Coke, Charlie or what ever you call that s**t Tour rider

Some drugs are legal, some are illegal. That status is down to political choice rather than any objective measure of harm - either to the individual or society. In many cases those harms are increased by the legal status governments impose.

I guess you're also equally scathing about the people who ride at the back on the last stage of the TdF drinking champagne and smoking cigars? They're drugs too.

I return to my earlier question. Someone who speeds in their car is far more likely to kill or injure someone than someone using drugs in a nightclub. Isn't that an even worse example to set? That they are prepared to break the law, risking the safety of others, for their own selfish desire to get somewhere quicker? Maybe we should lobby the UCI to ban people from races if they have points on their driving licences? They are. after all, in the public eye.

tintin40":2cneh1fe said:

cchris2lou":2cneh1fe said:

Cycling needs to clean up its image .

Sport in general doesnt need druggies , whether drug is for performance or pleasure .

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100% correct. But it seems that times are changing and some of us are in the past. In this mans case. Is his life that boring that he needs to take this shit?? he is on top of his game. Can have what ever he wants. But chooses drugs
I think he is becoming an addict. Time to come back down to earth. And get real. it will kill him. There are people starving in the world. Dictators are torturing ordinary people. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider. The worlds wild life is being destroyed for greed & vanity. The industrial world wastes foods & the worlds resources. And what does he do?? Gets high. :twisted: WoW what a conscience. What a man. What an example to set. Isn't pro cycles a great sport with great people in it
:?

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What about that Ronaldo 'eh Tintin? Somehow I think your ire is better directed elsewhere than at professional cyclists.

What about that Ronaldo 'eh Tintin? Somehow I think your ire is better directed elsewhere than at professional cyclists.[/quote]

Him too. These people get rich and like so many forget their roots and the real world. And loose them selfs in stardom.

terryhfs":197ylqln said:

Some drugs are legal, some are illegal. That status is down to political choice rather than any objective measure of harm - either to the individual or society. In many cases those harms are increased by the legal status governments impose.

I guess you're also equally scathing about the people who ride at the back on the last stage of the TdF drinking champagne and smoking cigars? They're drugs too.

I return to my earlier question. Someone who speeds in their car is far more likely to kill or injure someone than someone using drugs in a nightclub. Isn't that an even worse example to set? That they are prepared to break the law, risking the safety of others, for their own selfish desire to get somewhere quicker? Maybe we should lobby the UCI to ban people from races if they have points on their driving licences? They are. after all, in the public eye.

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sorry but i dont get your point of view .

smoking cigars and drinking champagne is not illegal .

coke is a drug , and most people will associate it with doping .
cycling needs to get away from drugs . there is going to be a time when sponsors will say enough is enough and will pull out .

i love cycling and the tdf in particular , but if it doesnt clean up its act , il will dissapear .

I hope that you are right, but Amercian Football, Baseball, Rugby Union and Motor Racing all have drug problems that seem to be generally shrugged off by their authorities...

..doesn't seem to make them any less popular though, sadly.

tintin40":tif1qcpw said:

But it seems that times are changing and some of us are in the past. In this mans case. Is his life that boring that he needs to take this shit?? he is on top of his game. Can have what ever he wants. But chooses drugs

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I sorta agree, but hang on a bit. When any cyclist starts out, its a hobby - love of the sport, take it or leave it, no more, no less. As you become good and turn elite/pro, the love is somewhat replaced by responsibility. There's no staying in cos its raining or packing a race cos youre not flying. You must give all. Same with musicians. Love it or not, feeling good or bad, you have to perform to those who are paying you. The fun disappears and a release is necessary. So what does boonen (or others) do? Have a new hobby to chill out? When would he fit it in? There's probably more to this pro game than us no-ones understand.

I think he is becoming an addict. Time to come back down to earth. And get real. it will kill him. There are people starving in the world. Dictators are torturing ordinary people. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider. The worlds wild life is being destroyed for greed & vanity. The industrial world wastes foods & the worlds resources. And what does he do?? Gets high. :twisted: WoW what a conscience. What a man. What an example to set. Isn't pro cycles a great sport with great people in it
:?

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not everyone is geldoff. Very little of my free time and disposble income goes into making the world a better place. And i'll wager I'm not the only one on here. If you do your bit, then chapeau, otherwise we'll all join him in being men of not-so-great conscience.
Should it be the duty of people at the top of their game to change for the world for the better?

To avoid ambiguity, I'll conclude by clearly stating that I'm not condoning any drug taking, either for performance or recreationally. All I'm saying is that theres more to it than we who live in another world appreciate

not everyone is geldoff

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That's an interesting point. Why ride bikes at all with all the despair in the world, time spent riding is time spent not distributing food aid after all.

In fact Boonen probably does make quite a large contribution - as a high earner he'll be paying significant amounts of tax - which his government will use partly to fund welfare, pensions, healthcare and foreign aid. If he was banned and couldn't work he'd earn less, pay less tax and so would contribute less.

My perspective is that I'm not 'pro' drugs or a user of them - but I think that society is hysterical about their use - probably driven by some aspects of the media. They're not some unique special evil - drug use causes health and social problems but so do plenty of other things. There is an argument, and one that as someone who is paid to be analytical I'm persuaded by, that making them illegal makes the harm greater than it otherwise would be and them treating them in a hysterical "gosh the 'D' word" fashion makes sensible debate and policy making impossible.

We've also as a society mixed up cheats in sport with the wider drugs issue. They're not the same issue and the two aren't linked. People don't use EPO recreationally and knowing that a cycling great has used it isn't going to inspire teenagers to go and buy some.

Not quite sure that I agree with that last point. People already buy team replica kit etc - and there is good evidence that performance enhancing drugs are being taken by racers at all levels. Just look at the widespread abuse of steroids in gyms. There is an issue of leadership from those at the pinnacle of the sport, and from sports' governing bodies. Amateurs are smart enough to pick up on sports that turn a blind eye to doping.

I just like the fact that he resorted to the best and most tried and tested excuse for any man doing anything wrong, ever:

Boonen told a Belgian television station: "For 364 days it goes perfectly, but the one day I drink too much I change. "

Sorry love, I was p*ssed! Brilliant!