Sick and Tired

The above title was the ubiquitous catch phrase of my former college roommate, Billy, who for some reason or another always spoke with a twang that ranged from Kentuckyish to Bayouish although he was originally from Kansas City, MO.

It would go a little something like this, "So, how's it goin,' Billy?" "I'm Sick and Tired, Sick and Tired." "So Billy, ya gonna head to the game?" "Sick and Tired...Sick and Tired."

But, Billy's sentiments aren't lost on the fans of professional cycling, especially in its current state. We are all just a little bit more than "Sick and Tired."

At times, I feel like comedian, Chris Rock, who during a bit about Michael Jackson, exclaimed, "Another Kid...Another Kid?! C'mon Man...Another Kid?!!"

Another Scandal...Another Scandal?!! C'mon Man...Another Scandal?!

The fact is, the use of performance enhancers has long been sports’ (not merely cycling’s) dirty little secret, only reaching a crescendo in the past few decades. How far back does it go and to what extent have people used extraordinary means to win in cycling? It’s been purported that as early as the 19th Century cyclists were known to have taken caffeine, sugar pills, and even cocaine to enhance their performance. In the late 1960s, even the great Eddy Merckx was not without his critics. Just look at the following list (in no particular order and simply off the top of my head) of cycling scandals and those who have been accused of, alleged to, implicated, confessed, suspended, retired, and even died from doping in cycling’s recent past.

Lance Armstrong
Tyler Hamilton
Floyd Landis
Roberto Heras
Santiago Perez
Frankie Andreu
Oscar Carmenzind
Operacion Puerto
Jan Ullrich
Oscar Sevilla
Ivan Basso
Jorg Jaksche
Liberty Seguros Squad
David Millar
Jesus Manzano
Kelme Squad
Festina Scandal
Marco Pantani
Richard Virenque
TVM (Dutch) Squad
Members of the 1984 US Olympic Cycling Squad
Dutch Cycling in the late 1980s
T-Mobile (Telekom) in the late 1990s
Bjarne Riis
Laurent Fignon
Eddy Merckx
Tom Simpson
Tammy Thomas
Kirk O’Bee
Adam Bergman
Matt Decanio

And that's literally just what, and who, came to mind while I was writing this, imagine if I actually put some research into it? So why is it all coming to a head in these, and what some consider, the darkest days of cycling?

The main reason is that anti-doping agencies, such as WADA and USADA, have adopted a “fight fire with fire,” an “eye for an eye” philosophy and have seemingly dropped their ethical standards down to the level of those that they are trying to catch. While their methods have certainly vindicated those riders who have raced against known cheaters, their McCarthyistic and Gestapo-like tactics have also tainted innocent riders along the way, merely because of their associations. As a person of science, I'm especially distraught at their current disregard for certain known standards and practices. Would you really trust your life to some of these laboratories if they were doing an analysis to diagnose your disease condition?

But Granny, I'm a lowly Cat 5. racer, this doesn't even affect me?

Oh, Really?

You may not feel it directly. You may even choose to disregard all that transpires in the professional ranks, but we've all been implicated to some extent. A friend in the women's ranks, Liz Hatch, is even beginning to feel "a trickle down effect." Honestly, how much longer will it be before someone brings into question one of your hard won efforts? How much longer will it be before we begin to question the sheer talent of a phenom in the junior ranks, attributing it rather to performance enhancing drug use?

It just goes to show that when one person attempts to elevate him/herself above the rules the opposite occurs to the rest of us.

Cranky? You Bet...

Sick and Tired? No Doubt.