Doping in amateur cycling - BBC

[ultimobici]

Hello,
5 Live Investigates at the BBC is trying it find out if doping is an issue in amateur cycling.
We have been told a lot amateur cyclists in the past took drugs used to treat asthma and sometimes amphetamines.
If you can tell us whether or not this is happening now then I’d love to hear from you. Our conversation would be in confidence and for research purposes only. I’m just trying to find out if doping in amateur cycling is something I should spend time looking into or if it no longer happens.
My direct line is 020 3614 0956 and my email is kirsteen.knight@bbc.co.uk
If you are concerned that I am who I say I am please Google “Kirsteen Knight” + BBC or just Goggle my email address. You will see a small trail where I have looked for people to help me with stories in the past.
Best wishes and thanks for your help.
Kirsteen.

When there isn't any controversy the BBC takes my Licence Fee and then blithely ignores cycling for the most part. As soon as there is a negative story, you're all over it like a rash. How about spending some of my Licence Fee looking at the Premiership?

 

[badboygolf16v]

When there isn't any controversy the BBC takes my Licence Fee and then blithely ignores cycling for the most part. As soon as there is a negative story, you're all over it like a rash. How about spending some of my Licence Fee looking at the Premiership?

I can remember when the only cycling on the BBC was an hour slot on The Milk Race, the Track Nationals and the CX Nationals. Things could be a lot worse.

Kind of back on topic I would like to add my voice to those disappointed with the treatment of Team Sky, Brailsford and Wiggins by the BBC. Hard questions need to be asked, they are not credible. I wonder if there was something more to Chris Boardman's decision to leave British Cycling?

 

[ultimobici]

I can remember when the only cycling on the BBC was an hour slot on The Milk Race, the Track Nationals and the CX Nationals. Things could be a lot worse.

Kind of back on topic I would like to add my voice to those disappointed with the treatment of Team Sky, Brailsford and Wiggins by the BBC. Hard questions need to be asked, they are not credible. I wonder if there was something more to Chris Boardman's decision to leave British Cycling?

Yes but in the intervening 3 decades there has been SFA!

 

[blackcat]

I can remember when the only cycling on the BBC was an hour slot on The Milk Race, the Track Nationals and the CX Nationals. Things could be a lot worse.

Kind of back on topic I would like to add my voice to those disappointed with the treatment of Team Sky, Brailsford and Wiggins by the BBC. Hard questions need to be asked, they are not credible. I wonder if there was something more to Chris Boardman's decision to leave British Cycling?

and Sir Hoy

 

[Briant_Gumble]

There is no story. Doping is simply unBritish; thus, no British amateurs dope.

As a Brit, I have to agree, the stiff upper lip mentality also accounts for the increased medal haul at the London Olympics.

 

[blackcat]

muscular christianity

onward christian soldiers

 

[workingclasshero]

When there isn't any controversy the BBC takes my Licence Fee and then blithely ignores cycling for the most part. As soon as there is a negative story, you're all over it like a rash. How about spending some of my Licence Fee looking at the Premiership?

steady, you'd rather they weren't all over this? tbh this is far more important than which cheater won the tour de france, tour of britain or milan-sanremo this year.

The Beeb will take down Team Sky for us, so show them some love. They'll also make sure the one who called all Clinic writers and readers w'nkers won't win the SPOTY now.

I hope our Kirsteen saw the advice about contacting Darryl Webster.


Edit: I have to say though, the advice about googling "Kirsteen Knight" + BBC is such a nostalgic throwback to the days of altavista being the #1 search engine

 

[zigmeister]

As a Brit, I have to agree, the stiff upper lip mentality also accounts for the increased medal haul at the London Olympics.

What? I'm appalled at this assertion.

You mean to tell me their program of screening youths in primary school out in the exercise yard at age 12 to find recruits isn't the reason for their great success along with Australia?

 

[zebedee]

Why the obsession with pro-cycling anyway? As a sport it's small beer. If the envisaged programme acts as a vehicle for spelling out the harm of sports doping generally, then surely such an investigation is more than justified? The BBC is powerless to clean up a sport anyway. That responsibility lies more with cyclists rather than anywhere else.

http://www.drjohnm.org/2012/08/cycl...iness-or-an-allegory-for-an-inflamed-society/

That's a compelling story. Whether typical or not is for others to say.

On that note, WADA is growing increasingly concerned with the permeation of doping into non-elite sports. The BBC might just be at the avantgarde with their intended investigation of amateur sportsmen who dope. Good on them, I say, despite the annoyance to certain cyclists who think they own cycling in the same way that Armstrong owns cancer.

 

[deValtos]

Indeed. Kirsteen - why is the BBC so soft on British cycling? Why do you steadfastly refuse to question or challenge Sky and the name British riders about their doping links?

Because you shouldn't tarnish riders reputations without sufficient evidence. (Which riders are you referring to btw?)

If you mention a rider having "links" to doping in his home media [that turns out to be clean] it will devalue their whole career, their results won't be taken seriously. Simply put you just don't do that - even to cyclists

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

Because you shouldn't tarnish riders reputations without sufficient evidence. (Which riders are you referring to btw?)

If you mention a rider having "links" to doping in his home media [that turns out to be clean] it will devalue their whole career, their results won't be taken seriously. Simply put you just don't do that - even to cyclists

And if you don't investigate the links then you'll never establish if there is 'sufficient' evidence, now will you?

There wasn't 'sufficient' evidence against Jimmy Savile either which is why no one investigated...

 

[ultimobici]

And if you don't investigate the links then you'll never establish if there is 'sufficient' evidence, now will you?

There wasn't 'sufficient' evidence against Jimmy Savile either which is why no one investigated...

