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Interesting article on Tammy Thomas in the NY Times here (you have to be registered to read it).
Best (but saddest) quote:
"Athletes don't really care about their bodies. They care more about winning."
I was also saddened to read that she doesn't ride at all anymore. Let's face it, to get to the point where your coaches and others are even offering you performance-enhancing drugs you have to be pretty darn talented.
My boyfriend and I have been having a lot of discussions about doping...
My boyfriend is an ex-pro mountain biker and never saw any doping on his team and he's never doped and thinks it's dishonest, dangerous, etc.
We both recently read "Breaking the Chain", by Willy Voet who was a masseur and such for the Festina team when they all got busted for doping and practically brought down the 1998 Tour de France...it's a very interesting, if not depressing read...
I wonder if any professional athletes are clean...so many performance enhancers can't even be tested for, and so a negative drug test means nothing...remember that Marion Jones interview when she says "I have never failed a drug test..." I believe you Marion, but not failing a drug test and not doping are two different things...
I even recently heard a story on NPR about "gene doping," in which a virus is injected into the patient and permanent change takes place in their DNA! How do you test for that?
Cycling has practically become a spectator sport anyway...people want to see cyclists climb mountains like they're on motor bikes and they want to see sprint finishes that clock at 60 miles an hour...
For an interesting look at an ex-pro's opninion on doping, check out: http://www.stolenunderground.com.
The guy has issues, and is definately bitter, but he's seen doping first hand as part of a European team.