OK! The Doping Thing!
OK as a PRO rider of this level I think it's time to make some comment with regards to the recent controversies that have broken before and sadly after the tour.
When the news of Floyd's positive result broke and after the publishing of the Operation Puerto I was called upon again and again by journalists outside of cycling to make comment.
"Is it as widespread as we think?"
My answer to these sort of questions is that I have made my choice to race in the same way I live my life. I make my choices and am proud to be a clean athlete. I have two beautiful daughters and would never do anything to jeopardize them or their future, there is a lot of life to live after cycling!
"Have you ever been offered drugs?"
With regards to that question I will say this to you.
Do you think anyone you work with takes drugs? Smokes Dope? Pops some pills in a club?
If the answer is yes, do they freely walk around your workplace offering their drug of choice around the office? Of course they don't because they would be out on their ass quicker than they could say, drugs me? Never!
Well it's the same for us as pro riders. Our office just happens to be a big bunch of bike riders and people certainly don't ride around offering the latest performance enhancing drug! Yes drugs do exist, just like they do in all walks of life, sport just mirrors society. There are cheaters and underhand scheming people in the world otherwise we'd all live in harmony and there would be no fraud! no war! no murders!
Floyd Landis is a good guy. He made a mistake then he made his choice and that is something he will have to deal with. Unfortunately if he has, then cycling will have to pay for it and that I don't like. The way it looks right now the damage has been done and cycling will struggle for a couple of years but I think the sport will survive.
Keep faith in cycling because there are good guys out there.
I have to report everyday where I am going to be and when in case they want to test me. Cycling does more to confront and deal with the use of drugs than any other sport. We don't sweep it under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist.
One comment I will make is that of Tom Boonen after the Tour stage to Pla de Beret in which Tom said that they would never get rid of drugs in sport with stages like that in races. 205km, 5 big mountains! People said he was moaning because he wasn't winning!
The next day on Eurosport their American pundit Kristy Andersen made a comment that the sprinters should be fresh after having a day off riding through the picturesque mountains the day before.....yeh right! Nice one Kristy! How many Tours have you ridden?
The Tour organizers commented that they would NEVER shorten the race or the stages! When 60% + of the field are over 40 minutes down and outside of the time limit on a mountain stage? What do you think?
I think there is something wrong and I believe there is an issue that needs looking into. There should be a shadow of a chance to make it inside the time limit even for the sprinters. If there are a couple of riders outside the limit then fair enough, but when more than half of the race is outside then I don't think that it is the riders’ fault. We might not need 90km of climbing in one day, the results will be pretty much the same anyway and the racing will be much better.
I hear that there are a lot of people are wondering why many riders don't speak up about the doping issue!
I think I know why, and it is all based on the media. You can say something to a journalist and the next day he has twisted it around and published it in a way that pleases him to sell more copies of his newspaper or magazine. This is never fun even when it concerns less delicate issues than doping. So as you can probably understand there is a fear of being quoted saying something that you haven't said! So if there was some more respect being shown from journalists in this matter I think the riders might feel a bit more confident in talking. In saying this I want to add that this doesn't go for all journalists, but you can never be sure who is the good one and who is the bad one. A bit like the doping I guess!
See you at the Vuelta
Maggy
OK as a PRO rider of this level I think it's time to make some comment with regards to the recent controversies that have broken before and sadly after the tour.
When the news of Floyd's positive result broke and after the publishing of the Operation Puerto I was called upon again and again by journalists outside of cycling to make comment.
"Is it as widespread as we think?"
My answer to these sort of questions is that I have made my choice to race in the same way I live my life. I make my choices and am proud to be a clean athlete. I have two beautiful daughters and would never do anything to jeopardize them or their future, there is a lot of life to live after cycling!
"Have you ever been offered drugs?"
With regards to that question I will say this to you.
Do you think anyone you work with takes drugs? Smokes Dope? Pops some pills in a club?
If the answer is yes, do they freely walk around your workplace offering their drug of choice around the office? Of course they don't because they would be out on their ass quicker than they could say, drugs me? Never!
Well it's the same for us as pro riders. Our office just happens to be a big bunch of bike riders and people certainly don't ride around offering the latest performance enhancing drug! Yes drugs do exist, just like they do in all walks of life, sport just mirrors society. There are cheaters and underhand scheming people in the world otherwise we'd all live in harmony and there would be no fraud! no war! no murders!
Floyd Landis is a good guy. He made a mistake then he made his choice and that is something he will have to deal with. Unfortunately if he has, then cycling will have to pay for it and that I don't like. The way it looks right now the damage has been done and cycling will struggle for a couple of years but I think the sport will survive.
Keep faith in cycling because there are good guys out there.
I have to report everyday where I am going to be and when in case they want to test me. Cycling does more to confront and deal with the use of drugs than any other sport. We don't sweep it under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist.
One comment I will make is that of Tom Boonen after the Tour stage to Pla de Beret in which Tom said that they would never get rid of drugs in sport with stages like that in races. 205km, 5 big mountains! People said he was moaning because he wasn't winning!
The next day on Eurosport their American pundit Kristy Andersen made a comment that the sprinters should be fresh after having a day off riding through the picturesque mountains the day before.....yeh right! Nice one Kristy! How many Tours have you ridden?
The Tour organizers commented that they would NEVER shorten the race or the stages! When 60% + of the field are over 40 minutes down and outside of the time limit on a mountain stage? What do you think?
I think there is something wrong and I believe there is an issue that needs looking into. There should be a shadow of a chance to make it inside the time limit even for the sprinters. If there are a couple of riders outside the limit then fair enough, but when more than half of the race is outside then I don't think that it is the riders’ fault. We might not need 90km of climbing in one day, the results will be pretty much the same anyway and the racing will be much better.
I hear that there are a lot of people are wondering why many riders don't speak up about the doping issue!
I think I know why, and it is all based on the media. You can say something to a journalist and the next day he has twisted it around and published it in a way that pleases him to sell more copies of his newspaper or magazine. This is never fun even when it concerns less delicate issues than doping. So as you can probably understand there is a fear of being quoted saying something that you haven't said! So if there was some more respect being shown from journalists in this matter I think the riders might feel a bit more confident in talking. In saying this I want to add that this doesn't go for all journalists, but you can never be sure who is the good one and who is the bad one. A bit like the doping I guess!
See you at the Vuelta
Maggy
