Originally Posted by
WalksOn2Wheels
I mentioned this in another thread, but I have to ask the question here. What is with all the outrage when cheating is cheating? We still like to remember people like Pantini fondly when he was clearly doped to the moon and back. Lance still has his fans, as does Ulrich. And now that we have our first mechanical doping case, we are ready to burn the rider at the stake. Even Merckx (whom I myself idolize) who has a small history with amphetamine positives, is saying mechanical doping deserves a lifetime ban. But hey, if you put a needle in your taint and take some EPO, that's cool, we'll just politely ask you to stay away for a year or so and then we'll gladly take you back in. No problem.
So what gives?
I have no respect for current or former doper of any variety, but I get your point.
I think people are more willing to give EPO/whatever biological dopers a pass after they've served their bans because they assume everyone else is doing it too, and they're still pushing the pedals after training their butts off.
This is just so much more blatant because it's literally powering the bike with a battery rather than just some doped-out legs.
I'm not saying the penalty should be any more harsh than what an EPO user gets, but it does "feel" more unfair than bio-doping. Unfortunately we're all super-desensitized to biodoping positive results now, and so many people have come back from suspensions and picked up where they left off, but this motor thing is entirely new territory.