Doping in cycling?

Question

If the UCI is so concerned with the state of doping in the sport why don't they invoke life time bans similar to the ones in Track and Field??

Answer 1

Up on the soap box I go...

We do not get mad at a carpenter that uses a pneumatic framing nailer instead of a hammer... A doctor can use MRI instead of physical examination... An accountant can use a calculator instead of an abbacus... But God save the athelete that chooses to utilize anabloic steroids or blood doping a procedure where he or she stores on extra pint of there own blood and adds it to their system shortly before an athletic contest. This make it take longer for fatigue to set in because lactic acid takes longer to saturate the muscle tissues due to the extra volume of blood.

I am all for let them do whatever they want to their own body. I personally like email over the pony express. It is progress. The rule should allow whatever means to be your best no holds barred unless they compete inside a league for clean competitors only.

In the 1970's the entire NFL was on one drug or another, and it never lost popularity. Today atheletes make MILLIONS of dollars to participate commonly. In professional sports there should be no limitations.

Answer 2

Floyd Landis has been in court on and off with WADA for over a year already over his positive test at last year's Tour, and he is only looking at a two year ban. He has every right to be fighting the test results this hard because a two year ban plus an additional two year ban from Pro Tour teams will cost him millions of dollars. If the penalty for a doping offense was a lifetime ban they would all go into arbitration and the sport of cycling would look even dirtier than it already does, because the court cases get all of the press. What the UCI needs to do is reduce the penalties to individual riders and start penalizing their teams. If the teams are under more pressure, dirty riders aren't going to be making race rosters to begin with.

Answer 3

I think part of the answer is that the UCI is a fairly weak body. They are at odds with the rider organizations, they are feuding with the directors of the grand tours, and they can't control the use of drugs in the sport.