Well, they say that a sucker is born everyday and i think they are right. I read in the news today that Alexandre Vinokourov has been tested positive after the time-trial on stage 13. Apparently there is an imbalance in the old and young red blood cells in the blood sample. Astana have suspended him and sent him home along with the rest of the Astana Team. “He is positive, and that is not a good thing, We can’t condemn Alexandre until we know there has been a clear doping violation, and we have to wait for the result of the ‘B’ sample” said Marc Biver, Astana team manager. So once again the media takes off and condemning the Tour de France.
In some sense they are right in the point that doping shouldn’t be allowed, and i agree 100 percent with that, but there is a little twist. You see, it’s not the Tour de France that breeds cheaters, it’s cheaters trying to win the Tour de France that is the problem. In some sense you can say that it may attract cheaters, but on the other hand it also attract clean riders who hasn’t been convicted in the past for doping.
I find it hard to see why Vinokourov would make a blood transfusion prior to the time-trial. Okay, he had fallen very badly on a earlier stage, but not as bad so that he would need a transfusion. It seems so strange for a rider who isn’t even in contention for a overall win, to do such a thing. You can say that i’m in a bit of a chock, because it seems so damn stupid.
Anyway, i feel that the rules, as appointed by the UCI, should be changed so that a rider isn’t banned just for 2 years, but for maybe 3-4 years instead. Since that would be more of a intimidation factor for the rider that play Russian roulette with illegal substances during a race or even their career as a cyclist. You may ask yourself why i believe this is the only way and i will tell you.
By enforcing stricter and harder rules, you wouldn’t have riders like David Millar and many more like him, to make a comeback just outside the 2 year ban. If you cheat your career is over, more or less, it is as simple as that. There might even be a another solution to the problem and that is that ASO, the organiser of the Tour de France, could ban the riders themselves, since they have been ban by the UCI 2 years before and therefore they are not welcome to race the Tour de France or any other ASO cycling event.
It might be a radical solution to a persistent problem within cycling and other sports as well. But i also think that the pressure on the riders to perform at the top level for maybe 5-10 years also makes them vulnerable to the temptation of using illegal substances. Imagine yourself getting older and your body isn’t as fit as before and the results are not there anymore, the temptation becomes larger by the day to be back in that same shape you once were.
I really hate doping, don’t get me wrong, but i don’t hate the Tour de France, I love it !
