With all the recent news concerning Floyd Landis' admissions and allegatations concerning doping among professional bike racers, I am hoping that the sport goes further to clean up its act as well as see a wave of cyclists breaking the "code of omerta": Don’t tell, don’t ask, don’t even drop a hint. About Floyd Landis, its about time he told the truth. To Lance Armstrong, its about time the truth is revealed. To cycling, who knows if it will ever be truly clean as a sport. I know that there is no greater thrill in sports for me then watching the drama of the Tour de France and other cycling events and the seemingly "heroic" and extra human feats of professional bike racers. It is truly more interesting than watching marathons or track races. In a world where cheating is so common place and the rewards are huge for those who become athletic superstars, I am not sure exactly how they can level the playing field so that a clean athlete can compete with one who feels compelled to cheat.
In reading through news items and message boards over at cyclingnews.com, I have been given an eye-opening lesson into the world of professional bike racing and the thoughts of those close to and involved in the sport. But, one item over there really intrigued me: whether it be a joke, a character assasination against Fabian Cancellara, or a revealing window into the lengths of cheating in sports there is an Italian television show that produced a video showing an electric motorized racing bike and how it works. Then they go on to show "suspicious" actions by Cancellara preceeding incredible bursts of speed in this years Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix. Hoax? bad joke? who knows? But I guess there is all sorts of speculation going on in the world of pro cycling. It may not just be the cyclists themselves who are doped! Sad, isn't it? Until fully proven otherwise, I tend to agree that Fabian Cancellara is one the the great cyclists of today and his moves in both of these races look no different than breakaway moves I have seen hundreds of times in other races.
Here is the forum thread at cycling news.
Did Cancellara Use Illegal Motor Power At The Classics?
Boardman warned the UCI of risks of bike doping
UCI denies reports of motorised doping
And then there is the strange case of Tom Boonen.
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