As The Wheels Turn
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Note: This article originally appears at http://thepoweralley.blogspot.com
Since Lance Armstrong has retired from professional cycling, does anyone care about the Tour de France? I’m not bastardizing the sport of cycling, but how legitimate can a competition be when someone is disqualified almost every other day?
This post comes on the heels of the disqualification of yet another cyclist from the world’s best-known (only?) cycling race.
I believe all of Lance Armstrong’s record seven Tour de France victories were legitimate. The man is an amazing physical specimen and a true testament to a person’s will and determination to succeed. While doping allegations clouded Armstrong’s heroic achievements (he won 7 times in a row, what would you call it?), they pale in comparison to the actual convictions from this year’s race. The Cofidis team pulled out of the Tour de France on Wednesday after rider Cristian Moreni of Italy failed a doping test. According to the Associated Press article: “He accepted his wrongdoing and did not ask for a B-sample. So, he intentionally cheated and offered no explanation for the failed test? Not even a, “I had a cold and took some medicine my trainer gave me” or a “I have always taken this multi-vitamin”? Being a professional athlete (which cyclists are, or were) is a privilege and attempting to gain an advantage by illegal means is despicable.
The latest allegations and lack of explanation from Moreni beg the question: “If he knowingly cheated, who else did/is?” Last time I checked, the winner of the Tour de France was the one who crossed the finish line in the least amount of total time. Now it seems like the winner just may be who was able to circumvent the drug-testing policy. That is an extreme thought, but why else would you knowingly cheat? Is racing the Tour de France for the “thrill of sport” or the “thrill of not getting caught”? Riders know they are going to be thoroughly tested and I don’t understand why one would do something illegal. It brings shame upon the cyclist, his team, his sponsors, his country, and the sport. It isn’t a matter of risk/reward because it is ALL risk and NO reward.
Consider the past discoveries of doping in the Super Bowl of cycling:
-In 1998, after the Festina team was suspected of doping, a hotel raid led to the TVM team being charged with doping. Only 96 of the 180-or-so riders finished the race.
-On May 25, 2007, Danish rider Bjarne Riis announced that he had used doping in1996 when he won the Tour. Former teammates Erik Zabel and Brian Holm also admitted to doping during the 1990s.
-In 2006, several riders, including Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, were prohibited from competing amid allegations made by Spanish police.
-On July 24 of this year, it was revealed that pre-race favorite Alexandre Vinokourov had tested positive for doping. This led to his entire Astana team pulling out of the race.
What’s worse? Current overall leader Michael Rasmussen is under suspicion for missing two out-of-competition doping tests.
Let’s add another name to the category of “those in charge who are facing tough roads ahead”. David Stern, Bud Selig, and Roger Goodell, I’d like you to meet Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France. Prudhomme is clearly an intellectual man as his most recent announcement regarding the prevalence of doping was “[cycling needed a] complete overhaul” to combat the problem of doping. Well Christian, while we are exchanging shocking revelations, the people in hell called and would like some ice water.
How can we respect the Tour de France as a true test of stamina, strength, and fortitude if those that compete in it don’t?
