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07/22/2008: "Give Me Something To Believe In"

Long-time visitors to this site know that my love of professional cycling predates the Lance Armstrong era - and, in fact, this site. I remember Greg LeMond nipping Laurent Fignon (and his pony tail) and Andy Hampsten's epic win on L'Alp du Huez. We covered every one of Lance's TdF triumphs, first as asides in the Fishing News, and later here in the MB. There is no greater sporting event than Le Tour.

That's why it is so painful to watch it go through the ongoing suicide of doping scandals that plague the Tour once again this year. Three riders have been tossed out of the event, including two-time stage winner Riccardo Rocco - who was literally dragged off his tour bus by the French Gendarmes. For a sport that keeps crowing about how they're cleaning up their act, it's not too impressive.

Using substances to get an advantage is nothing new to le Tour. In the early days, alcohol and ether were used to numb the body to the pain of the ride. By the 1960s, amphetamine usage had begun, and in 1967 rider Tom Simpson collapsed and died on course because of their use. In the late '90s, as riders vied to be the next Miguel Indurain, blood doping had become the key tool for those looking for a less-than-legal edge. Some used transfusions of their own blood, collected earlier, to increase the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in their bodies, while others turned to drugs that would cause the body to create more cells. The hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, was the most popular, and it is the synthetic version of EPO that plagues the Tour still.

The Festina scandal of 1998 nearly brought the Tour to an end, and many believe it was only the heroic story of Lance Armstrong - himself a target of repeated but unsubstantiated doping charges - that saved the Tour. During the seven years Armstrong reigned over le Tour, the scandals were minimal, although still occurred. Most people hoped that perhaps that era was behind the professional cyclists.

Unfortunately, as soon as Lance had retired to his Texas ranch and the arms of Sheryl Crow, the dopers were once again at the forefront. In 2006, Tour winner Floyd Landis was stripped of his victory after abnormal test results indicated doping (a charge he denies to this day). The next year, Tour leader Michael Rasmussen was kicked off the Tour when it was learned that he'd deliberately avoided drug testing in the off-season. Two days earlier, Alexander Vinokourov tested positive after winning a stage, and his entire team withdrew from the race. Even the winner, Alberto Contador, while not failing any tests during the race, was linked to a large off-season doping scandal.

There is no more spectacular sporting event than the Tour de France. Few events in the world have the ability to attract the attention of fan and non-fan alike the way the Tour can. The sight of the peloton cycling through the French countryside is incredible. But that can all be lost if steps are not taken - and taken now - to put doping to an end once and for all. It will not be enough for the organizers to try and crack down - dopers have shown themselves to be one step of the authorities for a century. The riders themselves will have to step up and police themselves. The commitment by teams like CSC, Garmin-Chipotle and Columbia to hold themselves to a higher standard are a good start. But every rider must understand that just one cheater can take down the entire peloton and a century of tradition.