An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Friday, May 18, 2007

What Would Jesus Ride?


When Diana Nyad of NPR's "Marketplace" comments on a sport, it truly has reached a point of crisis. And I don't mean that in an entirely sarcastic way: The real crisis will be when the major sponsors begin to pull all the plugs, and pro riders will have to go back to waiting tables and popping popcorn. Then maybe the sport will return to its genteel, amateur roots. Then, of course, cyclists will have to buy their own bicycles and knee warmers and dope. Which, of course, they'll still do.

You know years ago, right after the 1999 Tour, I got a chance to interview two guys, French riders, and they would only give the interview under anonymity [Oh, great. Yet MORE anonymous quotes to throw on the fire.—Eds], but they said, 'Look, you know the way we look at it is, there are a bunch of guys in navy blue suits in some boardroom somewhere who make up the rules of sport. Well they don't know what we're doing. We're in the age of chemical manipulation. You go out and get your juice and your coffee every day and you get a little boost of immunity added in or you want to help your sex life or your memory. You can do anything you want with your body so why can't we? Taking these drugs doesn't make us a different athlete, it just raises our potential to 100 percent.' And that's the way they've twisted it in their minds.

I don't know how "twisted" this thinking is, to be honest. I know if my job were to ride 120 miles a day for three weeks, almost entirely at 90 percent of max, I'd be looking for something a bit stronger than coffee and donuts. That's not an excuse, just an explanation.

And if everyone else in the peloton escalated to two donuts a day? Would I do it too?

Lord, help me make the right decision, so I can wear the Yellow Jersey of Eternal Life through the Pearly Arc D' Tri-oomph!

2 comments:

cvo said...

dirty or clean, watchin pro road guys wadding it up on pavement is still worth my cable bill...

hey, at least they ride bikes right...

Jerry Case said...

you know, that's exactly what i was going to say, and pinchie got the wrong message.

it's true. I mean i'm not too excited that most or all of them are cheating, but bike racing is still hella fun to watch, the refs and pundits can take their urine and knock themselves out with it, in the event.

i don't think racing would be any less interesting if they were on smack.

well, it might be kind of slow and pathetic then, like my Thhursday Night Ride.