“I did admit having attempted to use doping…
….for the 2006 Tour de France and I am ready to pay the penalty for that." These are the words of Ivan Basso after stepping down from The Discovery Channel cycling team and admitting that he was part of the Operation Puerto case in Spain. Read on Basso Spills . He goes on to say that he was thinking about and almost did use doping in last years Tour but never went all the way. Its like Patrick O’Grady said in Velo News comparing this to former President Bill Clinton talking about "I did smoke marijuana but did not inhale." Although I will admire his honesty and taking responsibility for his actions, it still bugs me because he was a person who always claimed to be drug free. This may be true, but the fact that he was that close to doing it really changes my opinion on Ivan Basso. Its just like Lance. They’ve never failed a test, always claimed to be "dope free", but there will always be this haze over them. People will always speculate until the end of time weather or not they used performance enhancing drugs. Its a damn shame. I think what Lance did to cycling in the USA is amazing, but in the back of my mind there will always be those thoughts of him doping. Shit balls, this years Tour once again will be without its biggest threat to win, and I am sure more controversy will spring up before July. Which brings me to this……
How come we don’t hear big stories like this in the mountain bike world? Oh sure, there are some stories. FIlip Meirhaeghe ruining his career would have to be the biggest in the past 10 years. Oh, and retired downhiller Myles Rockwell was busted for growing pot in Durango Colorado a few years back. But nothing like the scale of Operation Puerto. Maybe its because it isn’t on such a big scale. Maybe because there isn’t as much money involved. Both are most likely true. But I like to think that the Mt. bike circuit respects what they are doing a little bit more. They haven’t been corrupted by big time money grubbing people forcing it onto them. I’ve always wondered why Mt. biking doesn’t get more press and publicity, but that the same time, its my first love in the cycling world, and I somewhat wish it to stay that way. No corruption, no constant fears of who’s next? Just some weekend warriors pedaling their ass off just to pay for the next trip, or the next beer. Like Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski says on those shirts of his "DOPERS SUCK."
I have never taken anything besides the occasional Power Gel, Accellerade, shit like that. I never will. Hell, I don’t even own a Hear Rate monitor. Bicycle racing is about pushing your body to the limit. Digging down deep inside to find what little you have left. Not digging down for another shot. Its about complete and utter pain and who is willing to go through more agony then the next guy. Doping will always be around in cycling. But maybe, just maybe we could see a year without any scandal or speculation.
And with that, I’m off for my third day in a row of "clean" cycling.
daily quote - "Maybe
Basso’s come-to-Jesus moment is Millar’s first miracle. What a long,
strange trip it’s been, from sinner to saint. Somebody call the pope." Velonews editor Patrick O’Grady on Ivan Basso’s confession and David Millar’s return to cycling after a suspension.
