a pal of mine penned this.
i'm posting here since he's not a usenet guy.
i'll link him with it and any/all replies once
it hits the google rbr archives.
e-RICHIE
Let The Cleansing Begin
The most recent round of drug scandals started with the tragic death of
Marco Pantani earlier in the year and was followed first with the EPO
revelations of Robert Millar and then Oscar Camenzind; the drug
investigation of recently retired Johan Museeuw; the high profile trial of
Dr. Michele Ferrari and now Tyler's ordeal. All of these events come on the
heels of the Festina affair and the admitted use of drugs by members of that
team, including Richard Virenque. What a farce! He should have been
permanently banned from the sport of cycling.
Are cycling fans that gullible or are they just clinging to the hope that
there are still a few clean riders left in the pro ranks? Sport as science;
athletes as guinea pigs. We are a product of our times and a reflection of
its worst attributes. The amount of scandal in sports correlates nicely with
the amount of scandal in business and politics, as well as the general lack
of society morals. So why should pro cycling be any different?
Society, the governing bodies of sport, management and sponsors turn a blind
eye to the drug problem in ALL sports and in many ways endorse it . . . get
results but don't get caught. It's all about the bottom line and the marquee
image: the buzz, the spin and the hype. Toss in some good PR, personnel
handlers, carefully scripted statements and a politically correct cause
celeb and pretty soon the [censored] starts to smell like a rose. Too many people
in the management ranks in pro cycling and its governing body are too close
to the problem to affect any long lasting change.
Let's face it, pro cycling has always been awash in drugs. Those naïve fans
that still believe it isn't so need to pull their heads out of their ass and
see pro cycling for what it is; a beautiful yet brutal sporting event. It's
a sport unlike any other that demands things from its athletes and their
bodies that no other sport even comes close to. It's a sport where its pro
members have no union representation and where many of its riders earn only
a working man's wage and receive limited or no health care/retirement
benefits from their teams. So the temptation for pro cyclists to rise to the
top of the sport where they can make some serious money to better their
lives can make intelligent men do stupid things . . . just ask Tom Simpson.
A recent chronicle about the life of legendary French TDF winner Jacque
Anquetil in Cycle Sport (May 2004, pg 138) pretty much sums up the use of
drugs in the pro peloton back in the day when he said . . . . . "Yes, I dope
myself, you would be a fool to imagine that a professional cyclist who races
235 days a year in all temperatures and conditions can last without a
stimulant." So why should we expect today's pros to be any different when
the monetary rewards for the very best in cycling have finally started to
rival other mainstream sports? There is more to gain now in the sport of
cycling than ever before.
I hope that Tyler can prove beyond a doubt his innocence, but the fact of
the matter is he failed 3 out of 4 recent tests for blood doping, by two
different governing bodies. We can talk all we want about how pro cycling
has undergone a major cleansing campaign since the Festina affair first
broke some five years ago, but the recent events do not bare this out. The
sport seems as dirty now as it has ever been.
The fact the Robert Millar was tested for EPO on several occasions and
passed those tests, only for the French authorities to find the banned
substance in his house, speaks volumes about the depth of the problem. More
money is clearly being thrown at skirting the drug laws in pro cycling than
at enforcing them.
I have always found it ironic that whenever a stage in the TDF passes over
Mt. Ventoux that the pro peloton will pay their respects to the most
infamous drug user of his generation. Not until the stone monument to Tom
Simpson is removed from the top of Mt. Ventoux and turned into paper weights
can we say that the drug cleansing process in pro cycling has even begun.
One thing is for sure, people have short memories and greed is forever. This
too will pass and Tyler will become yesterday's news in short order; an
asterisk forever by his name. We can look at life through rose colored
glasses or with a jaundiced eye. It's your decision to make.
Mr. G
9/30/04