Professional Cycling For the Fans - Hushovd: "I've never seen drugs in cycling."

Yes, he actually said that.


I have never seen drugs in the cycling scene, and never in the evenings in the urban environment, so to speak.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushovd-i-have-never-seen-drugs-in-cycling

I can't think of anything other than: he's lying.

Well he's the god of thunder, why would he need dope, he's already lightning fast!

Methinks he's full of ****.

As he is one of my cycling heroes, I just can't say anything bad about him. Still, his claim that doping wouldn't have any benefit for sprinters is just simply wrong. Just look at the number of busted track&field sprinters.

As he is one of my cycling heroes, I just can't say anything bad about him. Still, his claim that doping wouldn't have any benefit for sprinters is just simply wrong. Just look at the number of busted track&field sprinters.

Not to mention that even the standard cycling drugs also obviously benefit sprinters since you have more power at the end of the race when you used less energy during the first 200km or whatever thanks to increased oxygen transport in your blood etc.

He's world champ; he's got a day of the week named after him.

'nuff said.

Still, his claim that doping wouldn't have any benefit for sprinters is just simply wrong.
Well, he didn't actually claim that it wouldn't have any benefit for sprinters. What he said was that "I think overall that it has a greater effect on the general contenders who have to be good every day for a long period, and who have to climb extremely fast. It is harder to be successful as a clean general contender than it is for example for us sprinters." (my translation from the original interview, my underscores).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Thor's thoughts on the matter also backed up by statistics? That there are more general contenders being caught than sprinters?

Well, he didn't actually claim that it wouldn't have any benefit for sprinters. What he said was that "I think overall that it has a greater effect on the general contenders who have to be good every day for a long period, and who have to climb extremely fast. It is harder to be successful as a clean general contender than it is for example for us sprinters." (my translation from the original interview, my underscores).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Thor's thoughts on the matter also backed up by statistics? That there are more general contenders being caught than sprinters?

You are correct! I misinterpreted his claims. Nevertheless, I am not sure the sprinters are more clean than anyone else out there. For instance I believe we might hear something soon about Petacchi:

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/5544/Italian-investigators-widening-Petacchi-doping-probe.aspx

Petacchi's problem was that he couldn't physically finish the grand tours, not that he wasn't fast. If he doped it would be more to get him over the mountains so the he could go for the green jersey.

I believe we might hear something soon about Petacchi:

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/5544/Italian-investigators-widening-Petacchi-doping-probe.aspx

He already tested positive Salbutamol in 2007. (however he got off without a full suspension).

As for other sprinters who've doped, Abdoujaparov, and Zabel come to mind.

In fact, Zabel reminds you a bit of Thor, fast guy, but good enough climber to get to the end at the front in courses with some hills.

Which is not to say Thor dopes. but it cleary points out that doping would help in the type of events thor does well in.

Well he's the god of thunder, why would he need dope, he's already lightning fast!

Actually only speed of sound fast. Thunder is slower than lightning, hence you see the thunder before you hear the lightning.:rolleyes:

I would think it would be harder for a sprinter to successfully dope since the tests for the drugs that would help the most are so good. Although for sprinters that want to compete in a grand tour, the same thing that helps the general classification contenders should help.

I would hope any dopers would be smart enough to compartmentalize the activity and not tell people that don't need to know what's going on. It surprised me that the baseball doping scandal was exposed by relatively few people. Many of the implicated baseball players made huge amounts of money as a result of their doping, you would assume that would create jealousy