BengeBoy 

Ever since Floyd Landis crawled out from under a rock this year, I have gotten more interested in the history of doping in professional cycling.

3 books later, plus lots of reading of various old magazine articles and blog postings, I now know a lot more than I used to about bicycling's sordid past (and present....).

Then, through BikeForums, I realized that right here in the 50+ forum we have our own self-confessed doper among us, The Weak Link -- so far, the only admitted PED user in our midst . Since I'm unlikely to rise to his esteemed place in the dopers' panthenon, I decided to track down a historic jersey to celebrate the impact of doping on our sport.

Suddenly, it made perfect sense that I should embrace the dopers in our midst, celebrate the sport's creative use of chemistry, and find a historic memento.

Thanks to eBay, I tracked down this used jersey in Poland. I was the high bidder (at $12 plus shipping), and it arrived tonight --




I figure everyone on the MUP's will fear me now.

More on "The Festina Affair" here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festina_affair

"The Festina Affair refers to the events that surround several doping scandals, doping investigations and confessions of riders to doping that occurred during and after the 1998 Tour de France. The affair began when a large haul of doping products was found in a car of the Festina cycling team just before the start of the race which led to an investigation, which was followed by the re-opening of a separate case into the TVM team and a subsequent searching of many teams during the race. The affair highlighted systematic doping and suspicion of a widespread network of doping in many teams of the Tour de France and was characterised by the constant negative publicity of the case, police searches of hotels, a spate of confessions by retired and current riders to doping, the detainment and arrest of many team personnel, protests by riders in the race as well as mass withdrawal of several teams from the race."

stapfam

There are not many jerseys from the professional teams that I would contemplate getting. Too gawdy and too many adverts plastered all over them to make them suitable for riding. The Festina one though was one of the few exceptions. Makes a bold "single" advert for one product and the colour was one of my favourites. Only other one I can recall that I would have bought was the "Motorola" Team strip. Perhaps it would be worth perusing E-Bay when I get the urge to go "Team" colours again.

But funnily enough- The Liquigas one from Pantani's time was one of my favourites- till I saw the Pink Version on a ride. That was too bright and as the rider had the Pink Bianchi to go with it- the impact was too startling.

Perhaps we ought to get our own team together- The 50+ jersey does make a good team strip. I'm not certain how the Drugs panel would regard the Team though- They would start looking at the team seriously after the first test due to the high sugar and Carb content of the test due to the ride diet of Pie.

cyclinfool

I just can't imagine what the test labs would say to the mix of Geritol, Viagra, Flowmax & Metamucil they would find...

northbend 

Thats funny BB! I'll keep an eye out for you wearing that jersey when I'm in your neck of the woods.

BluesDawg

Bare Feet

BengeBoy, This was fun to read. I LOVE that you found the jersey for sale on ebay (and cheap Great ending to a very interesting story! Wear it well!



BluesDawg, hahahaha!

The Weak Link

I have some of these on order:


Probably ride cat 6 next year for the team:

cccorlew

I must have PEDs or I won't be able to roll at all.


I keep reading about performance enhancing drugs, and I thought "Why are they just for professionals?" After all, we get to ride the same bikes they do, and wear the same clothes they do. So when my knee started hurting to the point it was affecting my riding I did what I assume the pros do: I went to the apothecary seeking help.

Indeed they had exactly what I needed. Magic redish pills called Ibuprofen and a stinky concoction named "Tiger Balm."

Humming "Eye of the Tiger" for good luck I applied the balm and ate a couple of ibuprofen and, shazam, I was rolling again.

I guess it isn't really fair, as it does give me an advantage over the competition. Later that day I was able to blast away from a stop light and drop a hybrid rider who had bragged about his "eighteen-mile ride" while we waited for the light to change.

There is a downside I understand. The reek of Tiger Balm is enough to send friends and family running. And if you use ibuprofen you run the risk of getting used to not being in pain. But at the level I ride at I guess I just have to be willing to make a few sacrifices. So it goes.

BengeBoy 

That's nice, TWL. You win!

The Weak Link

When you address me, would you call me "The Weak Link"? I worked soooo hard to get that title. Now what were you saying?

BengeBoy 

So sorry, I was confused w/your other 3-letter title, HRH. (His Royal Highness).

You know, whenever I hear that phrase, I remember the time that my Little League coach was giving our team the whole speech about how we had to play together as a team, and watch out for each other, because "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

I was clearly the worst player on the team, and just when he said, "...its weakest link," everyone on the team turned around and looked right at me.

I've been scarred ever since.

The Weak Link

I think HRH would be OK. It has a nice ring to it.

The Weak Link moniker was thrust upon me one day when, while riding with two other guys on a MTB trail, a hiker noted that the two guys would have to stop every 15 minutes and wait for me to catch up. "Shame you got to wait on the weak link all the time", he said, and the name has stuck forever.

Louis

Suddenly it all makes perfect sense. We must be related somehow.

BluesDawg

Hope that guy who always asks for threads to be sent to P&R doesn't chime in here.

billydonn

I have to agree with Stapfam.... it's a very handsome jersey. Nice buy, BB.

oilman_15106

I was going to get a collection of team jerseys off ebay of teams that disbanded due to doping charges but I figured I would run out of wall space to display them.

Want to see a jersey with a picture of Contador and Clara Peller with the caption "Where's the Beef?"

BigBlueToe

My older brother once told me, "The only thing you're good for is to be a bad example!" Maybe I should change my moniker to "The Bad Example."

tandemnh

Is Gerital really consider a doper's delight?