My name is Elin - A pro cycling lover's reflections

Tell me you're honest with yourself

Category: Cycling

I have been so much into my own thoughts today that I barely have noticed things which have happened, but once things have been clear to me today. I am sure one of my good friends will believe I'll talk about the Dash 8-planes but no honey, you are wrong at this point. But what has caught my mind is the "Play the Game" anti doping conference in Iceland.

The cyclist Jörg Jaksche has been one of the most interesting contribution of the conference I feel. He is a cyclist with an apparently accustomedness in the world of doping, which is very sad. I don't really want him to be right but in some way, sometimes, I believe in him. Not always though because sometimes people find their own ways of dealing with subjects and sometimes they can believe people has told them things even though they haven't. I know that by my own experience, often I believe people has told me stuffs even though they haven't, it is just in my imagination. But I believe in most of the words that he tells us so I don't think Jaksche is a liar. Not at all.

Anyway, Jörg Jaksche was once upon a time member of the Team CSC' squad. The team's manager is Bjarne Riis, who won the Tour de France 1996 but confessed that he had been taking EPO, growth hormone and cortisone for 5 years, from 1993 to 1998. And of course he was also doped when he won the Tour. It is a sad story, just as it is sad that Jaksche has been doped since his first year as professional. Yes, you read the right thing. He had only been a professional rider for half a year, and was almost dropped by his team when the team manager came into his room and said: Listen; in cycling you take drugs like this, and either you accept or you leave the sport". (I hope this quotes will lead to the fact that more Team Polti-riders admit doping use during their careers). And the two have had a little fight lately as they have spoken about two words advising and treating. Sometimes the two words depend on who says them. (You can read it yourself at http://www.thepulse2007.org/?p=44 and I'll talk about it later)

A lot of riders doped at the time when Jaksche became a professional, or everyone did, so I am sorry - I don't become surprised over it anymore. I just feel sad and wish that the cycling sport is cleaner at this moment. Perhaps it would be a good idea to suspend riders who have been involved in professional cycling long time 'cause often they have a background as dopers, and many of those have continued since because they doesn't know about a world without doping. Just look at the T-Mobile Team from last year - how many of those haven't been tested positive lately? It is horrible to see the fact, but I do think many riders have continued using doping because they have never really had a career without it. But what hits me is that doping doesn't seem to exist in the same way in the cycle sport when it comes to women. The ladies don't earn as much money as the men do so they are not depended on winning competitions in the same way. And maybe we have to do something about the men. A quotation from Jörg Jaksche again

"In cycling everyone have to depend on a sponsor, who wants publicity. Everyone is under stress and the riders have to go fast. When we don't go fast enough, the managers goes to the doctors, who go to the cyclists. If the doctors won't do it, there will just come other doctors, who will."
  The stress must disappear and they must feel proud over themselves and their results, even without dope. I don't think as many riders dope at the moment. And many big riders have been tested positive for doping so the tests work pretty well. But they must be much better and hopefully a rider like Jörg Jaksche can help because we doesn't want any more positive doping tests. We really don't want anymore

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