Doping proposal...peloton of the future?

[timto]

This is brief in case we're getting tired of beating this to death...

Assume that pro's are adults and can be grown up enough to take responsibility for their own choices. Follow that with the assumption that drugs in sport have evolved together and it will most likely never be drug free...

I propose the following:

-Clean riders wear arm bands (or something recognizable to viewers)
-They all ride together with NO penalties for doping.
-Dope controls are in place to monitor health and keep track of the 'clean' ranking.

Leave it up to the fans to decide if they want drug free sport through their behaviour! If we feel that a win has more 'merit' because the winner was drug free then there is pressure from the fans to have more drug free wins. If the dopers win more and no one cares then so be it.
The sport benefits from more transparency and safer conditions through regular monitoring of those guys on dope. WE as fans benefit from having a 'better' clue as to the real clean athletes and can judge for ourselves more or less how we choose to tune our participation as fans - for what kind of riders.

Is this possible? Stupid? I realize that there is always fine points like cheating dope controls to get a 'clean' ranking ....

Just my pov...

Tim

[davids]

Fundamentally, the issue is getting an advantage on your competitors. Doping is a symptom, not the illness.

Your proposal doesn't address this - Riders still have the same incentive to cheat. They would still want to be able to say they were clean, to avoid whatever penalties the dopers would be getting.

[Andreu]

What about...

There is a 1 season amnesty were basically everybody can come clean and admit what they have to admit, and have time to sort their act out. Then the following season; any rider in a team gets tested positive:

1. Life ban for the sponsor and $50k-500k fine (to come into effect the following season?).

2. Life ban for the doctor and/or supplier of the drugs (immediate?) plus possible prison sentence?

3. 15 year ban and $50k fine for manager of the team (to come into effect the following season?).

4. 1 year ban for the rider (immediate?).

5. Severe penalties for manufacturers and/or labs supplying sports teams with drugs (i.e. on the banned list - tricky one this...not thought this one through - these bu**ers are always 1 step ahead of the game and the banned list is never current - probably at least 1-2 years behind the science - probably need to fund some sort of agency to study and police what the hell is going on!).

Just a thought - but I fear there would be no one left to race!

The punishements have to be severe enough to really hurt...currently the only people suffering are the riders....they are victims and they suffer enough.
I am afraid if the sport is going to clean up and people really want it to be clean, we are going to have to make sacrifices and it´s going to get worse before it gets better. Or should we just continue with the system we have and turn a blind eye?
Any body have any alternative suggestions?
A

[Kevan]

July 30, 2004 - "I encourage every rider to visit this person's house and take anything you like." --pro cyclist Todd Wells, reacting to the positive EPO test and admission by Filip Meirhaeghe, the reigning mountain bike world champion. :D

[Andreu]

I find it bizarre that there is a never-ending, tedious list of notes on this forum about "did he" "didn't he" take drugs....all of which don't really get us anywhere (but slightly more interesting than the average European gossip column) ....however when offered a question on how to solve it there are three posts. This says to me that most people are probably quite happy with the status quo (that's latin - not the UK rock band) and to turn a blind eye to this issue. Interesting.
Plus c'est change plus....etc etc.
A