I do think there is an argument for having two classes in competition. Those who do and natural
Weightlifting or body building has something similar
Great article!
That is a fantastic article, and it explains the mindset of someone who is racing as an amateur/using PED. As cyclists, many of us have obsessive/addictive personalities. Why else would we be using TR all winter to get faster for next season?
That feeling of winning… of progressing… it’s a rush. I can totally see why amateurs would turn to doping to get more of it.
What do ya’ll think of the questions I posed on the podcast?
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Someone says they are on TRT. They know it’s wrong. They aren’t getting any top 10 finishes. Do you call wada?
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Someone says they are smoking weed. They know it’s wrong. They aren’t getting any top 10 finishes. Do you call wada?
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Ironman athlete is on TRT. They know it’s wrong. They went from 400 lbs to 200 lbs with the help of TRT. They are doing a 15 hour Ironman in the 30-34 age group. Do you call wada?
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Someone does a race on prednisone that a doctor prescribed while they were sick. They get a top 10 finish. They don’t realize that prednisone is banned in competition. Do you call wada?
@dlridings Just responding to your post in general. This is not pointed at you so please don’t take what I write personally in any way.
I’m aware of this as both my father and FIL are M.D.s. Just saying I grew up around these conversations at the “dinner table” from a young age. I can assure you If you test positive and you say “but my doctor prescribed it” it won’t help you with your ban. Just like motors, holding on to cars, cutting the course, having someone else race your number and on and on…the WADA/USADA list of PEDs are illegal to use.
As to my co-workers…These guys are looking for the fountain of youth (My opinion after listening to their self absorbed reasoning for hours). And after I talked a little about the WADA/USADA list and how the drugs on the list either gave an unfair advantage over those not using and/or they are harmful to the body to take they basically said “that’s sport”! To which I said “have a nice day”.
To be clear, my problem was more with their lack of understanding why I wouldn’t use PED’s banned on the WADA/USADA list to beat my fellow competitors. If a co-worker who doesn’t use them to compete wants to chase youth at the risk of stroke, liver damage/cancer, drop in blood pressure, high blood pressure, hallucinations, loss of balance, blood deficiencies, dizziness…that’s their choice. As an airline pilot I hope they choose a more conservative approach to health as flying with an incapacitated crew member makes my job really difficult and arguably puts the passengers at risk.
If you’re going to race and there are rules, then it’s your job to know and adhere to those rules.
This is quite the rabbit hole…
Its going to come down to each unique situation. As a 12th place at a local MTB race is different than say a 12th at an Epic Rides event or Leadville. In the latter of the two you are possibly varying the amount of money someone is making that could be attempting to rely on bike racing as their income.
What is maybe a bit more interesting to me is that athletes who are popped for steroids and HGH are allowed to serve a sentence and then allowed to compete. It was touched on in the podcast, but the residual effects of using these substances stays with you for a very long time. From the time you use them to possibly a few decades later, you have “enhancements”. You are not the same person. Your body is altered in some way or another.
Nate,
If testing were cheap I’d nail all the guys who knowingly do something that is against the rules. Why have rules of sport if we let people decide which ones to not follow?
But testing is not cheap so in real world setting I’d reserve the testing resource for guys really cheating to gain advantage, take wins, podiums and upgrade points from folks doing it properly. Sometimes these guys need other help and cheating for bike racing is indicative of other problems. Talking amateurs here where “winning” is ego driven.
The rider who takes pred or some other drug that is on the banned in competition list but who doesn’t know the doping rules and does a race is not a problem. Make them aware of the rules and trust that accidents and ignorance happens.
FWIW, our local association participates in the grass roots testing program so we do make choices about who and where to test. It’s been effective to target testing and nail guys who are clearly taking steroids. Steroids and testosterone are the easy to see programs and these dummies are obvious. Guys on EPO/HGH type programs are fairly rare and less obvious.
My personal path on this is to do events where my performance is what matters to me. Breaking nine hours at Leadville, sub-55 minute 40km TT, four hour century, whatever. Go challenge yourself to improve, to be healthy and don’t waste a lot of time and energy worrying about the other guy and letting them get you down.
-Mark
Blockquote: Someone says they are smoking weed. They know it’s wrong. They aren’t getting any top 10 finishes. Do you call wada?
