Cycling and drug use...

I just wanted to get a discussion going on cycling and drug use, and see what the rest of you think about it. It seems so common among the peleton today, that I'm wondering if the penalties are too weak for proven users. I am a school teacher, and I see a drastic decrease in students (and adults) taking responsibility for their actions...it's always someone else's fault. I am for a lifetime ban from professional cycling if caught using drugs. I think this is the only way to make the sport clean. What do the rest of you think?

 

I disagree with the life ban. I think ppl should stop looking into this so much. Look at other sport like body building. You just have to look at the number of tests that are done on cyclist to the number of poistives.

You look at on average maybe 15000-20000 test on cyclists a year compared to 2000 to most other sports. The positives are very minimal. The only reason cycling attracts this is due to the high profiles of competitors.

Just take it when a professional cyclist gets a common cold he cant take anything for it. As what is in the medicine can make them go positive. I have been a cyclist for 15 years & have heard all this crap going on for the whole time. It is the little people that make this look like a big problem, WHEN, it really isnt.

Do you really want tax payers to pay for more tests. AT over $1000 a test I think it is crazy. For everyone you bust there will always be 3 or 4 more that are smart enough to get around these tests. It is the same as the blood testing prior to professional races. The test has not been perfected so they lump everyone into the 50% region. This is not fair either, but until they get a proper test it is all we have. My heomcit is 48. & I live in Sydney, & no I dont take EPO.

Well that is my 2 cents for the time being.

Cheers

 

One word: money.
Sponsors will not allow a competitor to walk away with the honours if there is doubt about the outcome of a blood test.
Shane Warne is a classic example. Had the Aussie Cricket Board not taken a firm stance regarding his steroid use, you can bet your bottom dollar that all the other participating countries would of called for his head. But be honest, would the steroids that Warnies' mom mistakenly gave him, really of enhanced his performance during the WCC?
It's all got to do with money and politics. In all sports where there are huge amounts of money to play for, you will find this. Formula1 and Ron Dennis is another pathetic example. I'm blown away by the fact that he did not complain to the marshals when Michael put up the best time for sector 1 under a waved yellow flag during the Austrian GP. A big sponsor will do anything to have it's athlete (and sponsorship) promoted to top spot, even if it means a fellow competitor being banned for life for taking too much cough medicine.

 

it begs the question of what happened in Ben Tune's case and the ARB cover up etc??

 

First, I think doping is more widespread in cycling than we know. Both because of repeat offenders (and stupid offenders Rumsas). The problem in cycling is the team structure. Since every rider wants to be with as good a team as possible every rider is incentivized to dope. In a marathon running going from 100 in the world to 50th makes litte difference. In cycling such a change matters. Domestiques cand dope because they want a job, Sprintes can dope because they want to make it though long races, Rumsas can dope for a podium, and Francisco Perez can dope to try to win major races. The teams themselves may also contribute. I don;t really have a good resolution to this all either.