Thanks tcklyde:
Couple of quick points:
1) I was told by a former LA teammate (no I will not name him) that the doping mentality used to be one of 'trauma medicine'. That is to help rejuvenate a rider back to 100% in the minimum time (20 hours).
Because House et al... apparently have never competed in long stage races or trained at the minimum level to make a top team---they have no understanding for the impossiblity of recovery at this excessively high training volume.
The pro schedule is far beyond what an organic rider can cope with, regardless of talent or work ethic.
Anyway, trauma doping is augmented by performance doping---that is to gain an edge beyond what is normal for a star rider. Not every person of a team needs to use this secondary approach. Usually just the stars. That's why they are paid the big bucks.
Obviously, if all riders could function w/o drugs--they would. But they cannot.
2) In the past 20 years, the only top or TDF level riders I heard rumors about as being anti-dopers were:
Alexi Grewal, Andy Hampsten, Charley Mottet, Christophe Bassons.
Having said this----these guys all used trauma drugs as needed--but perhaps did not pursue the more aggressive PEDs.
It's all about 1) the definitions of drugs 2) your specific job on the squad.
3) Lots of U-23 riders are doped too. Maybe not 100%, but a high percentage.
If this provides edcuation, so be it. It is not an attempt to destroy cycling---just the reverse.
tcklyde said:I agree that a lot of the evidence Flyer sites isn't so strong. And I've bickered with him about it. But I think all of need to realize that, even though we love it, our sport has a major, serious, terrible doping problem. The #3 ranked man on the new ProTour standings just tested positive. You'd havehoped some riders would expressed disappointment this week. Hell, how about a little outrage? If I was Thor Hushovd, I'd be raising hell about a cheater knocking me out of 2nd out Milan-San Remo. But instead, it seems like the sport just had a little shrug and moved on.
We're not talking about 3rd rate riders trying to hold on to a spot on a pro team. We're talking about guys at the top of the sport. The doping problem has not been solved; it's deep roots still obviously have a powerful hold on ridrers. To that extent, Flyer has a lot worth listening to.
