Shannon

International competitive cycling (most obviously, the Tour de France) clearly needs to take stock of itself and where it's headed. Far too many of the top tier cyclists seem to feel it's an acceptable risk to engage in blood doping and/or drugs, and that just encourages more of the competitors to follow suit.

Last year -- Floyd Landis (still not yet formally stripped of the Tour de France 2006 overall win title) was the most notable, but not the only, high profile names in cycling to linked to doping in that year.

This year's Tour had already been marred by news of big name contender (and still-as-yet winner of Stages 13 & 15), Alexander Vinokourov's doping, resulting in he and his entire team Astana withdrawing from this Tour. But now the overall race-leader, Michael Rasmussen, kicked off his team for alleged doping evidenced by failing to report for required pre-race drug testing? Where does it end?

The only thing left to thoroughly kill competitive cycling at the international level would be to find out one day that, indeed, 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong had indeed doped, as well. I hope that's never, ever the case, and I suspect he's been a target of allegations for so long because so many people have been cheating that it seems a foregone conclusion to them that EVERYONE is cheating (fallacy of the majority/bandwagon). Nevermind that an American dominating the "foreign" sport for seven straight years has clearly created wounds that run deep...

Nothing justifies cheating in professional sports. People need to suck it up and compete on their own merits or be banned from the sport for life (vs. the current 2 year maximum ban), and swiftly not with the dilly-dallying that's going on in Floyd Landis' case (among others).

I am pleased to say that some riders are saying enough is enough and staging their own form of protests by delaying the start of at least one stage of this year's Tour by standing with their bikes, immobile, as the start was called. Further, this quote speaks volumes as to the severity of doping or even the mere perception of widespread doping on the international sport of cycling:
It's extremely sad to see the actions of a relative few (one hopes) bringing the spirit and viability of a 100+ year old race to its knees.

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- Shannon Moore
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rockhill

It is indeed a shame that a storied race with such a long history is now so tainted. The desire to win, or perhaps the pressure from sponsors, have caused some very bad decisions.

The 7 victories by Lance are viewed as a triumph over cancer by a remarkable athelete. If it was ever proven that he "doped", it would be a severe blow to a lot of people. In addition it would cast a large shadow over the good charitable work he has done.

Money needs to get out of the sport, (never going to happen) and let atheletes be atheletes. A sorry cloud hangs over sports, this incident, baseball's mess...

Turn Key

Rant "On":mad: !

It ends when people stop spending millions to follow sports, "pro" or any other. This country and others waste far too much in pursuit of "jocks" who can do little more then throw a ball, drive fast or pedal a bike. If any feel that I am incorrect, explain to me why the city of Arlington, Texas is willing to spend millions to build a stadium for the Dallas Cowboys? Incidentaly, can anyone explain why the team name isn't changing to the Arlington Cowboys or at least the Tarrant County Cowboys? The team will no longer be in Dallas or Dallas county after the move. Just food for thought here.

Nothing justifies cheating...period. Cheating in any form by anyone is a lack of integrity. You can be wrong. You can be ill advised. You can be mistaken. If you cheat or lie, you lack integrity and you are NOTHING!

I'm sorry to go on like this but I am so sick of sports being shoved at us like it is the most important thing in the world. We have just gotten through the (never ending) basketball season and all I'm hearing on the "boob tube" now is football! It never seems to end and I'm waaay tired of it.

Rant "Off" .

Happy Camping!

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Shannon

Very well said. A lack of personal integrity and responsibility is, indeed, at the root of many of our social ills today (always has been, but seems to just keep getting worse.)

I have more to say, but Sara just started fussing so I'll have to come back later. A teething 4-month-old is a powerful force indeed...

__________________
- Shannon Moore
Your Host @ WildTexas.com

Purchases in the Wild Texas Gear Shop support our continued operation. Thank you!

Shannon

I'm not a big follower of any sport, but I do find the Tour de France to be more (personally) compelling than most other sports. I admit I had no interest in the Tour until Lance Armstrong came on the scene -- why bother, it hadn't seen an American winner since Greg LeMond? But I've watched bits of every Tour since Lance began racing, and ever since he's retired from pro racing. Why do I watch? Out of an appreciation for the extended individual effort required (roughly 3 weeks on a bike? 1,800 to 2,500 miles? Over the Alps and the Pyrenees? On the bike for up to 8 hours a day?) as well as the mental fortitude/stamina required to "read" yourself, the Peloton as a whole and your opponents as individuals, and respond accordingly, etc. Some aspects of the race are really "chess played on a bike" while others are basically hours-long "suffer fests" that weed out anyone having a bad day.

Cheating ruins it all... not just for spectators, but also for those riders who are not cheating for whom success in the race seems to increasingly require dishonesty if not outright illegal actions.

As for sponsorships and all, I hear you, but competition in anything requires funding. Even soap box derbies and high school robotics competitions and such have sponsors these days. Many GREAT things can come from corporate sponsorship, evidenced by things like SpaceShip One (Burt Rutan/Scaled Composites space plane... sadly back in the news right now due to an explosion that killed 2 and injured others.) and other contests that advance science or sport. The thing that sponsorship must be accompanied by is accountability because as we are seeing big (corporate) budgets and major pressure to succeed (for one's nation and/or one's corporate sponsor's) equals apparently too strong a temptation for some. Those few need to face severe penalties (stronger than they are right now, indeed), and they also need to be shunned from their respective sports and sponsors to send the message -- to the competitors AND the public -- that infractions are not accepted from any competitor.

Basically, if you want to call yourself a "professional" cyclist/football player/baseball player/NBA player, etc. you need to handle yourself in a professional manner and face legal and financial ramifications when you do not do so, just as one would expect a professional business person to do (not that the average highly paid businessman is a pinnacle of honesty and integrity these days, either...)

There are things that professional sports do provide that are of value to the populace -- a model for teamwork, fair play, personal excellence and integrity, goal-setting and determination to achieve one's personal goals, physical fitness, etc. These are positive things that should not be ignored and should be celebrated; however, when a sport starts to lose its integrity and/or allows the personalities of its participants to overshadow the spirit of the game/sport, it is seriously ill in my book.

__________________
- Shannon Moore
Your Host @ WildTexas.com

Purchases in the Wild Texas Gear Shop support our continued operation. Thank you!