Thanks for that, etagloh. Interesting read (although when did the word "cheater" get invented? What was wrong with "cheat"?). I love watching cycling, Le Tour in particular, so obviously I hope they clean it up successfully. As a spectator, I don't care how long it takes them to tour la France, I just want to see them all suffer and to see someone emerge victorious because he had more heart, or guts or balls - and not because he had more EPO. Mostly, I just want to know that what I'm seeing is what's really happening.
As a cycling fan and former racer, I'm happy to see the efforts made to eliminate drugs from professional cycling. At the same time, I think cycling gets penalized by the public for the very reason that it is working to clean things up. Every time a rider is caught, the media is full of stories about how "dirty" cycling is. And yet, cycling imposes extremely tough penalties - typically at least 2 year suspension (4 years from the pro ranks). Given the short careers of most pro cycllsts, this amounts to a lifetime ban for most. I've always wondered how NFL, NBA, or MLB fans would react if players caught using drugs in their sports were suspended for 2 to 4 years.
Thanks for that, etagloh. Interesting read (although when did the word "cheater" get invented? What was wrong with "cheat"?). Well, I suppose its been around at least as long as the age old taunt, "cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater."
I've never heard that taunt. I've heard about Peter Peter, but that's something else. I don't hate "cheater," though. It's what they were, after all. What JJ and BikeNut said. I love the sport, and I don't want to see it fade into oblivion because of mismanagement of the doping issue. Thanks for the post, holgate.
Thanks for the comments. I'm not sure I share the optimism of the piece's conclusion, and the hope that Slipstream and outspoken ex-dopers like David Millar can make a difference: the complicity (or see/hear/speak no evil attitude) of sponsors means that it's going to take demonstrably clean success to help the sport kick the habit and rebound. The juxtaposition with NFL/NBA/MLB and their players' unions is interesting, though the setups make it difficult to make like-for-like comparisons. That said, unionisation, plus the nature of the governing bodies, most likely makes it difficult for any individual team to assert its drug-free status.
Rant Your Head Off has an interesting analysis of this article. It's about halfway down and starts at the big bold "Meanwhile...". Preceding that is a pretty good discussion of the Gatlin case currently before CAS.
