Shimagnolo

LMAO!!!
In my original composition before I submitted that post, I specifically named Hendrix and Pink Floyd, (and no others).
You read my mind.

sleepy

Terrible thread.

Rather watch Celebrity Housewives, at least some of the morans harping in there are nice to look at.

Doping for an Amateur event is pathetic.
No excuses.
Turns the whole thing into a big lame pharmaceutical Power Ranger dork parade.

hhnngg1

Doping in amateur sports sucks, but it's actually to be expected (unfortunately) given how seriously people train for these amateur events. Don't make any mistake that people aren't going all-out for these things - they are. Just because they don't have pro genetics doesn't mean they're doing everything possible (and then some) to win with what they've got.

Heck, I spent 18 hours of training (not travel, but pure training hours) for triathlon last week, and am averaging over 15. Nobody would call over 2 hours of training per day a casual stroll. It's pretty serious stuff that takes some serious planning, even though I'll never even approach the level of even a crappy pro.

Gorden Gekko

The top 5 of the Nyack ride will now be escorted to the test tent for blood sample

halfspeed

Don't confuse your misplaced inferences for my implications.

That doping isn't worth it for amateur racing doesn't mean that it IS worth it for any other reason. That doping is ridiculous for amateur racing does not mean that it is less so for any other reason.

BillyD

I think doping was a requirement in those days wasn't it?

Falchoon

Not condoning the doping but I guess to look at it another way it's not a lot different to riding a $15000 high end carbon bike eqipped with Di2 or EPS gears and Zipp or Lightweight tubular wheels. Obviously having a big $$ bike doesn't have health implications (unless your SO discovers your invoices!) whereas doping does. And having a big $$ bike obviously isn't illegal.

I'm grasping at straws a bit here but the similarity is both people are spending thousands of $$ to try and "win" an amateur event that isn't even a race. Or is it a race. I'm confused.

halfspeed

Yep.

Bacciagalupe

It's more like using a bike with a battery-powered assist. I'm fairly sure that taking EPO does more for you than any bike frame or aero wheels, because it's more effective, and it's improving the engine.

In addition, if the rules don't bar you from using CF or electronic shifting or aero wheels, then anyone can freely use that equipment. Not everyone can drop $15k on a bike, but more people can drop $3k on a bike that has nearly identical advantages.


Gran Fondo is both a competitive and non-competitive event.

You don't need a racing license to ride it. Four climbs are timed, and prizes are given out to the winners. Some people ride to win, others to have fun. It's similar to the "cyclosportives" in Europe.

However, the American who got popped is an amateur racer, regularly competes, and was in two stage races in the same month as GFNY. It's obvious he was doping for those events rather than "doping to win GFNY:" https://www.usacycling.org/results/in...d=280592&all=1

So while it's easy to make fun of the guy for "doping to win a barely competitive event," the reality is that he was doping to perform better in actual amateur races, and happened to get caught when he was tested for GFNY.

But why use reason, when you can just indulge in cheap shots at Freds?

qcpmsame 

My one question about his doping for whatever reason; the organizers stated and had the participants sign on the entry form that they acknowledged testing could and would be done, his USAC license process told him he could be tested at races or at home, randomly, yet he still doped with EPO, if I understood correctly. Why did he ride this event with no racing category points and sign the waiver knowing he was doping, up front? What about amateur racing or pleasure events make this necessary? I have read the arguments here but nothing said makes what he did make sense or rationalizes the act.

It is a shame the organizers had to spend $17.000 for USADA to test the participants, money that could be spent better elsewhere, had to be used because some idiots wanted to brag to their buddies that they "beat" them.

Bill

gsteinb

Drug testing is so rare no one believes it will ever happen. It's pretty expensive to implement, and more often than not rumors that there will be testing somewhere prove to be false. Plus, statistically speaking thousands of people did the NY Grand Fondo and they only administered a small percentage of tests.

Plus he's clearly stupid.

cocar

There are always people willing to cheat. Even when there are no "prizes" to be won. Doping aside, gender and race nonwithstanding, I think type A personality has something to do with it. What exactly motivates these people, I don't know. But just walk out on the golf course any weekend...people will cheat when the gain for them is essentially nil.

noise boy

Couldn't be more true, plus he cleverly finished in the top 5 overall almost guaranteeing he would get tested.

Bacciagalupe

In theory you'd have to ask the guy about his individual reasoning; his rationale apparently was that he was "obsessed" with bike racing. In practice, it's unlikely we'll get a straight answer.

The most likely scenario I can think of is, he didn't think he would get caught. We don't know when he started doping, but he participated in numerous races this year, including two stage races in May alone. Considering that he got popped at an event that is one step above a charity event, he was largely correct.

In addition, the fact that they were amateur races could have played into his decision to dope. E.g. "these races don't matter, they aren't pro events, I'm an amateur Masters racer, the drugs make me feel better and ride better, so why not?"

And, of course, he wanted to win, and didn't care if he broke a few rules to win.

fstshrk

Did you ride for 25 years with no performance improvement just like Lance?

That would be my story.