Total Disillusionment

[Mon Ami]

Last week, I went to the newsagent to buy “Cycle Sport” and “Pro Cycling” for an afternoon of reading and then couldn't bring myself to buy the magazines...

A few days ago I took out a book on the Tour de France and started to re-read my favourite chapter with a description of the 1969 Tour when Eddy won and also won all the jerseys and made a lone break through the mountains and found I couldn't finish the chapter...

A few days ago, a friend rang and suggested we go into London next Sunday to watch the last stage of the Tour of Britain and I told him I wasn't that interested any more...

Today, I was looking forward to watching the Vuelta on TV. I settled down on the sofa with my coffee but found I literally couldn't watch it for more than a few minutes...

Why? Suddenly, professional cycle racing seems false to me. It's not just doping although the feeling was definitely triggered by the Landis case. What haunts me is the comparison with Pro Wrestling someone made on this forum and perhaps that is what has destroyed my admiration. What if the cycle racing at the top level is like Pro Wrestling? I've heard of people buying races or the pro's arranging the local crits and races. What if this is happening all the time?

Fans of wrestling tell me I should be ignoring the deceit and should be enjoying it as a spectacle. “They're putting on a show!”. “You've gotta be tough to do those moves even if the fights are pre-arranged”. Well, why are they pretending, I ask. Why do they talk about people being World Champions when the result is pre-arranged? That's sheer deceit.

Will this feeling go or is this the end of the line for one cycle racing fan?

Mon Ami

[swoop]

if cycling seems false to you.. using this logic.. the whole world has to be false to you. cycling is now how it has always been. it is not distinct or separate or unique from anything else. all things are like cycling. that is true beauty of the sport.

it's just less sophisticated in it's denial.

[Skrawny]

I know what you mean.
On top of that, I've gotten sick of friends commenting on my "dirty" sport.

I know that people have been using performance enhancing substances since the beginning of the sport, but somehow all this has made it seem so illegitimate...

-s

PS-I still LOVE to ride, tho! :banana:

[Marcusaurelius]

Last week, I went to the newsagent to buy “Cycle Sport” and “Pro Cycling” for an afternoon of reading and then couldn't bring myself to buy the magazines...

A few days ago I took out a book on the Tour de France and started to re-read my favourite chapter with a description of the 1969 Tour when Eddy won and also won all the jerseys and made a lone break through the mountains and found I couldn't finish the chapter...

A few days ago, a friend rang and suggested we go into London next Sunday to watch the last stage of the Tour of Britain and I told him I wasn't that interested any more...

Today, I was looking forward to watching the Vuelta on TV. I settled down on the sofa with my coffee but found I literally couldn't watch it for more than a few minutes...

Why? Suddenly, professional cycle racing seems false to me. It's not just doping although the feeling was definitely triggered by the Landis case. What haunts me is the comparison with Pro Wrestling someone made on this forum and perhaps that is what has destroyed my admiration. What if the cycle racing at the top level is like Pro Wrestling? I've heard of people buying races or the pro's arranging the local crits and races. What if this is happening all the time?

Fans of wrestling tell me I should be ignoring the deceit and should be enjoying it as a spectacle. “They're putting on a show!”. “You've gotta be tough to do those moves even if the fights are pre-arranged”. Well, why are they pretending, I ask. Why do they talk about people being World Champions when the result is pre-arranged? That's sheer deceit.

Will this feeling go or is this the end of the line for one cycle racing fan?

Mon Ami


I think when you compare cycling drug testing to certain other professional sports especially some big north american sports, cycling has better record than they could ever dream of. It's odd some cycling fans become disillusioned when someone is caught cheating.

[harlond]

Suddenly, professional cycle racing seems false to me.The doping scandal is a bad thing, but I personally see nothing in it that suggests that the competition is not real and fierce. Indeed, if the results were fixed, as in pro wrestling, Landis wouldn't have to resort to "cheating" to win. So I don't think the scandal makes the racing false, but like you, my appetite for scandal is nothing compared to my appetite for sport, and lately it is hard to see the sport through the insistent coverage of the scandal.

Will this feeling go or is this the end of the line for one cycle racing fan?

Mon AmiI hope not, but if so, wouldn't it mean the end of the line for you as a fan of any professional sport? Other sports aren't cleaner to any significant degree, IMO, but practically all of them handle the issue better than cycling.

[Michael Maddox]

I'm afraid that ALL professional sports--and even the pseudo-amateur olympic sports--are this way. Sport presents the possibility of fame, possible wealth, and a "way out" for many people. Couple that with a true, resounding LOVE of the sport, and the pressures to succeed can be enormous. Thus, we have to redefine our personal definitions of success--our own ways of expressing and encouraging our love of a game. Which is more fun? A backyard football game after lunch on Thanksgiving, or a boozed-up afternoon watching Detroit on TV? Watching someone who may be juiced on EPO ride up a Col, or the satisfaction of doing it for yourself?

