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Christian Moreni of team Cofidis has tested positive for testosterone this week, that in addition to Vinokourov of Astana.
I typically root for Team Discovery, T-Mobile, CSC or anyone who is not French. This year I have been rooting for "Vino" in The Tour because he seemed cheated out of last years Tour and seemed to be triumphing despite wrecking his bike and consequently being injured.
Rasmussen is rumoured to be doping, I don't normally pay attention to those sorts of rumours, they tend to sound like jealousy spread by the losers. Lance was plagued from the beginning by rumours of doping and I have always believed that anyone who was guilty would simply be caught. As more and more athletes are testing positive I am beginning to wonder if that is true. How could someone who had not previously succumbed to the pressure to dope be so dumb as to start doping in the middle of a Tour, but also to do it so badly, in such a dumb way? From what I understand, blood doping is the easiest to detect. Given the recent history of the sport and his team, logic dictates that either he is incredibly dumb or he simply was not caught before.
It is more likely that he simply had not been caught before which makes the current situation even harder to understand. Given the current situation, it is harder to believe in the innocence/sabotage of Floyd. I have to wonder if Lance did it. It is hard to believe that there is anyone in The Tour that is racing clean.
I have to wonder if the idea of "clean" athletes is not a fallacy. Considering the history of all the doping and gambling problems that have and do plague pro football, basketball, baseball and now even golf, are we delusional to think there really are clean athletes out there?
The deterioration of integrity in pro athlete's is no doubt reflective of the deterioration of our society as a whole, none of which is new. Still it is a very sad day.
I believe there is a solution, although it is probably to radical to ever be implemented. If a pro athlete is found guilty of doping, every accomplishment of their pro careers should be erased and they should be barred from any further competition as a pro. Maybe even make them pay back the money they "earned" from endorsements. Maybe then the risk would be to great for their selfish, greedy little hearts.