tour de france is depressing

[afong56]

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/239940

as someone who used to follow the event when lemond and indurain were dominant, it is really, really depressing to see how dirty the sport is.

yes, it probably has been that way for a long time, but you'd think that with the years of scandals the teams would be hyper militant in cracking down on their riders. i wish the sponsors would make their money contingent on riding clean, or something, because the sport is taking a real beating in the public eye. can't they see that they are killing the proverbial golden goose? people will stop caring about the sport if they think it's full of cheaters. sponsorship will go down, and teams will shrink.

. . .well, maybe that will do it. free of the burden of competing for millions in sponsorship deals, maybe the sport will shrink back to those who just ride because it is in their blood. it's just hard to believe that cycling is now considered by most as the worst sport for doping.

so, so sad.

[icecold2021]

its professional sports in general, performance enhancers are apart of it...

[wushudrew]

most people stopped caring after armstrong stopped racing in the tour. although, now, most of those who still remain will stop caring as well. with riders like vinokourov and landis getting caught, all the top riders are retiring mysteriously.

maybe in a few years, the tour will be full of fresh faces instead of drugs.

[el_diablo007]

maybe in a few years, the tour will be full of fresh faces instead of drugs.

that'd be nice, for a change.

[alkaseltzer01]

They need to learn a few things from MLB.

[ephemera]

I think its time that these cheaters do alittle jail time instead of a little fine or suspension. They are not learning their lesson. Doping is killing this sport. I used to be a big fan until armstrong came along with his 'superhuman' abilities. Uh yeah right.

[kleptodathief]

now i know y theses guys can peddle 500kms UPHILL for like 7days in a row! most peeps don't even cycle 100kms in there lifetime!!! those TDF cyclists r definitely using some sort of performance drugs to b able to cycle that hard day in day out!!! i tried to cycle fast and my legs/quads were just BURNING on a stationary bike after like 1min! these guys do it for 6 hours EACH DAY!

gotta b something they r taking...

[vrus]

Yeah, they're taking in food. It's not like everybody in the sport is jacked up.

[vistaliving]

now i know y theses guys can peddle 500kms UPHILL for like 7days in a row! most peeps don't even cycle 100kms in there lifetime!!! those TDF cyclists r definitely using some sort of performance drugs to b able to cycle that hard day in day out!!! i tried to cycle fast and my legs/quads were just BURNING on a stationary bike after like 1min! these guys do it for 6 hours EACH DAY!

gotta b something they r taking...

By that logic, all pro athletes are on drugs cause they are doing what you can't do.

[kleptodathief]

im just hitting up on the cycling guys... imo MOST of them r JACKED up on something... cycling up a STEEP mountain for like hours on hours is VERY HARD TO DO...and doing it every day for like a week???

granted every sport has cheats but cycling and bodybuilding r the 2 biggest...

[and or]

most people stopped caring after armstrong stopped racing in the tour. although, now, most of those who still remain will stop caring as well. with riders like vinokourov and landis getting caught, all the top riders are retiring mysteriously.

maybe in a few years, the tour will be full of fresh faces instead of drugs.
Armstrong's lucky he got away with it as long as he did - his science team was always just ahead of the testing curve.



(Still, it all reminds me of The All Drug Olympics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrCGYtFAQ2U).)

[kobe]

im just hitting up on the cycling guys... imo MOST of them r JACKED up on something... cycling up a STEEP mountain for like hours on hours is VERY HARD TO DO...and doing it every day for like a week???

granted every sport has cheats but cycling and bodybuilding r the 2 biggest...

Do you have any insight into what you're talking about or are you just sharing your unedecuated opinion.

I can climb for hours and hours. Not days on end, but I'm not a professional athlete. I'm just a guy who enjoys the sport.

Some are doping. Those that are, are being caught - slowly but surely. To make statements beyond that is pure speculation and unfair. To make statements beyond that because your perception of the physical activity is that it is too challenging is silly.

Regardless, the TdF is a joke right now because of those who are doping.

[Mintmaster]

klepto's comments are a bit stupid and superficial, but he has a bit of a point. The difference between these bikers and a good all-round athlete is insane.

I can run 100m, swim a few laps, run long distance, lift some weights, etc. and comparing to the best in the world it seems reasonable. Generally we're talking about world class athletes being less than a factors of 2 from the performances of guys you know personally.

For biking, though, the way these guys go hour after hour and especially day after day it just unfathomable. How can they avoid getting sore muscles the next day when they're pushing that kind of pace? They average 42 km/h on uneven terrain for 86 hours, while the one hour record on an idealized surface is 50 km.

[gordholio]

I don't really care for bicycle races (not the most exciting thing to watch), but where there's endorsement money to be made, you can bet there will be cheating going on. Same with the more high profile team sports.

[afong56]

http://cbs.sportsline.com/cycling/story/10281302


oh, greaaaaaat. . .lemme guess, the top 10 finishers are all doping. . .

(still depressed)