Liverpool FC Forum

[Sabre]

I know route cycling is not the most popular sport in the island, despite well known men like Chris Boardman (a very specialised cyclist) or David Millar were british (1). I think in Ireland it was more popular and they had great road cyclists like Roche and Sean Kelly.

But nowadays road racing is being destroyed by the shame of doping. Two teams out of the competition, the current leader fired by it's own team, I wonder when this shame will end. The image sent to the youngest lads is dramatic: to succeed you need to use drugs, and that's unacceptable.

I feel very sorry because despite my first sport is football, I admire a lot this sportmen, and it's a shame to see them surrounded by French police as if they were criminals.

I think doping must be combatted and that the sport will get out of that bad patch. However, I wonder, is football and other top sports free of doping? or is it just that they controls are not as thorough as in cyclism?

Some people say that the NBA and the NFL allow some drugs, is that true?

I think doping should be eradicated, it goes against the spirit of any sport. It's all a shame.

(1) Lapsus, I meant Robert Millar,sorry.

[woof woof !]

I think doping must be combatted and that the sport will get out of that bad patch. However, I wonder, is football and other top sports free of doping? or is it just that they controls are not as thorough as in cyclism?

I think the controls in top flight football are fairly strong and effective, you will recall that Ro Ferdinand was banned for eight months not because they found him guilty of taking drugs but because he missed a drug test (f'kin coke head), whereas in cycling they are weak and to all extents and purposes virtually none existent. It is common knowledge that for over a decade now most top cyclists have enlisted the aid of a "medical supplement" . I was watching a program about the tour on tv yesterday were one cycling expert (didn't catch his name) said "It's impossible to win the tour without taking something"

If they want to get really serious and stamp out drugs why not test the first 10 riders at the end of every stage/trial ?.

[babu]

Reporter: Hello Dick Pound, thank you for talking to us
Dick: You haven’t peed in this cup yet…
Reporter: I am not peeing in your cup.. What are the sports you are targeting at the moment?
Dick: Journalism, you guys are all on it
Reporter: Pardon?..., but which sports.?
Dick: Oh I see, well there’s Cricket.. but I guess that’s ok now Warney’s retired… slimming pills <some laughing>, well to be honest we are going to target professional darts and snooker.. its ruining the game.
Reporter: Darts & Snooker? But what possible ben..
Dick: You can’t be soft on these people son, it has to be eradicated, after that, we will take a long look at professional golf, I’ve never met Tiger, you know.
Reporter: That’s ridiculous, performance enhancing drugs can’t provide much of an advantage in those sports..
Dick: Don’t change the subject son, and you still haven’t peed in this cup..
Reporter: For the last time, I am not peeing in your coffee cup. What about professional cycling? Surely there enough evidence to prove it exists?
Dick: See!! That’s exactly why you need to pee in this cup, absolute rubbish. You’re on drugs..
Reporter: Wha..
Dick: I’ll will make it my mission to remove drugs from journalism, I won’t back down, no amount of pressure will stop me. You may be well funded, but I promise you, our new test’s will catch you.. now whip it out son and pee in this cup!
Reporter: huh?.. oh alright…
Dick: Here I’ll hold it for you.

[account deleted by request]

[The Manhattan Project]

BBC News just announced that another Tour De France rider has failed a drugs test.

He looks OK to me, does he look high on drugs to you?

[Big Niall]

Extreme fitness isn't needed for football - see Frank Lampard so drugs aren't that big an issue.

Cycling is a savage sport. The tour turned a blind eye to drugs for so long the cyclists haven't changed their ways. They should be congratulated for getting tough and it will ruin a few years competitions but in the long run it'll be good for the sport.

It is a great sport - and yeah, Roche and Kelly, are heroes here (in Ireland) - although they were probably drugged up too.

[stmichael]

If you think about it, they are doing the hardest sport on earth and they put all other sportsmen to shame in what they achieve. Imagine riding 200km a day for 3 weeks with about 3 days of rest, with an average speed of about 45km/h, with stages going up massive mountains in the Alps and Pyrenees. It is unbelievable. Each tour takes about three years off your life, and if you don't finish a stage you are out of it, if you crash you are left with the dilemma of carrying on with sick injuries or reluctantly resigning from the race you've trained all year for. Most of the riders sacrifice their own race for the sake of their team leader (like Klöden & Kaschekin were doing for Vinokourov, Leipheimer, Hincapie & Popovych for Contador etc.). It is an unforgiving sport and you've got to doth your cap at them.

When you consider how difficult the tour is (and the organisers are making it tougher and tougher every year - for example yesterday's stage which finished on the Col d’Aubisque) you can begin to understand why these riders feel they have to turn to drugs. So many have been accused of, or admitted of doing them over the years - Marco Pantani, Tyler Hamilton, Roberto Heras, David Millar, Ivan Basso, Floyd Landis, Jan Ullrich, Richard Virenque, Eric Zabel ... now Vinokourov, Moreni and even possibly Rasmussen. It is obviously widespread.

The doping has been ingrained in the sport for decades (Italians are recognised as the establishers of EPO in the 80s as it was untraceable) and I wouldn't be further surprised if some former winners came out and admitted offences like Riis did the other week.

Cycling has the strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world, and the smallest trace of something (sun tan cream, inhalers, aspirin are contain substances which are banned under UCI law) will result in a two year ban (kinda puts the Premiership's sole 8 month ban in it's history to shame). I think Lance Armstrong had something like 300 tests between 1999 and 2005.