As amateurs and afficionados, we must try to seek what's RIGHT with our sport. We have to separate what WE are as sportsmen from that which OTHERS are, and find our own joy. We have to create our own meaning of success. Ride because you love it, find your own inspiration and move away from the disease that pro-sport has become.

It sucks, but it's the only rational solution from my viewpoint.

[trophyoftexas]

All I know is this, I've got a couple of nice bikes, nice kit, reasonable health, and live in a location that allows me to ride pretty much all year round. I lived through college in the late 60's and in spite of the temptations NEVER found it necessary to indulge in drugs of any kind for any reason and I don't need any of them to this day....if the pro's want to taint their image and THEIR part of the sport, well, I can't help it. BUT THAT doesn't deter me from getting on the bike every day, feeling the wind in my face, hearing the buzz of the tires on the road and having a great time! Like you I don't enjoy watching or reading as much as I used to but the positive side of that is I don't lounge around on the couch all day Saturday and Sunday either, instead I'm out getting in extra miles or taking the money I used to spend on reading and watching and investing in an extra "event weekend" or two and enjoying it for what it is, great exercise and relaxation! My biggest problem with all of the drug mess is that now I've got a few really nice jerseys that I'm ashamed to wear!!!

[bcm119]

The solution to your problem is easy- just become a fan of your local racing scene, by participation or just spectatin'. The highest level of all types of sport is somewhat of a sham, its only to entertain us while we're not out there ourselves doing the real thing.

[J.Greene]

Last week, I went to the newsagent to buy “Cycle Sport” and “Pro Cycling” for an afternoon of reading and then couldn't bring myself to buy the magazines...

A few days ago I took out a book on the Tour de France and started to re-read my favourite chapter with a description of the 1969 Tour when Eddy won and also won all the jerseys and made a lone break through the mountains and found I couldn't finish the chapter...

A few days ago, a friend rang and suggested we go into London next Sunday to watch the last stage of the Tour of Britain and I told him I wasn't that interested any more...

Today, I was looking forward to watching the Vuelta on TV. I settled down on the sofa with my coffee but found I literally couldn't watch it for more than a few minutes...

Why? Suddenly, professional cycle racing seems false to me. It's not just doping although the feeling was definitely triggered by the Landis case. What haunts me is the comparison with Pro Wrestling someone made on this forum and perhaps that is what has destroyed my admiration. What if the cycle racing at the top level is like Pro Wrestling? I've heard of people buying races or the pro's arranging the local crits and races. What if this is happening all the time?

Fans of wrestling tell me I should be ignoring the deceit and should be enjoying it as a spectacle. “They're putting on a show!”. “You've gotta be tough to do those moves even if the fights are pre-arranged”. Well, why are they pretending, I ask. Why do they talk about people being World Champions when the result is pre-arranged? That's sheer deceit.

Will this feeling go or is this the end of the line for one cycle racing fan?

Mon Ami

I'm wondering why we(most of the fans) hold this group(pro riders) of twentysomething people to higher moral standards than other 20 somethings. Matter of fact I can't think of any group of pro athletes that could withstand much moral scrutiny.

JG

[bostondrunk]

Other sports aren't cleaner to any significant degree, IMO, but practically all of them handle the issue better than cycling.

Well, they 'handle' it better by not handling it at all (or not that much).
You can't have it both ways. Either a sporting body has to ignore the problem for the most part, or they do what cycling does, and attack the problem, thus ruining the image of the sport.
I prefer the 'ignore' approach. LeMond rules.

[Ti Designs]

The solution to your problem is easy- just become a fan of your local racing scene, by participation or just spectatin'. The highest level of all types of sport is somewhat of a sham, its only to entertain us while we're not out there ourselves doing the real thing.


Damn straght!!!


To me the tour is just something to watch in the winter while I'm on the trainer. (Guess I'll never see the 06 tour 'cause it's not being released on DVD - I blame Floyd...) The rest of the time I'm coaching my riders - who has time to watch some race that's thousends of miles away? The racing here is real, it's not a show put on for our entertainment. You only need to get into a competitve group ride to understand that. If you don't take the town line sprints it's not because it's fixed or because the guy who wins is on drugs, it's because you didn't have it or you screwed up the tactics. Either way, there's another line in a few miles and there will be another ride next week.

Being involved beats watching it on TV any day of the week.

[bcm119]

I lived through college in the late 60's and in spite of the temptations NEVER found it necessary to indulge in drugs of any kind for any reason and I don't need any of them to this day....
What does that have to do with PED's?

[harlond]

Well, they 'handle' it better by not handling it at all (or not that much).Yeah, that's pretty much what I meant. Better for me.

[bostondrunk]

(Guess I'll never see the 06 tour 'cause it's not being released on DVD - I blame Floyd...) .

Sure looks like they are releasing it! Check out the marketing!

http://www.worldcycling.com/

[Wayne77]

This is what happens when people (not necessarily you) base their enjoyment of the sport on false assumptions. When the curtain comes down (ie the Landis case) there's nothing left to lean on and depression sets in. But it doesn't mean there aren't other, perhaps more compelling, and sometimes completely unrelated reasons to love the sport of bicycle racing.

