I’m sure a few dopers are out there but I just don’t think anyone on the podium at 95% of my races are. All seem like regular guys who like to ride bikes.
“Cash to burn” isn’t really an issue - there seem to be a fair few people in the sport happy to drop thousands or tens of thousands on having lighter, more aero, or just more bling equipment. Not to mention the money that gets spent on coaching, destination races and training weeks, etc. My understanding is that doping is relatively cheap in comparison.
People may also have a different view of what constitutes “cheating” to you. Plenty of people wouldn’t realise that testosterone prescribed by a doctor for health reasons is against the rules, and others would view it as a somewhat soft infraction e.g. akin to breaking the speed limit. Even with the hardcore stuff like EPO or steroids, we’ve got people in this thread saying that at the highest level “everybody dopes”. If you’ve convinced yourself of that then it’s a fairly short step to convincing yourself that if everybody else is doing it then it’s not really cheating to do it yourself, it’s just levelling the playing field.
And lastly I think you might be giving too much credit to white collar executives! History has shown over and over that across all walks of life, including business, a large number of people will routinely break the rules or exploit loopholes if they think they can get away with it. There is an extremely low chance of getting caught doping as an amateur cyclist, and the penalties if you are really aren’t that arduous. You’re risking your reputation, but you’re not risking jail time or crippling fines. And there’s always the “dodgy supplement” or “tainted steak” excuse, or even just shrugging your shoulders and telling your non-cycling friends and family that everybody is doing it and it’s not really cheating. Just look at Lance…
I suspect amateur doping might actually now be more widespread than in the pro ranks where the chances of getting caught are much higher and the penalties for doing so are career-threatening.
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I agree… its a definite problem in AUS. Not at the top end of the sport… but at the top end of Masters Racing.
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Weird to think that some people would consider speeding — the leading cause of fatal vehicle accidents — to be a “soft infraction”. I guess not so weird that it could be this same mentality which leads some to justify doping.
It’s also incredibly bizarre to me that people would get on the juice wagon for basically no pay off — no fame, no fortune…nothing besides winning an anonymous race. Odd.
Are you serious? Maybe I am just naive racing masters in Aus. I really don’t understand why a 40 year old would dope to win a race that pays what he would probably earn in an hour or two. I also don’t really understand how people know that others are doping other than the fact that someone has been caught. Given that masters racing in Aus doesn’t have any controls around it like testing is your opinion based on something? Not having a go but just trying to understand how people know…
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Was thinking more of doing 75-80mph on a 70mph open road, which people routinely do without thinking about it (or at least they do in the UK), and which from what I understand isn’t a big contributor to the fatality stats. Doing 40mph in a 30mph urban area is much more dangerous (though still sadly too common). Anyway, probably taking this off on a complete tangent!
Re the juice wagon, I don’t really find it that bizarre at all. People are prepared to spend a lot of time and money, and make big sacrifices in order to get better at cycling despite no fame or fortune. We see with drafting in triathlon that plenty of those people are prepared to break the rules if they can get away with it. And I quite often see rules being broken in other sports through ignorance or lack of enforcement- riders getting help from team support cars in road races where this isn’t allowed, TTers on non-UCI legal equipment/position in events which are supposed to be under UCI rules, runners with headphones on in races where this isn’t allowed, etc. To be honest I’d find it bizarre if some people (hopefully a small minority) weren’t prepared to take it a step further and dope.
People on this thread need to move away from thinking people dope to win money. They don’t.
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Is cheating to satisfy a fragile ego better or worse than cheating for money? 
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It’s not about the money, but all the blood, sweat and tears you put into the sports — and then you want to see results.
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A lot of talk goes on, 1+1 =, there is one well known racer in Sydney that’s on it. And I could with 95% surety say one other, ex Aust Masters RR Champ. And riders from WA are often talked about. Australia is a small racing scene. Just see the articles about the medical practice setup next to a high performance gym, known for cyclists. And the Dr that was busted stated he would rather work with amateurs than Pros because Pros are too hard.
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It’s not about the money guys. It’s about the ego, people telling you how great you raced and the Social media podium Picture posts for friends and family.
Of the 6-7 dopers whom I know well enough to understand the motivation, only one did it for a shot at a pro contract.
It is absolutely whacked and it is a small proportion of riders. But it’s frequent enough that if you pay attention you meet these folks.
That said, don’t let this ruin your pursuit of better fitness, race results and your enjoyment of riding your bike fast. Just because some guys have weird values doesn’t wreck your fun.
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I race a bit of sanctioned masters in SoCal and the southwest with a foray to the midwest and nats each year. Lots of guys over the years have been popped.
