Message direct to all fellow professional cyclists

[erik saunders]

i dont race to beat other people, so i dont get frustrated... and i always tend
to look at myself more than at anything else when i am searching for reasons
and explainations... i could blame others for my dissapointments, or i could
just take responsibility myself... i tend to think "i didnt win because i didnt
ride fast enough (simplistic but true)" rather than "so and so is not natural
and so it made it next to impossible for me to match his strength, **** him"...
one way seems too much like a lame excuse and the other is taking
responsibility for my own part rather than placing blame on another (especially
since it isnt 100% sure that i know so and so was charged)...thats probably the
main thing that allows me to be cool about the issue... i race for me and how
it makes me feel... i enjoy a challenge and maybe doping makes it more
challenging?... i havent really thought much about my process in this matter...

thats how i am in life anyway... i dont often look to apply blame... there is a
difference between blame and responsibilty.. the best way to stay focused and
happy is to always accept responsibility for things that effect you or things
that you feel strongly about regardless of who is actually to blame... i just
cant care about guys who want to take drugs.. i cant control them... all i can
do is train the way i think i should and live the life i think i should... if
guys take drugs or dont take drugs what does it change in the way i live?

>We should've gotten more into this during the interview 'cause I
>wholeheartedly disagree with you. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty
>evident that gang fights in the street are a bigger issue than doping
>in sports, but I don't understand how someone who makes their living
>racing bikes can say, "I don't care if my competition cheats". That
>just doesn't make any sense.
>Maybe we should fight about it; I'm pretty sure I could take you.
>
>RB

 

[gym gravity]

gym gravity wrote:
found some more of the same:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2003-05-14-fakedrug-cover_x.htm

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/pharmacy/fake-drugs.html

 

[Jeff Jones]

"erik saunders" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> i dont race to beat other people, so i dont get frustrated... and i always
tend
> to look at myself more than at anything else when i am searching for
reasons
> and explainations... i could blame others for my dissapointments, or i
could
> just take responsibility myself... i tend to think "i didnt win because i
didnt
> ride fast enough (simplistic but true)" rather than "so and so is not
natural
> and so it made it next to impossible for me to match his strength, ****
him"...
> one way seems too much like a lame excuse and the other is taking
> responsibility for my own part rather than placing blame on another
(especially
> since it isnt 100% sure that i know so and so was charged)...thats
probably the
> main thing that allows me to be cool about the issue... i race for me and
how
> it makes me feel... i enjoy a challenge and maybe doping makes it more
> challenging?... i havent really thought much about my process in this
matter...
>
I can relate to this competely. I enjoy racing for many reasons, but winning
isn't one of them because I don't do it very often Although I enjoy
riding for its own sake and fitness benefits, nothing beats the speed and
the atmosphere of a race. You can't get that in training. Each race is a new
challenge - e.g. to see if you can last the distance; make the
third/second/first group and be in contention for a top 30/20/10; or beat
all the guys on the juice etc. But if you are not motivated and switched on
mentally, you can forget it. If you see X go up the road and are 95 percent
sure that he's not racing à l'Eau Claire, you don't just sit there and take
it lying down, you go after him!! Not the least because there's a good
chance you might stay away

There's another aspect of placing blame/responsibility on others that
applies to racing too. There are so many instances of breaks getting away
because everyone in the peloton expects everyone else to chase. Don't
hesitate and go after them (if you are able) is a tactic that pays well, I
have found.

Also, sometimes riders who dope think they are supermen, which may be true
in part, but you can still beat them with better tactics and a bit of luck.
I'm still chuckling about the guy last Satuday who made every attack and did
every turn in his 53x12, raging at all of us in the group for the whole race
(except when he was alone for three laps). This was one angry dude. After
wasting a lot of energy, he only finished 10th (and last) in our group. I
think the 14 was the biggest gear I used, and I also didn't apply the
needless (sic) tactic of yelling at people. As a result, fourth place was
for me even more satisfying.

> thats how i am in life anyway... i dont often look to apply blame... there
is a
> difference between blame and responsibilty.. the best way to stay focused
and
> happy is to always accept responsibility for things that effect you or
things
> that you feel strongly about regardless of who is actually to blame...

I agree. If you make a habit of blaming other people when things go wrong -
even if it is justified - you'll be miserable the whole time.

