Perspectives on Doping in Pro Cycling.
cowbellsandcoffee
Posts: 2,975 Member
Came across this and wanted to share. Great interview.
Fascinating interview with a former Women's cycling star Inga Thompson on the systematic doping taking place in American cycling long before the Armstrong era and how the system that’s in place today in US cycling is basically the one that was put in place by the people that helped to create the doping culture.
Excerpted in part:
Mention the name Inga Thompson to a modern cycling fan, and you might get a raised eyebrow. “Inga who?” But to fans and observers of the sport from the 1980s and early 1990s, Inga Thompson was perhaps one of the most successful and influential women in cycling. From her meteoric debut on the American scene in 1984, to her final major race – a dominating victory in the 1993 US Women’s National Road Race – Inga proved herself to be one of the greatest women’s racers the sport has ever seen.
And yet right after that 1993 championship, Inga quietly packed up, moved away from her long-time residence in Reno, and for almost twenty years severed all ties with the sport and the people with whom she trained and competed. She didn’t even touch a bicycle. The woman who dominated US cycling for nearly a decade, carrying on where Connie Carpenter left off after the 1984 Olympics – a woman who had lived and breathed cycling, and inspired others to take up the sport – simply hung up her wheels and vanished.
In late 2012, Inga finally broke her silence of almost twenty years, first contributing an opinion to VeloNews on corruption in pro cycling in which she tersely stated her position on why she would never let her own son compete in the sport; and in early 2013, an essay on the doping scandals for Crankpunk.com. While she now occasionally posts online in various forums, this is the first detailed interview with Inga since she decided to end her self-imposed exile, and comment publicly on the challenges facing the sport.
http://www.theouterline.com/perspectives-on-doping-in-pro-cycling-2-inga-thompson-5/
Fascinating interview with a former Women's cycling star Inga Thompson on the systematic doping taking place in American cycling long before the Armstrong era and how the system that’s in place today in US cycling is basically the one that was put in place by the people that helped to create the doping culture.
Excerpted in part:
Mention the name Inga Thompson to a modern cycling fan, and you might get a raised eyebrow. “Inga who?” But to fans and observers of the sport from the 1980s and early 1990s, Inga Thompson was perhaps one of the most successful and influential women in cycling. From her meteoric debut on the American scene in 1984, to her final major race – a dominating victory in the 1993 US Women’s National Road Race – Inga proved herself to be one of the greatest women’s racers the sport has ever seen.
And yet right after that 1993 championship, Inga quietly packed up, moved away from her long-time residence in Reno, and for almost twenty years severed all ties with the sport and the people with whom she trained and competed. She didn’t even touch a bicycle. The woman who dominated US cycling for nearly a decade, carrying on where Connie Carpenter left off after the 1984 Olympics – a woman who had lived and breathed cycling, and inspired others to take up the sport – simply hung up her wheels and vanished.
In late 2012, Inga finally broke her silence of almost twenty years, first contributing an opinion to VeloNews on corruption in pro cycling in which she tersely stated her position on why she would never let her own son compete in the sport; and in early 2013, an essay on the doping scandals for Crankpunk.com. While she now occasionally posts online in various forums, this is the first detailed interview with Inga since she decided to end her self-imposed exile, and comment publicly on the challenges facing the sport.
http://www.theouterline.com/perspectives-on-doping-in-pro-cycling-2-inga-thompson-5/
0
Replies
-
I read the excerpt and down loaded the full article to my ipad so I can read it later. Thanks for posting. I have to say I was a huge Armstrong fan, I still apprecate him, but I was also let down quite a bit as I'm sure many were. I was really let down when finding out how wide spread doping was not just for Armstorng but many of the other big names in cycling. Although I'm not defending Armstrong, I do beleive he was used as a scape goat for this problem and many were guilty of doping.0
-
Good interview, I enjoyed reading it. But it makes it hard to look up to any pro-level cyclists and teams. Too bad the entire sport is so corrupted by the doping culture. Inga really explains the kind of pressure that is applied to one to go along with it. The catch-22 she was presented with and why she left cycling is really sad.
