Athletics doping

Cut through sport like the letters in a stick of rock. Actually I'd go so far as to say that pretty much all of the very top elite are juicing to some degree or other. Cycling was the whipping boy in many ways. Well they were so cocksure and so bloody obvious about it. Plus it was known as a sport that had major issues with it. Now before drugs like EPA the drugs on offer didn't enhance performance that much(mostly it was stimulants to keep them awake, because before the really big money hit and grand tours were concentrated on, a pro cyclist was in the saddle day in day out for the season). A squeaky clean rider could win and it certainly didn't turn a carthorse into a racehorse. Even so a couple like Moser used blood doping openly in track record attempts before it was banned.

Then EPO and blood doping really kicked in. Suddenly also rans were climbing the rankings. Easy way without tests to spot high likelihood dopers in the Rour De France? Look at their results the first time they raced in it. Before EPO and the like the Tour winners always showed very high in the rankings from the get go. EG Greg Lemond, barely out of his teens on his first bloody go came third. All the pre blood doping greats; Merckx, Hinault, Fignon, Anquetil and others all placed very high out of the gate and of course went on to win outright. Then we have the 90's… and the noughties and… and today. For fun check the results of the winners from say 1990 and match it to their first outings. Compare and contrast… Armstrong was a strong mid field rider, a solid cyclist that could hope to lead breakaways, get stage wins and a couple of Classics, but Grand Tours? Not a hope. Then as if by magic and "training" he racks up seven of the buggers? Indeed. The problem with EPO etc is that it isn't a rising tide that lifts all boats. It doesn't mean that guys who would have won or have been at the back all stay in the same placing and the races go faster. Different people respond differently and some are super responders as whistleblowers have pointed out. Armstrong was a good example.

Now do I respect Armstrong's feats? Oh sure. He and others torture themselves for miles and miles year in year out, suffer injuries, may even risk death. Drugs or not it takes huge effort and dedication, but the plain fact is he and the others are cheats and a liars.

Oh and the latest blood passports can be beaten and a helluva lot of the so called "clean" passports look bloody suspicious, but again blind eyes are turned, just like they were when it was farcically obvious and they had the blind faced gall to claim it was clean. Too much money involved.

But as I say cycling was the whipping boy, but track and field etc are all dirty. There are clean athletes and my respect is huge for them, but…