Jeff

 

[Richard Adams]

gym gravity <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Carl Sundquist wrote:
>
> > "kaiser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> >>In Pantani's case, he was injured during a period of heavy EPO use.
> >>He badly broke his leg in a race and required extensive orthopaedic
> >>surgery to repair it. When they tested his crit, it was so high they
> >>had to postpone the surgery to figure out what was going on with his
> >>blood.
> >>
> >>The next day, when they re-checked his crit, it had crashed to
> >>dangerously low levels. He'd been abusing it for so long, he body
> >>ceased production.
> >>
> >
> >
> > Why do you think RBC production (or lack thereof) should effect huge swings
> > in hematocrit levels on a day to day basis? IIRC, the typical lifespan of a
> > mature RBC is 5-8 weeks.
> >
> >
> Yeah. I read that he was being visited in hospital by his team doctors
> and whatever it was that I read implied that they had something to do
> with it. like that they bled him too much to lower it. The next day,
> his crit was high again. this stuff couldn't be natural rbc destruction
> and rebound.


Maybe he was like Popeye and needed his spinach.

 

[chris]

Oh, when you put it that way...I mean its Stuper Week.
warren <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<260620041942046244%[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>, chris
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > You would think that, but it doesn't. Sometimes we f--k our bodies
> > too much for them to sort it all out. Little injuries add up into big
> > problems and hormone replacement can really screw you up. I can say
> > for sure that I would steer clear of insulin, hGH and probably EPO
> > because I want to function normally when I'm 55, rather than worrying
> > about going blind or losing limbs.
>
> Not even for a few wins at Superweek?
>
>
>
> -WG

 

[Tom Kunich]

"Carl Sundquist" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "kaiser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > In Pantani's case, he was injured during a period of heavy EPO use.
> > He badly broke his leg in a race and required extensive orthopaedic
> > surgery to repair it. When they tested his crit, it was so high they
> > had to postpone the surgery to figure out what was going on with his
> > blood.
> >
> > The next day, when they re-checked his crit, it had crashed to
> > dangerously low levels. He'd been abusing it for so long, he body
> > ceased production.
> >
>
> Why do you think RBC production (or lack thereof) should effect huge
swings
> in hematocrit levels on a day to day basis? IIRC, the typical lifespan of
a
> mature RBC is 5-8 weeks.

That's why I was saying not to believe rumors. It isn't possible for there
to be extremely high hematocrit one day and extremely low the next unless
there is something VERY funny going on.

 

[Ronde Champ]

[email protected] (Ronde Champ) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hey,
>
> We all need to step back and recognize the damage the drugs are doing
> to the sport of cycling. At the risk of revealing my true identity,
> the sport of professional cycling is at risk due to the negative image
> brought on by controversial drug use.
> There are so many riders doing drugs, that it is really difficult for
> the clean riders to compete. As Alex Zuelle said, "It's hard to do
> 55mph when everyone else is doing 70mph." Well, until they remove
> rules, and have an open category of no holds barred, this will always
> be done in the shadows of cycling.
> I'm not even calculating the long term health risks. Read up on how
> many 45-50 year old former football players die from various organ
> disorders. No 22 year old cyclist faced with the stark reality of
> working a real job if they don't make it ever cares about this. They,
> 'you' will live forever. And what's wrong with just stepping up for
> this next big race. I'll only do it ONE time.
> I know the same riders never care about sponsors. Think about why
> they put cash into cycling. It isn't to make your dreams come true.
> It's advertising 101. All the bad press cycling is getting threatens
> to kill our sport. The sponsors will gravitate to other sports or ways
> to get their brand out there. Look at mainstream press in this buildup
> to the Tour de France. Find an article that doesn't mention drugs.
> CEO's will not continue sponsoring if it means the could suffer a hit
> to their company name and more importantly, bottomline and/or stock
> price.
> If everyone is doing the 'program', aren't we still just competing
> against each other on a new level? It would be beautiful for my
> wallet, health, mental state, and grandchildren to be, if we could
> just race our bikes while remaining clean. The ironic thing is that
> many of us started riding because it is so healthy. It makes you
> strong, and can add quality to our years, and years to our life. What
> we are all playing with tampers with that, and may even be the most
> unhealthy thing we ever do to our body. Most o fthis has become back
> alley, and unregulated. I'll shot this cause this veteran rider does.
> I have know idea of side effects, other than I will ride real fast for
> the next race.
>
> 5 years from now things will be much worse for our sport, or much
> better. It will not continue down this same path. Maybe WADA and USADA
> and IOC and UCI will actually win this war on drugs. For my health, I
> hope so. Until then, I have a syringe waiting for me. It is Friday
> after all. Shoot up day for a jobber pro like me. I have work to do
> this weekend.
>
> Thanks,
> Ronde Champ


Greg. Shut your pie-hole.

 

[Jim Flom]

"Ronde Champ" wrote...
>
> At the risk of revealing my true identity,

This will require two forms of photo ID.

JF