It's one thing to be enquiring and want to find out the truth, quite another to carry on until you get the result you want. The former is right and proper, the latter is character assassination and unfortunately there is a surfeit of the latter

 

[deValtos]

And if you don't investigate the links then you'll never establish if there is 'sufficient' evidence, now will you?

I agree with that. But it should not be the media's job to do so, for the reasons I listed before.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

I agree with that. But it should not be the media's job to do so, for the reasons I listed before.

So whose job is it then? Are these stories supposed to drop fully formed into the laps of the public?

The point is this - there were plenty of rumours about Jimmy Savile and yet, no one bothered to investigate because there 'was not sufficient evidence' to warrant following up on the links.

If people have nothing to hide then a full investigate will clear them.

Is their 'sufficient evidence' of doping in UK amateur cycling? More or less than in the pro peloton? More or less than among UK track? or UK road?

Why go for the small fry? If the BBC were serious then why not look at the big fish? Or are they worried that just as the Jimmy Savile story was going to **** up their xmas broadcasts that investigating Sky means that they might have to expose a sports personality of the year, or it might ruin a big end of year sporting retrospective they've got planned about how brave team Sky re-enacted 1945 and went and taught Johnny Foreigner a stern lesson.

 

[deValtos]

So whose job is it then? Are these stories supposed to drop fully formed into the laps of the public?

An independent anti-doping agency, I guess we need to make sure we have one that is up to the task. I don't see what the problem is with waiting until we know the truth before releasing the story to the public, in regards to doping related stories.

The point is this - there were plenty of rumours about Jimmy Savile and yet, no one bothered to investigate because there 'was not sufficient evidence' to warrant following up on the links.

Maybe in this case it is the media's job, I don't really know what to think about this. I see what you are getting at with this analogy but it doesn't mean we have to handle it the same way if we have a good anti-doping agency in place.

If people have nothing to hide then a full investigate will clear them.

Not a fan of this statement for two reasons. One, everyone has something to hide. Two, if a full investigate clears a person doesn't mean it clears them in the eyes of the public i.e either because the 'damage has already been done' or perhaps the opposite, the person gets cleared even though we all know they did it. Cycling fans are rightly now very untrusting of anything they read for whatever reason (history,corruption), surely you understand this.

Is their 'sufficient evidence' of doping in UK amateur cycling? More or less than in the pro peloton? More or less than among UK track? or UK road?

I'm confident that our opinions of what constitutes 'sufficient evidence' differ quite a bit.

 

[zebedee]

Because it's actually a more interesting angle. People know pro-cyclists dope and expect it - in all professional sports, more or less. That's not news; we've heard it all before. What they don't suspect so much is its occurrence in non-elite sports where you might ride to win a water bottle, something like that, and where the motivation to dope is therefore less obvious. I think there are some great lessons to impart. People need to think more about why they compete and contain their dreams.

 

[CobbleStoner]

let's spend another 9 mill trying to catch dopers at Grand Fondo's and masters races, great idea!

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

You're just making excuses to not have your heroes exposed for the frauds that they are.

I hate to break it to you - dope free cycling, unicorns and father xmas. None of them exist.

 

[red_flanders]

An independent anti-doping agency, I guess we need to make sure we have one that is up to the task. I don't see what the problem is with waiting until we know the truth before releasing the story to the public, in regards to doping related stories.

I think John is making a distinction between investigating and reporting. One need not report on a matter if the investigation turns up no compelling evidence. However, the apparent lack of questions or interest in the logical disconnects put out by the Sky PR team is frustrating for those who don't want to see a repeat of the USPS scandal.

What a waste it would be if we didn't learn from our mistakes.

 

[ValleyFlowers]

Because it's actually a more interesting angle. People know pro-cyclists dope and expect it - in all professional sports, more or less. That's not news; we've heard it all before. What they don't suspect so much is its occurrence in non-elite sports where you might ride to win a water bottle, something like that, and where the motivation to dope is therefore less obvious. I think there are some great lessons to impart. People need to think more about why they compete and contain their dreams.

More interesting and it's probably an under-reported angle for the actual amount of doping taking place. Especially in the sports where the amateur ranks act as 'feeders' for the Pro ranks.
How do the amateurs separate themselves from the pack and get noticed by the Pros?

5 Live Investigates at the BBC is trying it find out if doping is an issue in amateur cycling.

Carry on Kirsteen;
It's a worthwhile story and a good way to start a series looking at doping in all amateur sports.

 

[Kirsteen]

Hi Nevada,

That's a really interesting article. Thanks for letting me know about it.
Best wishes,
Kirsteen
020 3614 0956

 

[Kirsteen]

I would very much like to talk to Dan Staite but I can't find him. Do you know where he might be now? He's not on the electorol role.
Best wishes and thanks again.
Kirsteen.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

Have you talked to Darryl Webster?

 

[Benotti69]

Have you talked to Darryl Webster?

For sure give Daryl a call about UK cycling. Eye opening.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Since the question was double-posted, I'll make another wrong:

Hahaha. Well here's the problem in a nutshell. Is there doping at the amateur level? Very likely. Without testing, no one knows for sure. That's a hard story to tell.

As mentioned up-thread, David Anthony is a perfect example. The protocols are well-known and generally safe. Sourcing the PED's might be the only problem in some countries. In the U.S. you can get most of them safely prescribed from Anti-Aging clinics.

I would argue the better story is the IOC's bio-passport program is actually an elaborate IQ test that is designed for all but the very stupid athletes to pass. You will make a name for yourself if you can tell that story in a compelling manner. Not an easy task!

As always, follow the money back to the IOC.

You didn't find this? http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/dan-staite/46/4b9/a5
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