So you are at the Tour de France...

[Noodley]

...and you meet a rider who has doped. But you watched him in awe...he and others were your inspiration.

He is a legend, a hero.

There are others there as well....all greats. You feel your knees go weak. They are all legends, they have endured and conquered.

They have doped...


What do you do?

 

[Keith Oates]

Shake his hand and say 'pleased to meet you', no need to do anything else!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Skip Madness]

Think about people in your position in twenty years' time thinking the same thing and see if we can stop that happening.

 

[Paul_L]

i think it's all about perspective of history. It was only 2 or 3 generations ago when it was basically a drug free for all. I don't think anything less of Tom Simpson just because he was off his face on amphetamines when he died on the Ventoux. Whilst i admit i don't know what the rules where back then - if there were any.

When i got into following cycling around the Fignon / Lemond era, i think it was widely accepted performance enhancing was part of the sport.

But then i did feel let down when the likes of David Millar, Virenque etc were caught doping, but even then accepted the general situation that drug use was wide spread at the time.

Now on the other hand, when we're led to believe cycling is a cleaned up sport, we're moving towards a zero tollerance era, when fans need to know the only difference between them and the sports stars they look upto and respect, is ability, dedication and training, and any cheats in the modern day really should be treated as persona-non-grata.

 

[ontheroadtofrance]

I have been into cycling about a year now and someone inspired me from the tour last year, He had balls to attack in the mountains and was up there in the GC. Until the day he was caught any guesses???????????

Yes Ricardo Ricco it is, this guy was caught. I didn't know too much about the consequences of being banned etc. I know it cheating what is the point of it? You are cheating fellow pros? Does the pressure and expectation get to you? When there injecting or taking pills to do these kind of things don't the feel any remorse. Anyway will Cycling ever be clean or will it be downed as a cheats sports but remember cheats don't prosper. Or do they?

 

[monnet]

I'm with Keith.

To be honest, I've grown up with cycling all my life and been under no illusion as to the scale of doping within the sport. Maybe the scientific nature has changed things in recent years but ultimately I'm not surprised by 'revelations'. There are riders I like to think are/ were clean and riders I strongly suspect, despite the will of others to believe otherwise, are/ were not clean. I also agree with Cav when he said cycling is doing more than other sports to rid itself of the problem, which in turn leads to more positives and therefore negative publicity.

 

[Chuffy]

Is Lance hassling you for an autograph again Noodles?

 

[Noodley]

Is Lance hassling you for an autograph again Noodles?

He keeps trying to follow me on twitter but I am ignoring him.

 

[Chuffy]

In answer to your OP (let's be serious darling, just the once)....nothing.
No heroes.


But I would buy David Millar a pint if I bumped into him at the bar.

 

[col]

I dont think there is anyone one on here who could do anywhere near the level of ability and compete in the tour even with the same doping, its a very hard and painfull thing to be able to do, even with doping. So it really comes down to weather you agree with cheating.

 

[Chuffy]

I dont think there is anyone one on here who could do anywhere near the level of ability and compete in the tour even with the same doping, its a very hard and painfull thing to be able to do, even with doping. So it really comes down to weather you agree with cheating.

If you were sat on top of a mountain wearing nowt but a cap sleeve t-shirt and a loincloth, impressionable youths would walk for miles to hearken to your wisdom.

 

[col]

If you were sat on top of a mountain wearing nowt but a cap sleeve t-shirt and a loincloth, impressionable youths would walk for miles to hearken to your wisdom.

You HAVE seen me then?

 

[Crackle]

I'd certainly go weak at the knees about a few of them staring at me, they're dead!

 

[Chuffy]

I'd certainly go weak at the knees about a few of them staring at me, they're dead!

Eugene Christophe comes about as close as anyone gets to being a hero. And he died in 1970....