Cycling Revelations

[Ryan Scott]

I'm asking this particularly of our European friends. What has been the public impact of the recent admissions of widespread EPO use in the professional cycling world?

Today Bjarne Riis, 1996 Tour de France Champion announced he used EPO (A banned substance that artificially boosts production of red blood cells in the body) for most of his career. He even offered to return his title, if asked.

This follows a week of similar revelations from other members of his Telekom (now T-Mobile) squad.

This is barely getting press in the US, but I imagine in cycling crazy nations such as France and the Netherlands, this is big news.

I've been a huge cycling fan since 9th grade when we got cable and I was able to watch it for the first time.

Certainly the reports of so many prominent riders cast doubts on the rest. Many this week stated that they did it because it isn't all that dangerous and there was no means for detection.

Erik Zabel (the best sprinter of this generation) said he took EPO for a week during the 1997 Tour, but stopped because it made him sick. He reiterated that he didn't stop because it was wrong, but because it actually hurt his performance.

[Hans Deventer]

Ryan, the surprising thing is that it is being admitted right now, not the fact that it had been used. I'm not sure what will happen next, but hopefully more cyclists will open up. That is the only way for the sport to become clean. Only if none will use it anymore, it has a change of cleaning up.

[Ryan Scott]

That's what has puzzled me the most. Are these guys all coming out of their own volition or was there some investigation that served as catalyst?

If they are just owning up to a previous misdeed, that takes a lot of courage and I can really respect it.

[Wilson L. Deaton]

....or was there some investigation that served as catalyst?

Last year's tour winner's hearing just ended Wednesday.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/05/23/bc.cyc.landishearing.ap/index.html

Wilson

[Dale Cozby]

I say let them use whatever they are stupid enough to ingest, inject or inhale. After a few years the pumped up "winners" will become the "losers" as thier bodies fall apart and then a new status quo will arise based on what works and will keep you healthy and competitive.

There will always be someone trying to gain an edge by doing something they think they can get away with.

Instead of policing all known substances they should work to chang ethe mindset of the racers. Perhaps even have two categories:
Modified(drug enhanced) and unmodified racers. Only the unmodified get checked for stuff. They did this in body building.

[Billy Cox]

The Onion website sells a lifestyle bracelet in honor of professional cyclists everywhere.