KJ, I agree with you about Armstrong. OTOH, after reading Inga's interview, it appears that it was almost impossible to not go along with it unless you wanted your career to be simply terminated in one way or the other.
The transfusion thing is so devious, I am sure it is still being done to bump up red blood cell counts. I don't know how that is detectable. Nuts.0 -
Well - the US national squad Hiring Eddie B. should have been something of a clue... Systematic and Federation Endorsed/Promoted/Organised Doping Programs were pretty much endemic behind the Iron Curtain back then - just think back to the East German 4x4000m team TT Squad - they could have passed for the Weightlifting Team! So Hiring an Ex-Polish National Squad Coach was always going to be a little bit of a red-flag moment, wasn't it...
The Sad fact is, the Drugs Testing is ALWAYS going to be worse funded and lagging behind what the Dopers are doing. And Human Nature being flawed as it is, someone, somewhere is going to try and get away with it.
I think we're marginally cleaner than we were - but the main thing as far as I'm concerned is the riders are healthier - they're not dying at 4am because their blood was too thick for their heart to push around (or having to set an alarm and get on the turbo in their bedroom for 10 minutes 3 times a night to keep their HR elevated enough). It's also evidenced by the fact that riders are continuing to ride well into their late 30's rather than burning early.
Frankly though, if you took the same level of Drugs Testing and applied it to the World Cup Squads, or the Participants at Wimbledon, or Top Flight Rugby League/Union, I'm sure you'd be seeing 5 new stories a week of someone getting a 2 year ban (though frankly most of the "soccer" players would probably be getting clobbered for "Bolivian Marching Powder" rather than Injectable Cortico-Steroids :laugh:0 -
I don't remember who it was, but the doping problem and why it will never go away was rather succinctly explained by an ex-cyclist. The problem is quite simple. When the Tour de France is decided by hundredths of a percentage point difference in time (last year's was .075%), it places a huge impetus for the rider who is almost there to do what ever it takes to gain that precious advantage, and that means doping is part of that equation.0
-
I love cycling and watch it as much as I can. If you think things are cleaner today than in the past they are not. Too many people still getting caught to think otherwise. Does it make me love it less no. However, I have hope a select few people I really like are not doping but I/You would be naive to think they are not. How many times did we hear the line from Armstong and now Froomstrong. Do I love it any less nope. Still love watching the events. Same goes for football and baseball. They are doping in one form or fashion. Its just a sign of the times with how much money is at stake. JMHO.
Do I believe it is still happening in cycling today? Yeah, probably so (and same goes for practically any sport, really). However, I don't think it is as wide-spread in cycling as it used to be. IMO I would be surprised to learn teams like Sky and BMC had any doping whatsoever. I could be wrong, but the impression I get from many of the newer leaders is they are tired of the negative hoopla that came with a lot of the older riders that are currently out. Wiggo for example, I think is a new breed of cyclist (dope-free).0 -
I don't remember who it was, but the doping problem and why it will never go away was rather succinctly explained by an ex-cyclist. The problem is quite simple. When the Tour de France is decided by hundredths of a percentage point difference in time (last year's was .075%), it places a huge impetus for the rider who is almost there to do what ever it takes to gain that precious advantage, and that means doping is part of that equation.
Check out the freaks and their power analysis for this year's TDF: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/2014-tour-de-france-power-analysis-week-1
Pro cycling is so far removed from what we can all do on a bike. I can only dream of being able to crank out 445 watts for nearly 12 minutes on a climb in the middle of a 4+ hour day on the race bike.0 -
Hey, that is some interesting data, Singingsingletracker.
And I'm getting intimidated by looking at my 60 watt light bulb just sitting here at my desk.
By the way, I bet you sing better than the pros do when your biking tho. So that is something you got over them!0
