So Americans are daft and don't really get into cycling much. When Lance Armstrong was setting records for how many Tour de France wins in a row he had after overcoming cancer, they'd show recaps on the news and that made cycling at least more known than previously in the US. While I certainly am not a cyclist - my butt can't stand it - I think it is an amazing sport to watch. It's incredibly dangerous. And there are so many different strengths each cyclist brings to the sport.
You have your sprinters, who are so fast on the flatter portions that there is no chance to catch them in time trials. There are mountain climbers who can climb steep mountains without it fazing them. There are those who can keep an intimidating tempo for huge lengths of time, passing their competition as they need to catch their breath. There are those who can accelerate in an instant, quickly getting a lead on the riders next to them. Some people can do all of these things, as Lance Armstrong proved. Some can do only one, but do it well enough to catch a great deal of time in their stages so as to not be in trouble. Even among the mountain climbers, some are better in the Pyrenees, some are better in the Alps; different mountains mean different strong riders.
With the speed of the cyclists, the length of the days, and the number of riders, accidents are bound to happen. The sharp turns and quick descents make crashes a normal part of the sport, one that many spectators like to see — not just to see the injury the riders suffer, but to see how amazing it is for someone to crash over a barrier and climb back up a mountain to hop back on his bike and continue riding. But some crashes are significant enough to kill the cyclists, two total since the beginning of the race in 1903 (Fabio Casartelli in 1995, Francisco Cepeda in 1935) with other factors contributing to other deaths during the Tour's history (Adolphe Helière drowned during a rest day in 1910 and Tom Simpson died of heart failure caused by amphetamines and alcohol in 1967).
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Article comments
1 - Tourwatcher
Correction: Blood doping isn't just about injecting someone else's concentrated blood cells into you (a dangerous and fairly detectable practice that Tyler Hamilton was also busted for), you can do this with your own blood also, if you take it several weeks in advance.
Why Vino resorted to this practice we don't know, maybe there was a mix-up or his own blood bags were tainted somehow.In any case, blood doping requires considerable pre-meditation.
Another method of blood doping is to elevate your red cell count through synthetic hormone like EPO or similar product.Bjarne Riis was notorious for boosting his hematocrit levels ("Mr.60%") to heart-attack inducing levels (over 55% your blood starts to resemble gumbo).
Thanks.
2 - Tourwatcher
I wasn't entirely clear there:when using your own blood, you take it out and store it at least several weeks before reinjecting (during or just before a race), to allow yourself time to recuperate.
3 - Cara
Yeah, when I heard it, they weren't talking about Vino having used EPO. I suppose you could blood dope with animal blood too, as there are rumors Rasmussen was caught with cow blood in syringes a handful of years ago.
4 - alessandro nicolo
The point being is that cycling is indeed a great sport - then again I'm bias since I cycle.
Cyclists have been taking stuff for decades. It doens't make it right but it's a fact. It will take a strong stance to at least begin the process of dealing with it.
Small correction: Christian Moreni is Italian.
And just on a side note and to be a s-disturber: Lance Armstrong was a great Tour de France rider but that doesn't mean he's the greatest ever. Far from it in fact.
5 - Cara
I realize Lance Armstrong isn't the greatest cyclist to ever exist. But the fact is, he may be the only one that people, at least in the US, have heard of. That is why I used him as an example.
And sorry about saying Moreni was a Briton. I was going to type something about it being Wiggins' team but then decided that might confuse those who aren't followers. Apparently I forgot to take out that remnant of the sentence. Thanks for catching it.
6 - Jose
It's unfortunate because the sport's been riddled with this kind of news over the last decade, and I'm sure there are people training night and day without the use of horse or cattle hormones, and yet their sport's tarnished by news like this. It's really unfortunate, because as with every sport, I believe it's only a small percentage of people that use it. (In the NFL, it might prove different, but anyways).
Good post.