Don't give in now

13 February 2011 | 0:00 - By Anthony Tan

Professional cycling may look all doom and gloom but now’s not the time to abandon the sport, urges Anthony Tan.

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Riccardo Ricc%uFFFD (Image: AAP)

First, let me preface this blog by saying there is no commercial interest attached to what I ask of you, the readers and viewers, below. Over the past decade, regardless of website traffic, television viewership, or number of magazines or papers sold, my income from cycling differs little depending on the state that professional cycling finds itself in.
As for keeping my job, it’s always been a fickle industry for a freelance journalist, and besides, my foresight rarely extends to beyond the present year.

The sentiment among a large number of cycling fans at the moment appears to be that they are on the cusp of giving up.

Not cycling altogether – although some are so disgusted, they may well be inclined to do so – but giving up on following professional cycling.

The only way to kill a king cobra is to cut its head off or step on its head till its dead, and from the commentary I’ve read so far on Riccardo ‘The Cobra’ Riccò, there seems plenty willing to do just that. But as my colleague Phil Gomes wrote in his recent blog post, do we want his already sorry life to descend the insidious path of José María Jiménez, Marco Pantani and Frank Vandenbroucke?

Don’t get me wrong. Riccò is far from being beyond reproach (as Stuart O’Grady once said of the pugnacious Italian, “You can’t turn a donkey into a racehorse”, and as I tweeted this week when someone asked me what I thought of him, Ricky is a CERA-fied idiot) – but to vilify someone to the act of suicide, what is the point in that?

While Riccò may not be an isolated case, remember the situation when I first pinned a number on my back in a club race almost 20 years ago and was blissfully unaware of the goings-on of those I admired: amphetamines was no longer the drug du jour; it was EPO (erythropoietin) and HGH (human growth hormone), two anti-venoms against the pain and suffering in what remains the world’s toughest sport – the exposure of its use reaching a zenith at the ‘98 Tour de France.

Those two PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs) are still in use today and not just in cycling. In exactly what quantities, no-one really knows. They have been trumped by more refined, more potent versions of their predecessors and the wicked practice of blood-doping; a method Riccò, upon his return after a two-year ban for EPO-CERA at the ’08 Tour, experimented in, and, as we read last week, with near-fatal consequences.

But do not take the cases of Riccò, or the pithy comments of Bernhard Kohl (“people know in cycling that’s it’s not possible to win the Tour de France without it) and Floyd Landis, or the ‘caso Contador’, or the Novitzky-led FDA investigation into alleged systematic doping practices at the US Postal Service cycling team, as absolute proof cycling is fighting a losing battle.

At the same time, don’t think cycling – or any other bona-fide Olympic sport, for that matter – will ever be rid of doping, corporate malfeasance, or other nefarious acts.

We now live in an age where sport is big business, and as the stakes grow, so does the propensity to cheat, it seems. Money can really be the root of all evil.

Right now, where cycling is let down, in my opinion, is in the length of the bans – two years is a bloody joke and is a euphemism for ‘take a holiday, we’ll see you soon’; that certain team personnel in positions of mentoring and influence, with chequered pasts they haven’t owned up to and who remain unrepentant, continue to demand results above all else, and ask their riders to race more than is humanly capable on a doping-free diet; pharmaceutical companies who, with their billion-dollar budgets, do not more readily work with agencies like WADA to alert them of products that have the potential to be abused; and inane political manoeuvres that shelve cases like Operación Puerto, which become an embarrassment rather than a show of force that discourages would-be dopers and punishes those involved – not just a few, but all of them.

UCI president Pat McQuaid was right: there is a problem with Spanish cycling; there exists more doping cases than any other major cycling nation, and from the way they’ve handled each, it’s abundantly clear there is no consistency.

Thankfully, the overwhelming proportion of Australian cyclists have gone through this era largely unscathed and unblemished. Our reputation for producing clean machines – and winning ones – is second-to-none and matched only by Great Britain, except on the road, we’ve been infinitely more successful. We just can’t seem to do it when it comes to the bat and ball and something called ‘The Ashes’.