The tests are probably too reliable - they can pick up the smallest trace of something and the rider will automatically pay with a two year ban. It's the only way to stop them.

And the fact Vino and Moreni have been caught shows the policy is working and the guilty (and frankly f#cking stupid) riders who do dope just can't get away from it.

[woof woof !]

The doping has been ingrained in the sport for decades (Italians are recognised as the establishers of EPO in the 80s as it was untraceable) and I wouldn't be further surprised if some former winners came out and admitted offences like Riis did the other week.

Cycling has the strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world, and the smallest trace of something (sun tan cream, inhalers, aspirin are contain substances which are banned under UCI law) will result in a two year ban (kinda puts the Premiership's sole 8 month ban in it's history to shame). I think Lance Armstrong had something like 300 tests between 1999 and 2005.

Now I'm confused .
You suggest a culture of drug taking within cycling and that former winners (apparently not caught) may someday admit to their offences

And you then state that cycling has the " strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world" !

Well it obviously hasn't been applied (until now) to those at the top end of the sport.

Strictest ? my a'rse.

[112-1077774096]

The doping has been ingrained in the sport for decades (Italians are recognised as the establishers of EPO in the 80s as it was untraceable) and I wouldn't be further surprised if some former winners came out and admitted offences like Riis did the other week.

Cycling has the strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world, and the smallest trace of something (sun tan cream, inhalers, aspirin are contain substances which are banned under UCI law) will result in a two year ban (kinda puts the Premiership's sole 8 month ban in it's history to shame). I think Lance Armstrong had something like 300 tests between 1999 and 2005.

Now I'm confused .
You suggest a culture of drug taking within cycling and that former winners (apparently not caught) may someday admit to their offences

And you then state that cycling has the " strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world" !

Well it obviously hasn't been applied (until now) to those at the top end of the sport.

Strictest ? my a'rse.

he probably copied it from elsewhere and hasn't read it

[Big Niall]

I read a book by paul kimmage (journey man cyclist) and he said that they were told when there was going to be a drug test so they'd go clean for that race.

[dawson99]

What about Lance armstrong? you cant tell me he never did any drugs to win what he did with what he had going on.

[woof woof !]

The doping has been ingrained in the sport for decades (Italians are recognised as the establishers of EPO in the 80s as it was untraceable) and I wouldn't be further surprised if some former winners came out and admitted offences like Riis did the other week.

Cycling has the strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world, and the smallest trace of something (sun tan cream, inhalers, aspirin are contain substances which are banned under UCI law) will result in a two year ban (kinda puts the Premiership's sole 8 month ban in it's history to shame). I think Lance Armstrong had something like 300 tests between 1999 and 2005.

Now I'm confused .
You suggest a culture of drug taking within cycling and that former winners (apparently not caught) may someday admit to their offences

And you then state that cycling has the " strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world" !

Well it obviously hasn't been applied (until now) to those at the top end of the sport.

Strictest ? my a'rse.

he probably copied it from elsewhere and hasn't read it

  Be fair PeeWee , life has been hard for St Mick since he left Milli Vanilli .   

[112-1077774096]

The doping has been ingrained in the sport for decades (Italians are recognised as the establishers of EPO in the 80s as it was untraceable) and I wouldn't be further surprised if some former winners came out and admitted offences like Riis did the other week.

Cycling has the strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world, and the smallest trace of something (sun tan cream, inhalers, aspirin are contain substances which are banned under UCI law) will result in a two year ban (kinda puts the Premiership's sole 8 month ban in it's history to shame). I think Lance Armstrong had something like 300 tests between 1999 and 2005.

Now I'm confused .
You suggest a culture of drug taking within cycling and that former winners (apparently not caught) may someday admit to their offences

And you then state that cycling has the " strictest anti-doping policy of any sport in the world" !

Well it obviously hasn't been applied (until now) to those at the top end of the sport.

Strictest ? my a'rse.

he probably copied it from elsewhere and hasn't read it

  Be fair PeeWee , life has been hard for St Mick since he left Milli Vanilli .   

[The Manhattan Project]

What have Kraftwerk got to do with drugs?

Tour De France?

[66-1112520797]

Couldnt find the joke thread, so this was the next best thing.

An Englishman is having breakfast, in Paris, one morning (coffee, croissants, bread, butter and jam) when a Frenchman, chewing bubble-gum, sits down next to him.  The Englishman ignores the Frenchman who, nevertheless, starts a conversation.

Frenchman: "You English folk eat the whole bread??"

Englishman (in a bad mood): "Of course."

Frenchman: (after blowing a huge bubble) "We don't.  In France, we only eat what's inside.  The crusts we collect in a container, recycle it, transform them into croissants and sell them to England." The Frenchman has a smirk on his face.

The Englishman listens in silence.

The Frenchman persists: "Do you eat jam with the bread??"

Englishman: "Of Course."

Frenchman: (cracking his bubble-gum between his teeth and chuckling).

"We don't.  In France we eat fresh fruit for breakfast, then we put all the peels, seeds, and leftovers in containers, recycle them, transform them into jam, and sell the jam to England."

After a moment of silence, The Englishman then asks: "Do you have sex in France?"

Frenchman: "Why of course we do", he says with a big smirk.

Englishman: "And what do you do with the condoms once you've used them?"

Frenchman: "We throw them away, of course."

Englishman: "We don't.  In England, we put them in a container, recycle them, melt them down into bubble-gum, and sell them to France."