These false assumptions are far more damaging to the sport than the actual doping that occurs.

[vaxn8r]

The solution to your problem is easy- just become a fan of your local racing scene, by participation or just spectatin'. The highest level of all types of sport is somewhat of a sham, its only to entertain us while we're not out there ourselves doing the real thing.
It's not just the highest level of sport. Sadly it's also been in highschool sports for decades as well. The estimates are between 6-12% of all hs football players. Not just football players but basketball, baseball, wrestling, lacrosse...and at every high school in America.

Heck, there are guys at the local cat 1-5 races using PEDs. Even when there is absolutely nothing on the line but pride.

[Skrawny]

The solution to your problem is easy- just become a fan of your local racing scene, by participation or just spectatin'. The highest level of all types of sport is somewhat of a sham, its only to entertain us while we're not out there ourselves doing the real thing.

1+!

[Ti Designs]

Sure looks like they are releasing it! Check out the marketing!

The key word there being marketing... Click on "order now" and you'll see the words "Pre-Order Now! Ships upon completion of production". WCP is selling DVD futures. I have no doubt that it will be available, but it'll be all about the drug scandle, not the racing. If I wanted to watch drug scanals while on my trainer I could watch Blow or episodes of Miami Vice...

[ada@prorider.or]

...
I settled down on the sofa with my coffee but found I literally couldn't watch it for more than a few minutes...
Will this feeling go or is this the end of the line for one cycle racing fan?

Mon Ami

well what you need i find buddy´s around you that enjouy cycling as it is ,the TV and other things is about money

i think serotta is about the sport it selve and money plays here a role but i minor they do it for the love of the sport
and i find it the right way, you need people around who have the same feeling as a example worlds for masters
still have 70 and plus this for the fun of cyling thats the spirit you need

[catulle]

If that's the way you fell and if you ever followed Golf, you better erase it from your list of Favorites too. Oh, and tennis too. And... You'll end up watching Poker only.

[MartyE]

as swoop said it's always been this way.
I can love the sport warts and all for its beauty, for the sight
of the peloton charging, for the frantic sprints and desperate
climbs.
marty

[harlond]

If that's the way you fell and if you ever followed Golf, you better erase it from your list of Favorites too. Oh, and tennis too. And... You'll end up watching Poker only.No way, in those all day, night affairs, that poker players aren't using speed or something similar.

[taz-t]

I'm wondering why we(most of the fans) hold this group(pro riders) of twentysomething people to higher moral standards than other 20 somethings. Matter of fact I can't think of any group of pro athletes that could withstand much moral scrutiny.

JG

I don't... that's why I require all 20 somethings to go pee in a cup for urinalysis before I'll talk to them...

[Wayne77]

No way, in those all day, night affairs, that poker players aren't using speed or something similar.

@$*!*, Thanks for ruining it for me!! :crap: All my little poker proteges think these guys are clean! What the h*ll do I do now?? That's it, I am DONE! If these kids wanna go down with the sinking ship, fine with me, but I'm not gonna be on it. I wash my hands of Poker forever!! Down with the Celebrity Poker Tour!!

Sarcasm aside, and OT, but I think the concept of Poker as a sport is laughable.

[GoJavs]

It's gotta suck to market the dvd for the 2006 TDF race the way World Cycling is having to do it. Sure, it'll sell but will it sell remotely close to what it would have sold if Landis wouldn't have failed the test? Plus, you are a marketing a media scandal just as much as a race...

Yikes...reminds of my job. I sell fruit for a living. When the crop is good, it's fun to sell. When the crop stinks, you still have to sell it...... :crap:

[swoop]

floyd's ride is still a beautiful ride. doping or not. that is undeniable.
atmo.

[Wayne77]

floyd's ride is still a beautiful ride. doping or not. that is undeniable.
atmo.

Amen

[Grant McLean]

floyd's ride is still a beautiful ride. doping or not. that is undeniable.
atmo.

but his stem is still ugly.

atmo


g

[Archibald]

You must be absolutely suicidal about the whole "no WMD in Iraq" thing, huh? :D

[swoop]

but his stem is still ugly.

atmo


g
that, my friend, was the worst crime in this year's tour.

[swoop]

signed on the earlier yellow jersey stage. go phloyd.
cash or credit cards? team america f-yeah!

[Grant McLean]

I've said a lot of 'anti-doping' stuff on this phorum in the few months,
but if I saw Floyd in a bar, i'd buy him a few beers, (maybe some Jack)
and talk about anything but cycling.

g

[manet]

I've said a lot of 'anti-doping' stuff on this phorum in the few months,
but if I saw Floyd in a bar, i'd buy him a few beers, (maybe some Jack)
and talk about anything but cycling.

g

word on the street is that there's a 'new' coke coming out