The clever race planners who devise the ever more challenging routes for the Tour de France, do so in order to make the race not only spectacular, but also to push the riders to the absolute limit.
It is not uncommon to have riders scale and descend five or six 'mountains' whilst on a day's 200 km Pyrenees or Alps stage; often in searing heat. This requires being in tip-top physical condition. An enhanced Asthma inhaler could NEVER replace being a mighty fine cyclist. It simply ain't going to happen. Riders such as Armstrong and Wiggins were at the top of their game, even if they did suck a few dodgy peppermints on the way round.
Personally I couldn't care less if a sports-entertainer of any sort takes a slight 'stimulant'; he or she is just there for our amusement. If Bonnington, Hamilton, Rossi, or McEnroe gave themselves a wee boost (as they all do) to achieve the ultimate, then who am I to moan about it.
I don't want to see my heros eyes spinning, or behaving like 'spiced-out' zombies, but if a few extra glucose tabs will help them; then OK.
Sir Bradley Wiggins is probably innocent; certain countries simply can't stand to see a British cycling team (Sky) winning, and will do anything to discredit them!
What are MPs doing wasting their time on this? Haven't they got better things to be doing?
ReplyDeleteJust what I was thinking?
DeleteMe too! If it had been an inquiry by the British Cycling people, I could understand it. It doesn't seem logical.
DeleteI hate cheating from tiddlywinks to tour de france. Why don’t they just let athletes of all sorts take whatever. That way there would be a level playing field. Where does that leave the clean athletes though? Have their own Olympics? It wouldn’t take long before the ‘semi clean’ would start infiltrating the clean. We would be then back to where we are now. A beast that which ever way you look at it can’t be tamed.
ReplyDeleteLX
I am an ex-asthmatic, and cannot remember having felt like any sort of super-human after having had a puff of my inhaler. Maybe there is some forbidden product in them, but I can't imagine it having much effect on a cyclist.
DeleteAre you sure that there are 100% clean athletes? I rather doubt it.
We had the subtle difference between Amateur and Professional in football, cricket, tennis where lines were blurred. Now it would appear that drugs could be the new(or not so new)way to the top.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we want to see our sportsmen/women drugged up to the eyeballs, but looking for the slightest trace of somme illegal substance in normal medication is taking things a bit far. Where to draw the line is a different matter.
DeleteI remember Wiggo as a snotty asthmatic teenager, racing against my eldest,also snotty and asthmatic son.
ReplyDeleteHe is being used...he is a nice enough lad,but not,I think, the brightest in the peloton. Having Shane turn on him, with his record, just stinks..sounds definitely like bullying to me.
I'd look more to the heirarchy than the pawns (riders)..and if they're making all this fuss about Wiggo, who or what are they trying to hide?
It's all very bizarre. As Rachel said above; what are the UK government doing, getting involved?
DeleteAlthough rules are rules, Wiggo hasn't broken any for a start.
ReplyDeleteIt's all a load of trumped up nonsense from the managers of the non-Sky teams.
DeleteIt isn't trumped-up. He did over-use asthma inhalers, but they are not illegal according to the rules.
DeleteIt is not banned but Team Sky sail fairly close to the wind in the levels they use.
DeleteAnd the Sky team is generally disliked.
DeleteSky in general is generally disliked. By me in general.
DeleteAs usual, newspapers and media in general seem to me to have blown it up out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteHad it been a French rider, nothing would have been said. The last French winner was Bernard Hinault back in 1985. That hurts!
DeleteI think there should be a level playing field. A Tour de France with prizes for two groups - the doped and the clean. The doped could start 30 mins behind the clean and try to catch them.
ReplyDeleteBut you'd have to have various categories of dopism. Lightly doped, medium doped, and off their heads! Better to just let them all get on with it.
DeleteBrilliant idea Cro! Slightly doped have a 10 minute handicap, moderately doped 20 minutes, and the seriously doped (a la Landis) a bumper 30 minute handicap. Anyone not riding in the correct category receives a 60 minute penalty. All this is per stage of course. Oui. Un idee fantastique! Bravissimo Cro!
DeleteYour idea; not mine!
DeleteThe British government might want to be more concerned about the use of nerve agents on Russian defectors than an asthma inhaler. It's just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThat'll be the day!
DeleteAs I don't follow sports other than my own footfall I don't know any of the details.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from an ethical/moral point of view there have to be rights and wrongs, cut off points, as to what is permissible in order to keep a contest FAIR. Pharmaceuticals of any kind giving great scope to fudge the issue.
As to government involvement: Considering that sports is used (see football, Olympics, et al) to promote stature of, and pride in, the father/motherland sports is highly political; always has been. Remember the old adage: "Panem and circenses" (bread and games) to keep the masses not only quiet but distracted from more urgent daily and far reaching concerns.
U
I occasionally take my post-lunchtime 'power nap' in front of a TV police cars programme, where they chase down motorists. Roadside tests usually show that they are drunk, are high on cocaine, or are holding a huge supply of cannabis in the boot. Their punishment is a few pounds fine; or more commonly nothing.
DeleteTo me, driving around 'under the influence' is far more dangerous than a cyclist using an asthma inhaler. But it doesn't seem so!
I'm afraid mud sticks
ReplyDeleteMud can be washed off, and I'm sure it will be with Wiggo.
Delete