So you are OK with taking drugs that increase physical performance as long as they aren’t specifically banned, even though they are essentially the same as other banned substances?
I’m not down with that…YMMV.
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Now that was funny!
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Here are two rules that might work:
- Female riders who take nutritional support or mechanical support from male teammates will be considered a part of the men’s race
- Female riders who ride with two or more male teammates after mile X will be considered a part of the men’s race (or for a proportion of miles in the race, with just 1 teammate?)
Rule 1 is obvious. Rule 2 will still allow for women to ride with groups of men that form naturally, but will stop the issue of using male teammates to pull them to the end. I am sure there is some nuance that would screw some people over from time to time, but if you know the rules, it is your own fault.
Basically, they are saying if you want male domestiques, you are considered part of the men’s race. I think they would probably be enough to disincentivize this type of strategy. I don’t think they would be too hard to monitor?
It’s gravel racing… why stop at not banned drugs, why not go all in.
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This really gets to the heart of it. You could have a 50,000 page rule book and people would still find ways to act unethically. That’s why we have social opprobrium. In the case of the Cinch Cycling affair, it worked pretty well. After De Crescenzo won Gravel Worlds she had this to say (in the Cycling News piece @power13 posted earlier):
“Critics, I heard you. That’s why on Saturday I raced @gravel_worlds with no male teammates. I rode my pirate heart out for 7 hours 35 min and set a new course record, averaging 210 and normalizing 240 watts.”
If anyone hasn’t read that piece yet, it’s well worth the time. Though if you’re a TD fan and you want to remain one, you may want to skip it.
This is the heart of it.
Quinn Simmons would like a word.
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You’re right, that was a good read, thanks for the nudge.
I encourage everyone to have a squiz. I particularly liked the comments from Whitney Allison.
“There is a huge issue for the growth of women’s cycling if to be competitive you have to have a half dozen MEN there to assist you. Although not against the 2021 rules of @unboundgravel or @sbtgrvl where this happened, it is against the spirit of sport and is not something male competitors have to face,” she wrote on Instagram.
"It severely hurts women’s cycling which already faces less press, less sponsorship and more. It also directly contradicts @cinchelite’s objective of equity of opportunity… if that were the case then they would be hiring 6 women to support Lauren, not men. This is in addition to a program that is run by a well-known doper…how can we be surprised the team thrives in the grey area?! People, stop paying and subscribing to dopers. There are much better/more educated/worthier coaches and organizations to spend your money on and I’m happy to help you find them.
“I do think it is essential to address this now before women’s cycling is just left [to. sic] the few who can afford the slew of male domestiques and internet influencers. Women’s racing is badass and we need the chance to compete against each other in an equitable way. Although many people shifted to gravel partially for fewer rules, I believe some rules need to be in place to preserve women’s cycling at a competitive level otherwise it will shrink.”
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I think more than the social media mob, was the fact that GW expressly forbids domestiques. I hope she heard the critics, but it’s not like she had a choice at GW.
She is stuck between a rock and hard place now though. Multiple, high profile wins, while riding for a known cheater isn’t a place I’d wanna be personally.
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Someone could write a five volume, William Vollmann -style treatise with the aim of unpacking how we decide which dopers are irredeemable and which are beloved elder statesmen who may have made some bad choices but, y’know, that’s how things go. As a certain zero-time TdF winner once said about his good buddy:
“The country of America idolises, glorifies, worships George Hincapie, invites him to races, gives him job, buys his shit. And they disgrace and destroy me. That’s why I went (to visit Ullrich) . Because that’s fucking bullshit.”
(It’s such a beautiful quote because it both limns an interesting question, and answers that very question at the same time.)
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Sure…but FWIW, I hold George and Lance in equal disdain. 
That said, I admit to a fondness for Pantani…but also admit the double-standard. 
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I had this same thought before.
There are like two camps of dopers; some have no problem with them and even celebrate them (Merckx, Hincapie, Pantani, etc), and the there is the camp that others either hate (Lance) or just use as a punching bag (Danielson).
It also reminds me of the xstraightedgex punk scene, where just because people didn’t do drugs / smoke / drank, didn’t mean they were good people and not a**holes. Which is why I can’t get behind people who’s goal is to tear these people down. They could be disasters in their private life with a trail of emotional / physical wreckage. Certainly a few rapist in that xstraightedgex scene who hid behind being “clean” and having “morals”.
This is what I find a bit ironic hearing some of the gravel racers throwing shade at Danielson, especially considering they aren’t drug tested. Katie Compton had no problem throwing shade at dopers, and then look what happened to her. Even if they are clean, they could be absolutely terrible people outside their little bubble.
It too sounds like a popularity contest.
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It will always be a challenge to enforce rules in an event taking place on remote roads in vast remote areas encompassing over 100 miles with limited video and race judges available. Still photos and short video clips really only provide a snapshot of what is going on in a race, and those snapshots can often be misleading. In the meantime, I would question whether we really want a race organizer to disqualify a podium finisher based allegations made on social media in the days after the event, especially considering that perceptions and communications within a race are so often flawed. Personally, I found Lauren’s response to be very open and forthright about what did and did not happen. While I did not like all of it, I appreciate her honesty and openness.
I like the idea of having the pro women start 30 minutes ahead of the men. Beyond that, I have to say that I’ve lost a lot of respect for certain “pros” that engaged in post-race finger-pointing, bashing of others, and outright threats on social media all in the name of preserving the chill vibe of gravel racing. If they truly want to keep the sport “chill”, then they have to behave better both on and off the bike. Cheers.
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Does Armstrong really not get it? Armstrong was an a-hole. He ruined people’s lives. He sued them. He was arrogant.
Hincapie is Mr. warm and fuzzy, he never ruined anyone’s life, or falsely sued anyone. Most dopers got a free pass or were forgiven. Most of the management in the world tour rode during the doping era.
Before recently, I wasn’t really familiar with Danielson other than knowing that he was a US Postal rider. The fact that he posted that video recently and the first thing he said was that he was innocent of his 2nd doping offense tells me all that I need to know.
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You should do this one: https://www.gravellocos.bike/. No vested interest in the race, just thought it was a cool idea. 
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The latest Groadio podcast episode is an interview with Lauren De Crescenzo, on this topic.
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Umm yeah - that’s the whole point. Many athletes use protein, caffeine, other supplements etc. in order to improve performance which are within the rules - without rules it simply becomes a pointless game of pious purity with everyone pointing the finger at everyone else whilst doing all they can out of site to take advantage of anything in order to win.
Hate to break the news to you, but that is the situation today, even with rules.
I totally agree - I don’t see how less rules and a lack of structure will lead to a better outcome given the competitive nature of the sport.
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