cup final vs any current game to see a massive difference in body shape.

 

There's NO WAY that could be achieved purely with nutrition and training.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Omega Man

['Dale]

It's no surprize that the toughest endurance sport, other than cross country skiing and ultra-distance running, has doping as its ugly underbelly.

 

Change is definitely in the air.

It's a race between forensic science and cheating methodologies.

 

VIVE LE TOUR

[American Flyers]

It is difficult to believe that the riders are clean this year because in 10 years time they will admit that they all took drugs..

 

I believe that they must ban all the riders, or doctors or coach or manager who took drugs in the past and they are not allowed to be involved in cycling because they know how to cheat and they teach young ones to cheat.... It never stops....

[Jaco-fiets]

It is difficult to believe that the riders are clean this year because in 10 years time they will admit that they all took drugs..

 

I believe that they must ban all the riders, or doctors or coach or manager who took drugs in the past and they are not allowed to be involved in cycling because they know how to cheat and they teach young ones to cheat.... It never stops....

 

Won't be fun watching 10 to 15 guys compete in races. Dare I say that I miss those epic battles in the mountains..............

[Patchelicious]

All these people who moan about doping in cycling, I have two words for you: William's Sisters. They have more hair on their balls than a 70s adult film star!

[Guest Omega Man]

All these people who moan about doping in cycling, I have two words for you: William's Sisters. They have more hair on their balls than a 70s adult film star!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

[SwissVan]

All these people who moan about doping in cycling, I have two words for you: William's Sisters. They have more hair on their balls than a 70s adult film star!

 

Didn't help Serena (sp) yesterday, hell was I happy yesterday...

[DJ84]

Let them ride with drips in their arms and oxygen tanks on their backs for all I care.

We can place bets on who is going to have the first heart attack of the race.

 

If they want to dope they will even if they are strictly monitored.

 

At least it will make all the racing more exciting.

And as for setting an image for children, parents should do that themselves.

[T-Bob]

Won't be fun watching 10 to 15 guys compete in races. Dare I say that I miss those epic battles in the mountains..............

 

Clean - Skyborg boring. Little attacks in the last 3kms for minimal gains

Dirty - hand to hand combat in the alps, tearing strips off each other and then coming out again the next day to do it again

 

Morally I know where I stand but those dark days had a swagger, combativeness and excitment that leaves most modern rides in the shade.

 

That's the problems with drugs, can give you a peak into something unbelievable that you're left wanting more. 'Normal' isn't good enough any more. Even the best performances are going to be bland by comparison.

[Garfield2010]

Looking at average speeds and just the general way of riding in the Tour makes you want to believe that it has become much cleaner. Whether doping will ever be completely eradicated we'll probably never know.

 

For instance, in 2011 Pierre Roland won the Alp d'Huez stage. I read somewhere that with that winning time he would've placed 43rd in the year that Lance won it in the early 2000s (can't recall the exact year). Much to my dismay you just don't see the Lance type attacks where a rider attacks and solos up the mountain where he even rips the breakaway up the road to shreds. The last time we saw that was Contador's last win in the Giro in 2011. Since his return he has not been the same.

 

Look, I loved those attacks. And there's a part in me that thought, let them dope, it makes for better TV. Then my son was born. No parent would want their kid to fill his body with different kinds of drugs just to pedal a bike.

 

Question is then are the leaders not afraid to attack and ride away? They know all eyes will be on them so they rather hang back and give everything during the time trial?

 

Also I think it is hard to compare different years with one another. There is lots of things that comes into play like how hard the previous stages where and how hard the following stages will be. Did the break away have any impact on the top 10 hence did the peloton not decide to let them go and take it easy on a specific day?

 

Doping is still very much part of the TDF and will be...... I would like to think that Cadel Evans was clean when he won but who knows?

 

Anyways if these pros refer to "dope free" does this include blood doping? I know a lot of guys will say that their own blood is their own and should not be seen as "doping" as they are not putting in anything "external as such....... just putting it out there.

[Jaco-fiets]

So Mercx is on the podium shaking hands. Was he caught doping back in the day? Hell yes! They should get the real record holder up there shaking hands. F.cking hypocrites!

[T-Bob]

So Mercx is on the podium shaking hands. Was he caught doping back in the day? Hell yes! They should get the real record holder up there shaking hands. F.cking hypocrites!

 

I'm with you on this one. Hell, every living tour rider has been invited to a special 'night of hero's' or something and in the last two weeks we've had Ullrich admit to blood doping (but nothing else) and Jalabert again 'not remembering' but they're still welcomed with open arms as I imagine Virenque and the rest of Festina crew.

 

That era was dirty through and through but as long as everyone all points to Lance it makes it okay. Lance beat all of them and as much as I never really warmed to him and was an undeniable bully he still had to win his 7 tours. He still had to train, had to plan, had to attack and had to finish ahead of all the other dirty, doping and epo powered up riders in the race.

 

McQ and the UCI should have a truth and reconciliation hearing and just get it out there (they should step up 1st). No matter what that old guard say they still sound like they are trying to squirm their way out. Hypocrites isn't even close!

 

But you can't touch Merckx or Jens.

[Firozfx]

Raymond Poulidor. Reputed to have never doped and was the first rider in the tour to be drug tested.

 

Never won the Tour. Many 2nd and 3rd places