Not sure this is the place for this, but this is a topic for itself. There is a reason States have begun legalizing Marijuana… and even more States allow it Medically… the Science is in!
The Benefits of this ‘Weed’ are only just being understood Scientifically and thus Medically.
But to your point… Weed is not a PED in anyway!
Getting High or Stoned will not make you a Winner! You would be too busy enjoying the Experience when High!
When you throw CDB into the mix and that I can now say good bye to pharmaceuticals as well?!
Vape it or Eat it… Don’t Smoke it!
Use it responsibly… know your Strains… and know the Dosage…
As a Medical Card Carrying User, all I can say is, it’s helped me figure out my training better… in conjunction with the Calendar, I can now see what I need to do to get better and faster!
This… from Medical Marijuana… if that’s the fear, that I can become better and faster because of it?
This as mentioned, is not the place for this… but please… do the homework… do the science… it’s becoming Legal in more places because of the Science!
My sister does tobacco research.
She’s told me that it’s hard to study weed in the US because it’s federally banned. Universites and other groups are afraid of losing federal funding if they study weed.
Because of this, I don’t think we have a complete picture of what long term marjauana use does to you like we do with tobacco or alcohol use.
I’m not against it. I view it like alcohol or tobacco. Adults should be able to make that decision themselves.
I also argue that states are approving it because of tax revenue increases that they get from it.
Edit: I’d like to see if opioids could be replaced with cannibis for chronic pain management.
But it’s prohibited in competition here. No?
Here goes:
- Do I call WADA? No. Do I think they should be DQ’d? Yes
- Do I call WADA? No. Do I think they should be DQ’d? No
- Do I call WADA? No. Do I think they should be DQ’d? Maybe. Do they have a real health issue? If yes, then No on DQ. If they don’t have a real health issue then Yes they should be DQ’d
- Do I call WADA? No. Do I think they should be DQ’d? No. Should they get a warning? Yes. Unless they are a professional, in which case they should be DQ’d
Except that tobacco has literally zero benefits beyond taxation.
Tobacco should be replaced on that short list by cannabis and tobacco should be relegated to the likes of heroin.
Now back to sports doping. 
As someone with a chronic condition and a federal employee I’d like to see this as well. I can take Tramadol (opioid analgesic) but not marijuana or derivative thereof. That makes plenty of sense right? 
Because of ignorance and fear!
That’s why governing sports bodies have it banned. They fear if someone won being a user of it, then it would inspire others to do the same… the ignorance being they think it’s a PED.
The Fear part is because it’s still Federally Banned… they just don’t want to even risk it… so just ban it!
Hi guys… um… Science is coming in showing that this really isn’t what we thought it was at all… its actually good for us… but not as a PED.
The movement has started to get this nonsense over and done with… When every State in the US has legalized it… you think at a Federal Level, they would’n’t want to get on with the party too?
As Nate mentioned… Money!
It does if you think about in terms of which direction the money flows.
Remember, cash is king. 
As for my own experiences with doping, I have two.
When I was a young tyke racing back in the 90’s I asked my teammates, some of whom were med students, about this new drug I was reading about in cycling magazines that was supposedly killing top level cyclists in their sleep. Turns out it was EPO. I used to train like a mofo on the hills and the only guy who could beat me was something like 20lbs lighter. After that initial inquiry I started getting questions like, “How can you be so fast on the hills?” and the like. Guess my flippant answers like “Gin and cigars” didn’t help quell their suspicion. FYI, my lack of income and results at the time were sure markers that I was definitely not doping.
Secondly, I knew a national level rider who went to Italy one year ('90s) to race with an amateur team. He returned after about a month stating that everyone was doping, it was everywhere. He became quite disillusioned after that.
This! Do this now!
I have read this message and approve!
This is actually not true. It has many uses.
My thoughts.
If you’re a pro, why the hell not? You clearly have no regard for those around you, your own reputation or the damage you might do to the sport. On the plus side, you’ll probably get a book or two out of it, possibly a mid-budget movie and a couple of well paid TV appearances.
Unless you’re one of the top riders in the world, your cheating is going to pocket you more than your riding ever did. Until cheaters are unable to monetise their wrongdoings, it won’t stop.
If you dope as an amateur, you’re a mug who’s kidding themselves.
None of which are in cigarette form.