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Distressing news on the cycling front

I just learned yesterday that Bjarne Riis, winner of the 1996 Tour d'France, admitted to using EPO from 1993 to 1998. And this comes after recent confessions by Erik Zabel and teammate Rolf Aldag for also using EPO.

Then there was Ivan Basso, winner of last years Giro d'Italia, and one of the team leaders on the Discovery Channel team, until he opted out of his contract after confessing to attempted doping.
Basso said he made contact with a doctor at the heart of the Spanish investigation, Eufemiano Fuentes, and gave him a blood sample with the intention of doping - but never actually did. .......

"It was a moment of weakness on my part," Basso said. "I accept responsibility and I am ready to face my punishment."

He still faces disciplinary action, and a likely suspension, regardless of his intentions.

As a cancer patient, I am keenly aware of the effects of EPO (having considered taking it myself due to a low hemoglobin count), as a performance enhancer, increasing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, so it isn't much of stretch to believe everyone is taking some performance enhancer in professional sports.  Heck there's even wide spread use among many amateur cyclists.

And what does this say about the allegations against Floyd Landis, and all the speculation surrounding Lance Armstrong?

At least the sport of cycling is trying to be up front with the problem, unlike a number of other sports.

Hopefully this will lead to either a cleaning up of the sport, or as Mark Cuban believes, a legalization of drugs not found to be detrimental to your health.

I'm just not sure who is going to be the arbiter for deciding what is not detrimental to ones health. Even EPO, while helping patients, also has some deleterious effects as well.
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Comments

Becky said…
I don't fully understand how all this stuff works, but it seems to me that if you are to be judged on your physical abilities, doping seems to be cheating, because they wouldn't be doing something illegal it if they could perform on that level without it.

And while we're on the subject, can we get nudity back in the Olympics?
12:26 PM
Marc said…
Well that's correct, and that is why there are rules, but when there is so much money and notoriety involved, some people will do anything to gain an advantage.

Sometimes they get caught, but many times it seems they don't.

And I wouldn't object to nudity in the Olympics. Heck I might even try and qualify! :)
2:54 AM
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