The dope

If they didn't before, everyone now knows there are cyclists that use performance enhancing drugs. This post is short and sweet about the sport I STILL love.

There is nothing like the "sssssss" of the tires and then the gust of air that the peloton pushes as they speed by in a bike race. The first time I experienced it, I was hooked, it's intoxicating. I love the competition, suffering, dedication, and being outside trying to will your body to go harder against mother nature, not to mention the mind games, strategies, and teamwork. However, in the upper tier of the sport, a major "weed out" is occurring. Guilty cyclists names are being thrown out as cheats and liars which inevitably draws others into the interrogation light simply due to the human urge to stereotype and put everything (and everyone) in some sort of grouping. That's OK, stereotyping happens, but I am proud of the sport I do and there are so many good things about it that it propels those involved to weed out the cheaters. This occurs in cycling more than any other sport that I have seen. A few cycling teams even have their own doping control programs that administer more tests in a single season than the entire US Anti-Doping Association performs across ALL sports in an entire year! That is showing the world that something is being done about the problem. After learning that, does it surprise you that more cyclists get caught cheating than in other sports? To end my rant and rave, could you ever imagine the following happening to somebody in another sport ? I can't.

Taken from Pezcyclingnews.com:

"Immediately after the stage, it was announced that Christian Moreni (Cofidis & Italy) had failed a drug test earlier in the race. Not only was he immediately disqualified, his entire team was asked to leave the race. To illustrate the seriousness of the situation, Moreni was arrested after the stage and driven-away by the police whilst still wearing his race clothing." (Emphasis added)

It doesn't happen in other sports that way, as we've seen here in the USA, so the sport of cycling gets a pat on the back for that. I love my sport.