5/10/2009

Say it aint so tommke, again, sigh....

I have grown tired of writing about doping and sports, both because it is overwhelming and because it is getting better coverage in the press. It seems like the tide has been turning. The truly unbelievable grand tour performances have been reward with two year suspension lately, hopefully indicating a cleaner sport. Now that baseball actually tests and players are getting suspended right and left, cycling does not look like the only pharmacy sport out there. I am sure both american football and the rest of the world football are not far behind. But as far as boonen goes? Well, go read this which I wrote last year.
At least he now admits he has a problem. Poop on all of you who said "it was no big deal, just recreational drug use". Recreational drug use that he can't handle, that is. He needs to get off the highway to Pantaniville. Just go read the post from last year, my feelings are the same, as I concluded with last year:

he needs to get turned around before the Tom Boonen memorial kermisse is all we know of him

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen, brother.

I have grown so tired of watching bike racers screw up that I simply don't bother to follow the grand tours anymore. Instead, the only racing I'm following at all this year is very local and very amateur. And just to prove the point that real riders don't need dope -- and/or are strong enough to handle loss that comes as a result of being merely human -- I'm giving a go myself this year as well.

Sadly, all our hand-wringing won't make the superstars make better choices for themselves. Instead of engaging in potentially vicarious hero-worship that ultimately ends in disappointment, let's just take bike racing back for ourselves and make it fun.

Tarik Saleh said...

Beth,

I am right there with you in making our own race stories by racing, I try to do it as much as possible. But, well, I can't quit you pro cycling. It is too beautiful. I am pretty sure I will re-up the cablein time for the Tour again this year so I can watch the tiny bicycle men suffer themselves silly in the high mountains. Dammit.