Doping in cycling (and sport in general)?

Question

With the suspension of Floyd Landis for doping during the Tour de France, and the implication of Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich in a Spanish doping ring, is cycling going to survive as a sport? Similarly, is cycling taking all the flak for other sports, such as the drug ridden athletics tracks, or even football? Is the problem actually as serious as it is being made out to be? Are the checks that are carried out enough?
What would YOU personally do to halt the doping that occurs in sport (lifetime bans, team disqualification, heavy fines...etc).

Answer 1

Great question! Cycling doesn't need doping in any form, and the difference is clear when you look at the relatively drug-free competitive sport of cycling in North America compared to Europe. The Europeans have ruined a generation of competitive cyclists by bad coaching and training decisions and practices. The other problem are the combination of the test labs and the governing organizations. As of today there is a call to actually void the test findings against Landis and there is now very serious doubts about the test lab and its quality and integrity. No matter what happens the doping fiasco in European pro cycling has taken Floyd Landis with it, whether he is actually guilty or not...and there is growing awareness that he might in fact be innocent. What would I personally do to halt the doping that does occur? I would start with the certification, licensing and regulation of coaches, trainers, doctors and team managers. These are the folks that cause and sustain the problem, and are the suppliers and "pushers" if you will. Put them in the spotlight, and make them accountable. The cycling athletes don't use performance enhancing drugs without their coach, trainer, doctor or team manager (one or more) being involved, and in my opinion, encouraging them to do so.

Answer 2

Cycling will survive there are too many genuine road racers for it to go underground however the UCI should get there house in order with stricter testing and regulations.

Doping has always been associated with cycling compared with other sports, the problem is serious in my view when you see cheaters on the podium denying the real winners (ie. Oscar Pereiro in the Tour de France 2006) of the race the glory and awards it gives the sport a bad name.

Personally those caught using doping products should be get a lifetime ban that should be a deterrent for riders to not to use them, with fines and disqualifications they get a second chance with a light suspension or fines they can get back on their bike again the punishment does not fit the crime.

Answer 3

Cycling seems to have problems similar to other sports - only it tries harder to eradicate it. If American baseball followed a similar strategy, Sosa, Bonds, and McGuire and others would have been suspended rather than setting home-run records. (They have been innocent until proving guilty.) Landis and Basso have been declared guilty until they are able to prove their innocence.
For Landis, even if he was 100% guilty of the what he was accused (which now appears doubtful), it would not have provided him a great competitive disadvantage, nor caused his body significant harm. The alcohol he consumed may actually be a greater harm to his body. And the energy drinks and food consumed by racer may actually have done better to help them to win.

Society today currently places great emphasis on sporting, elevating the champions and providing great incentive to win. Similarly pharmaceuticals have produced pills that help cure just about any symptom. The message that is constantly seen is that a little drug will help resolve any problem. It only seems logical to also use the drug to help improve performance in a sport.
Lists of banned substances and testing methods will always be incomplete. An athlete can always perfectly legally seek the best substances that are not yet banned to improve performance. Or they could go underground and use substances that cannot yet be detected.
I would simply allow all doping as long as it is properly reported. Adult athletes would be free to use any substance they desired as long as they acknowledged what they were using, and were properly informed of the consequences. Creatine, EPO, Andro, caffeine, alcohol, steroids and everything else would be treated the same and allow for comparisons. Athletes themselves would be allowed to decide whether they were willing to risk their life for possible glory. Full disclosure would also allow us to easily see what helps and doesn't.

Answer 4

Blood doping, steriods, performance supplements, Red Bull, are here to stay. Everyone wants to see and be the fastest, strongest, best athlete they can be without bionics (at least for now).

You can't even go to a park league softball game without 8 empty cans of Red Bull and 10 empty energy supplements packets lying on the dugout floor. "EVERYONE" wants to be at the top of their games. People even juice (supplement) themselves for golf games in the morning. It's an epidemic.

Certainly I do not condone doping... But playing devils advocate, I'm not really sure to myself what is the big deal. I want to see a sub 9 sec 100 meter, and once the human body can only become so fast and so strong... I am curious as to what the next level of athlete will become? Android? Our competive human nature will bring us to something better. Always.

But to answer your question... Sorry for the long opinion... Personally, I would let it go. If Barry Bonds can juice 70+ HR's in a season... I'm quite sure someone can juice a pitcher to throw a 120 mph fastball. Just better get a juiced catchers glove.

The ramifications? If 500 homeless people go uncared about and die on the streets everyday (just a guess), why should a castoff (juiced) athlete who's made millions in his/her life and can't figure out life after sports be any better? Is that really a tragedy to see your sports heroes down and out because of doping or steroids? Honestly... they really don't care about us... the general public. Just as much as you really care about me. Reality Check...

Answer 5

I think that cycling is taking all the flak for other sports. I'm sure it will survive as a sport. Remember the whole Festina thing in 1998? Well, everyone was asking whether cycling could survive and it did. I think that they are getting tougher on the druggies, which is good but maybe that's also the reason the whole drug problem seems so bad... They are publizising it, while other sports deal with it quietly. I would ban dopers, and if they gave me the names of the person who gave them the drugs (managers, coachers, sougners, teammates, doctors) I would implicate a lifelong ban for them too.

Answer 6

Doping is inexcusable. Personally, I say a lifetime ban but that will never happen. For example, Barry Bonds has all but admitted to using steroids and instead of being ridiculed will go down in the history books as having the most HR's ever once he breaks the record. He'll be celebrated and for what? He can't compete without drugs.

Doping is, to me, the lowest form of cheating.

Answer 7

I like playing just about every sport...my favorite to watch on TV is Football.

Answer 8

I think they should be banned but only a short time but it increaes the more they do it

Answer 9

YOU WILL NEVER STOP IT, ITS HUMAN NATURE TO BE BETTER THAN THE NEXT GUY AND IF THAT MEANS CHEATING , THEN WHO CARES