Quite... I have never thought he was clean. Doping and the cycling sport are one, alas... I am under no illusion... I race a bit myself and know a few ex pro's and pro's... and there is this unspoken thing going on... they all do and did more or less, as it is impossible to sustain what is demanded of your body at that level of racing... I can't believe Lance did what he did in a peloton of dopers without doping himself...
“the cause of my pain, was the cause of my cure” Rumi
The difference berween doping now and back in the days before EPO/HGH is that in those days clean riders like Mottet and Lemond could still compete and win. Drugs now can transform a rider from domestique to Tour winner e.g Riis.
I read a superb book called "Breaking The Chain" by Willy Voght a few years ago that really opened my eyes to a lot of what goes on in pro cycling on the tours.
Put simply it's another side race along side the bike riding to find the latest drugs that don't have tests in place for them. :thunbdown:
To the Regiment - I Wish I Was There
If we look at the facts though, he has never been caught and convicted, doesn't mean he is innocent, but those are the facts. They tested him hundreds of times for drugs, off the tour, on the tour, and found nothing.
If he did dodge detection, it is one hell of a marvel, but at the end of the day, no hard evidence, and that is how it stays.
Another thing that makes me hope he's innocent is that he has so much more to lose than all the others, and his guilt would have a massive impact on the lives of others i.e the Livestrong foundation. If he was to be found guilty surely this would collapse, and many people that the foundation helps would not only lose that support and suffer, but also lose hope as a result of a dethroning so to speak of there role model. Non of the other riders have had such things attached to there lives. Messing with your own life is one thing, messing with the lives of others is a whole new ball game. One that I really hope Lance hasn't played
"That was the night everything changed"