Cyclists talk.

It's probably the most dreaded question for a professional cyclist. Standing at a podium after a big win and a member of the press corners you into discussing cheating in cycling.

There's always been doping in sports, according to Lance Armstrong. This is what he told Bob Schieffer in a conversational interview at the Aspen Institute. Although it's always happened in sports, Lance also believes there are solutions and controls that we should follow to secure the preserve the sport of cycling. According to Lance, in the world of doping, the sport of cycling has had the hardest time. talks about doping in sports.

Why does cycling have the hardest time with doping? I agree with Lance. Cycling is simply the hardest sport. "It's a lot harder than a 9 inning game," says Lance. I also believe it is the most physically and mentally demanding. For this reason, many people who are not physically or mentally strong enough for the sport turn to cheating to help them succeed, or at least finish. When faced with a course such as the Tour de France which is essentially 20 days of pain, a human can get desperate.

The desperation in some cases is not fueling a desire to win, but to finish and survive. The 2007 Tour de France covered 3,550 kilometers spending 7 days in the mountains, 11 in the country side and 2 days in time trials. If you don't believe cycling is a hard sport, I urge you to get on your bike and ride 2,000 miles in the Alps of France for three weeks. I promise you that your point of view will change. (See map to the left. Click to go to www.letour.fr for more information about the 2007 Tour).

To watch Lance talk about cheating in cycling, view this clip from Fora TV begining at 17:13.



Just recently, Floyd Landis was renounced as the 2006 Tour de France champion on claims of doping. If you know how emotionally attached I get to the American professional cyclists, you'll know that this was a serious let down. I guess what surpised me when Landis was found guilty, is that he didn't give up. The day after doping allegations surfaced, Landis was touring morning news shows such as Good Morning America. I felt like he was playing with my head. Of course he's guilty, the science can prove it and his Tour de France come-back in 2006 was too good to be true. Still, I held on to a flicker of hope that science could be proved wrong and that Landis would be declared 2006 Tour winner.



Here are two men. Two champions. The world's best cyclist (second MAYBE to Eddy Merckx), Lance Armstrong, and 2006 American favorite, Floyd Landis. Both won the tour. Both have been heavily tested for drugs. Both have been accused of doping. One was proven guilty and de-throwned. I know that I stand by Lance in the fact I believe he won the Tour clean. I used to stand by Landis until the science proved his fate. Who do you stand by? Can we ever trust our professional cyclists? I agree with claim, "Innocent until proven guilty." Lance has never been "proven guilty." Landis has. I think it is quite clear where I stand.

Tour de France map from http://www.letour.fr