http://bikeintelligencer.com/2009/07/this-day-in-doping-alberto-contador/ All bike, all the time Sat, 01 Jun 2013 05:23:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://bikeintelligencer.com/2009/07/this-day-in-doping-alberto-contador/comment-page-1/#comment-150 Rosemary Barnes Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:06:27 +0000 http://bikeintelligencer.wordpress.com/?p=1027#comment-150 I wish that people would stop assuming that every good cyclist is doped to the eyeballs. Cycling has the toughest testing programme of any sport, which has a lot to do with why there are so many people caught. I am not saying that a lot of pro cyclists use banned substances, but that these people are caught.
Contador and Armstrong, along with every other TDF rider are subject to a huge number of tests, both in and out of competition. There are random tests at any time of year, and if the rider isn’t available when called in for a test, it counts as a positive.
So let’s leave the task of determining the drug cheats to the anti-doping authorities, and get on with watching the tour.
As to the comment “as longas Lance or Alberto or whomever brings big dollars and attention to the sport, any doping allegations are going to be downplayed.” Rubbish! The more dominant and popular a rider is, the more doping is going to be alleged, even if the only “evidence” is that they went really fast! Why can’t we allow these athletes the presumption of innocence until proven guilty? A lot of resources are devoted to catching drug cheats, especially in cycling and especially in the TDF, so let the process run its course.

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