The creation of the GreenEDGE project, with its multi-tiered approach that, in harmonious marriage with the Australian Institute of Sport, provides a clear pathway from aspiring junior to elite amateur to Continental pro to ProTeam rider, I’m most excited about.

Sure, they’ll still be those Aussies who will ride for other teams and as we’ve seen at the Tour Down Under and Tour of Qatar there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s in one’s formative years where eggs can turn bad, and I believe the GreenEDGE ethos, at least on paper, provides a route so, in the future, we can guarantee our guys are home-grown, organic, and in no way are PED-inclined.

So what I’m saying is this: don’t expect some seminal moment to occur where all you see can be believed – but do expect to see a day where you see an Australian on the Tour de France podium, in Australian livery, and because it’s Australian made, you know it was made clean.

It’s not yet time to give up. If you do, you may miss out on something big.

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15 Feb 2011 13:44 AEST

Robert

From: Earlwood.au

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@Frank, bans of any length longer than 1 minute will only work if the riders think that there is a plausible chance that will be caught & punished. What evidence is there of that happening in cycling? If German TV hadn't caught on that Contador actually had tested positive, he would have been quietly sent away on injury leave a la classic US & East German athletics & noone would ever have been the wiser. Valverde went on his merry way for more than a year even after he was caught. What might help is if the teams & DSs thought they were going to be hit as well as the riders. Sod the Pro Tour guarantees - if teams are caught, the grand tour administrators should instantly ban 'em from their races. Then fans might actually get to see some racing which isn't corrupted to the core

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15 Feb 2011 9:20 AEST

snappy_don

From: adel

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Flashing pedals sounds like a cyclist who is jaded and disillusioned with the sport. I have to agree with most of his comments about the sad state of world cycling... but I still love it. I still follow the tours with a passion. I gasp at the theatre of athletes wrenching themselves inside out on massive cols. Deep down I'm praying that they are clean. Yes, the UCI sounds like a badly flawed, maybe even corrupt organizing body, but don't give up. Lobby for change. From the best in the world, down to us weekend warriors- the sport is just too good to let go.

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15 Feb 2011 9:18 AEST

Mark

From: NSW

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It is interesting that you consider the big issue is the length of the ban after the rider has fell for the lure of drugs rather that the environment that lead to the cyclist considering it in the first place. It’s hardly a thinking man’s approach to a problem, ie don’t investigate the root of the problem just get a bigger stick. For example did you ever consider that Australian might be less likely to take drugs / PEDs because our primary support (be it family or friends etc) is more likely to be there for you no matter what the finish position in the bike race. Now I am not suggesting Damir Dokic will be working at the Green Edge, as the AIS system is run by very good people but is a tough school (maybe rightly so to be a feeder for a new World Tour team) so it will have plenty of drop-outs along the way; certainly many of these are super talented but for example maybe not suited to the track based system. So we are so lucky that we have some cycling enthusiasts that receive little support by the infrastructure (nothing from the TDU) and recently the media (specifically Tan Man, of course SBS is great) but are ready to support the fall out in privately funded teams. For example isn’t it nice that a super talented rider that couldn’t hold his spot in the AIS program (no one’s fault, just fell out the back of the system) could be picked up by one of these Australian conti teams. The reality is guy couldn’t get a contract even after recording one of the best stage wins by an Aussie in Italy last September on the Euro Calender. His season fizzing out after being in a race where a top young Italian cyclist was killed. I am not sure whether that rider will achieve his impressive potential, but I know the private Aussie team will give him plenty of time and support. Clearly these private teams are an extra pathway for our cycling talent and also a safety net, so give them a bit of credit Anthony. It was a big commitment to Australian cycling for Drapac to go Pro Conti in 2008, to stay at that status takes a lot of profile, to have the TDU shut the door on then was a lack of appreciation for the support they give.

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15 Feb 2011 2:26 AEST

Greg

From: London

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And now we find out that Conti's one year ban has been over-turned by the Spanish cycling authority. What a surprise. I expect another appeal against the ban being overturned but it really has reached the point of being a farce. That one of Conatdor's arguments was about a "level playing field" i.e. that the drug was only found by one of a handful of labs that actually had the equipment to detect it, rather than a "standard" drug testing facility says it all really... sigh.

