Vandenbroucke

[keno]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/sports/cycling/19iht-bike.html?_r=1&ref=sports

[Elefantino]

A depressing way to start the week...

[Climb01742]

VDB=sad

[Commander Adama]

Drugs. It is sad. Cycling has a high incidence of cocaine, drug abuse and it's eventual, erratic, dangerous behavior, as with VDB's threatened suicide/homocide and resulting death at age 34.

Drugs. "Vandenbroucke’s body carried signs of drug and alcohol abuse...a syringe, alcohol and medicines were found in Vandenbroucke’s hotel room."

Drugs. How many more Pantani's?

Drugs. Chicken or egg? Does cycling's need to go faster, be thinner, attract a speed-user, cocaine or does the sport generate the addiction?

Drugs. The user won't listen to anyone, even family. They only listen to the drug. As VDB offered, "I would have signed originally with another team,” he explained, “but the family asked me please to go with Lotto, and it was only after I did that I realized it wasn’t good for me. It was impossible to take orders from somebody in the family. I couldn’t stand it.”

[fiamme red]

Drugs. It is sad. Cycling has a high incidence of cocaine, drug abuse and it's eventual, erratic, dangerous behavior, as with VDB's threatened suicide/homocide and resulting death at age 34.What homicide are you referring to, Viper? :confused:

[Commander Adama]

What homicide are you referring to, Viper? :confused:

Not sure to whom you refer. But to answer your question, in the article, VDB threatened himself and others (his wife) with a shotgun. I wrote above that he threatened homocide (and suicide). Thankfully he did not commit homocide.

"But the pattern of self-destruction was unbreakable. During a Tour de France, while the team ate dinner together at its hotel, Vandenbroucke was spotted in a restaurant with a fetching woman. She may or may not have become the wife with whom he had many highly publicized fights, including one in which he threatened them both with a shotgun."

[fiamme red]

"But the pattern of self-destruction was unbreakable. During a Tour de France, while the team ate dinner together at its hotel, Vandenbroucke was spotted in a restaurant with a fetching woman. She may or may not have become the wife with whom he had many highly publicized fights, including one in which he threatened them both with a shotgun."Sorry, I missed that.

I believe that Vandenbroucke's problems are more directly attributable to depression, not to drugs like cocaine. However, doping was probably an indirect cause of his depression, since after he was busted, his career went downhill fast.

[Commander Adama]

Sorry, I missed that.

I believe that Vandenbroucke's problems are more directly attributable to depression, not to drugs like cocaine. However, doping was probably an indirect cause of his depression, since after he was busted, his career went downhill fast.

Does depression spur the need for cocaine or does cocaine create the depression? Good topic and one VDB's family might be churning over, "Was our son depressed and we missed it...or was he a drug addict and we didn't see it?"

Cocaine creates euphoria, ultimate joy. Without it, the user cannot find joy and falls into a depression:

http://www.drugs.com/enc/cocaine-withdrawal.html

It'd be nice to see cocaine testing in cycling performed as vigilantly as EPO-type drugs.

[goonster]

Drugs. The user won't listen to anyone, even family. They only listen to the drug. As VDB offered, "I would have signed originally with another team,” he explained, “but the family asked me please to go with Lotto, and it was only after I did that I realized it wasn’t good for me. It was impossible to take orders from somebody in the family. I couldn’t stand it.”
Hi, Viper.

What does this have to do with drugs? Or do you have evidence that VDB was a drug addict at age 19? There are plenty of folks who find it impossible to work with family members, even without the pressures of pro sports or an addiction to drugs.

It'd be nice to see cocaine testing in cycling performed as vigilantly as EPO-type drugs.
I believe that they are. Cocaine is on the WADA list, so its metabolites are tested for as part of the standard panels. Tom Boonen failed an out-of-competition test for cocaine, although that did not result in direct sporting sanctions. Also google "Simoni Colombia Candy".