Hey all. Some of my friends and I were talking about the incessant
doping and drug problems in professional cycling. I want to take a moment throw out some of my
opinions.
First off, I think that we can all agree that performance enhancing
drugs are bad and need to be kept out of the sport. Regardless of whether its
been commonplace for years, or “necessary to be competitive”, it SHOULDN’T be.
Sports like cycling, running and swimming are honest. Teammates cannot carry
you. At the line, it all comes down to you and your skills. How much you have
worked. And performance enhancing drugs take that away. If you and the guy next
to you are the same in every way(experience, training, etc.), except that he
has been doping, then all your hard work is suddenly worthless. That kills the
honesty and the essence of the sport and competition. That’s why performance
enhancing drugs are WRONG. I hate them, and despise anyone who cheats their way
to success. There are no excuses, they made a choice. If it’s an epidemic in
the sport, don’t embrace it or look away. CHANGE it.
I think I know one way to start major changes in the long
run. UCI and USAC need to aggressively test Junior (18 and under) racers. Many
pros who use banned substances started young. And, the juniors now are the
future of the sport. If they learn from the beginning that they can’t get away with
it, it should go away. I do believe it is well into the Cat. 1 Junior level. I
would never make accusations, but it does raise questions when an athlete’s ability
grows exponentially in between seasons. I know it is possible clean, but
incredibly difficult. It is also suspicious when riders do not seem to adhere
to the peak and valley effects of contemporary training. It isn’t possible to
hit every single race on your “A” level. Racers have to pick “A” races so that
they can peak their training cycle. After that race, they will slow down and
build again for a little while. When someone’s speed seems to be the same every
race, that raises questions. And it sucks when you are off the
podium and questioning those who are on it. You start to wonder if your work is
worth it.
If they tested Juniors, I believe it would help curb the
epidemic of illegal performance enhancers. The next wave of pros will be clean.
I’m willing to pee in a cup or give blood every few months. I work very hard. I
want my honest work to have honest worth. I want it to count, not just now but
throughout my career.
Thanks for listening. How do you feel? Let me know in the
comments. I’ll keep you posted.
First off, I think that we can all agree that performance enhancing
drugs are bad and need to be kept out of the sport. Regardless of whether its
been commonplace for years, or “necessary to be competitive”, it SHOULDN’T be.
Sports like cycling, running and swimming are honest. Teammates cannot carry
you. At the line, it all comes down to you and your skills. How much you have
worked. And performance enhancing drugs take that away. If you and the guy next
to you are the same in every way(experience, training, etc.), except that he
has been doping, then all your hard work is suddenly worthless. That kills the
honesty and the essence of the sport and competition. That’s why performance
enhancing drugs are WRONG. I hate them, and despise anyone who cheats their way
to success. There are no excuses, they made a choice. If it’s an epidemic in
the sport, don’t embrace it or look away. CHANGE it. 