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14 Feb 2011 21:20 AEST

Mark

From: NSW

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You are correct to be concerned about Ricco, he is disillusioned human, but he is a product of a results driven Pro Sport system that has little time for those that cannot perform. You don’t have to go overseas to find other cases, the problem is the lack of individual care or support in the hard times when you can't perform to others expectations, with the individual's support very limited by the financial constraints of the very competitive professional sports scene. Sadly if you can’t stir up the leader board in these performance-based teams they have to get rid of you to make way for their new crop. This is why it is important for a country to develop a safety net, with a respectable local team structure providing a fall back option when things go wrong. Fly V (Pegasus) have been sensational in recent times at looking after Australian riders that have lost a big contracts, or more to the point should have one; Aaron Kemps, Bernie Sulzberger, Dave Tanner and many others have been supported when overseas teams turned their back. However for our elite riders to realistically consider an Australian team as a place where they can get it all back on track, the team has to have some creditability, or specifically a solid race program. Are you getting the point Mr Tan, why wouldn’t CA and Mr Turtur recognised the support Fly V and others are giving to our Australian riders with a start at TDU. Our “Australian cyclists safety net – ie these Aussie based teams that care about aussies” should not be evaluated on results alone (eg the TAN TEST at Langkawi), what about recognising these Aussie teams with a TDU Start because of the support they are providing to our cyclists when the rest of the world turns its back, or worst still mistreats our riders because they don’t have any other options.

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14 Feb 2011 20:34 AEST

Bender

From: The Future

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Re the length of the bans handed out, 'Tan Man', next time you do something wrong, say, get a speeding ticket, deny yourself the right to drive your car for two years. Hey, maybe after the overwhelming disapproval of your last column, you could spend two years not working as a freelance journalist? Why do none of cycling's journalists ever address this seemingly self evident truth, that harsher bans will deter doping? As Robert suggests, where is the proof? Why only do riders cop bans? Doping is ingrained, systematic and a central part in both the history of this sport, as well as a key element in pasts of many influential figures in the sport, such as Mr O'Grady's former Boss in Bjarne Riis. As long as this hypocritical culture and state of affairs continues, where only the riders who test positive are banned and vilified, cases like Ricco's will continue to happen. Don't give up now? Festina 98 was the chance for the sport to really change its ways yet we now know it merely weathered the initial storm and continued on, business as usual. That was almost 13 years ago!! The sport has about as much credibility as the WWE, and its protagonists (for example Cavendish's deplorable comments on Ricco) are more concerned for their own jobs and legitimacy (ie the UCI leadership, how does McQuaid et al continue stay in their jobs when they have done such a poor job in policing doping in cycling? clearly they should not be responsible in any way for combating this problem ), than for addressing the issues cycling as a whole is incapable of solving.

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14 Feb 2011 18:27 AEST

Flashing Pedals

From: Europe

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Dear Frank, whether you agree or not, with my drivel, is your choice. The news or blogs published here, are for discussion and reaction. I am a lifelong cyclist, enthusiast for sure, and I work in the cycling industry here in Europe, dealing with all that encompasses. The comments i posted reflect what i see is happening - and has happened. You may disagree all you like. I suggest you wipe your glasses and go and sniff some coffee, it might wake you up.

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14 Feb 2011 17:09 AEST

Frank

From: Sydney

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Disagree with Robert Merkel. There may not be evidence that a longer than two-year ban is a deterrent, but will sure scare the daylights out of riders chasing big contracts if it were. Career ending even!

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14 Feb 2011 15:45 AEST

Robert Merkel

From: Melbourne

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Anthony, while it's appealing to think making bans longer will deter doping, is there really any evidence that's the case?

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14 Feb 2011 9:54 AEST

Frank

From: Sydney

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@Flashing pedals. You are a disgrace to a sport you say you follow with passion. Pick the eyes out of all that is negative in cycling, why don't you! In case you haven't realised, we generally live in a negative world. Is cycling immune to doping and cheating? I dare say not! Try supporting and following world marbles or tunnel ball, my friend. No drugs needed. Maybe that will satisfy our needs.

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