I also do a number of tours/unsanctioned events each year. I think the % of old guys “doping” at those way exceeds the sanctioned stuff. No proof. Just observation. It used to bother me but, I have sort of given up the fight. The older I get the more I hear guys talking about low T. F BS. Old guys going for glory. Disturbing but, I guess they are trying to fill a void that didn’t get filled in their youth. JMO
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I don’t think anyone in the masters doping scene is doing it for the money. They are doing it because of what it feels like to win a bike race. None of us are getting rich off this hobby, but when you cross the line first after a season of not crossing the line first, well that’s a high that is apparently worth the money and compromised morals to a non trivial percentage of racers
Would it even be that expensive if you were getting testosterone injections from your doctor due to low T levels? Presumably insurance would cover a decent portion of the bill in that case
I’ve posted elsewhere on this forum that I have chronically low testosterone and could easily qualify for supplementation of some sort. After I’m done racing I will almost certainly need this as I’m already seeing decreases in bone density due to my suppressed levels but since I’m currently racing it hasn’t been a treatment option my doctor has pushed with me (yet).
I’m competitive by nature, but not nearly as much as the folks who consider this type of thing just for the thrill of victory - I’d much prefer a season like I had this year with a number of top 5’s in elite road races and my only win coming in a 35+ event to one with a ton of wins that came on the back of cheating
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There’s a decent chance your dedication to endurance sports racing at the level at which you compete is the cause of low T. Wouldn’t surprise me if when you stop racing and reduce volume that your T levels become more normal.
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Maybe not on EPO, blood transfusions, etc… but there are a lot of people taking lighter stuff, in many cases not even knowing its doping. I would assume most are legal supplements, over-the-counter medicines, etc… but are banned by WADA. For example, recently in the podcast they mentioned Prednisolone, a glucocorticoids, as being banned. I’ve taken it many times during competition (not knowing it was banned), just because I tend to get sick during my tapers and Prednisolone helps clear things out. I’ve also heard of many taking weird “fat burning” supplements that when you look at the ingredients many of them are banned. Whether its outright cheating vs ignorance who knows, I’ve never really worried since I’m not placing anywhere near a podium.
Again, weird. So if you aren’t seeing the results you desire and decide to dope then isn’t that an implicit admission that your “blood, sweat and tears” weren’t enough to garner a result? Thus the dope deserves the accolade of the result and not you.
I get it, I understand why people dope and cheat, but at such low amateur levels where winning doesn’t advance or enhance your life…seems like nothing more than a useless vanity project.
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Spot on. Take anything that is a competition and there will always be someone who’s ego “has to win” even if it’s just to strut around thinking they have the biggest dick. How many guys in beer league hockey wind up a big slap shot or run someone into the boards. I quit Saturday morning soccer years ago because I didn’t need my leg broken by the guys who thought it was the World Cup final every week going after legs or screaming at me because I made a mistake or didn’t pass it to them. I need to go to work on Monday, not be in a cast. The older guys who were probably once quite good players seem to be the worst, like old prize fighters - I’ve still got it attitude and I’ll show you who can’t accept that they’ve gotten slower and lost their edge as they age.
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There was a group of guys in the southeast in the mid-2000s who would travel to Mexico every spring for “altitude training” (always said with a wink and a nudge). Never knew for sure, but when the same guys drop the field week in and week out people start to talk. None of those guys race any more as far as I know.
I’ve always been curious as to how much of a difference EPO would really make- and what it would feel like to be that fast. It would be relatively easy for me to get, but I’m way too scared of a clot to try.
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Yes, I think doping is taken to provide many with an unfair advantage but being in the medical field and understanding physiology, there is a percentage of people that require medications that are banned to maintain healthy lab values outside of training to a normal physiologic level for general well being. I know 1 athlete that requires testosterone replacement due to testicular cancer and had them both removed. He requires exogenous supplementation to maintain a level to maintain his health. People like this should not be penalized for a disease. A lot of comments on this thread sound quite jaded and quite frankly unfair. If you are losing to these guy then I can understand but this fellow that I’m referring to has never been on a podium and has never taken a slot from someone. He just enjoys the fun of racing and camaraderie. There is always a time and place for honest and necessary medical treatment under the supervision of a physician that is doing what is in the best health interest for the patient and not the sport. Let the assassination of this reply begin.
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The old adage then: you’re not cheating anyone but yourself. That’s what I don’t get… any of those ill-gotten results have to be hollow. Seems like a regrettable cycle because you’d likely just continue pursuing the same results the same way hoping to fill the void.
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