fatandfast said:
I think you know a great deal about the twits that fight to establish themselves as anything more than pack fill. A tweet here and there,digital camera shots and a blog mixed with some local stompings made this guy into a coach to lots of Jrs and people working hard to improve their abilities. When I won my first Cat 4 race I was on top of the world, but before I could get my license signed and a gift cert. for 30 dollars some azzcheese wanted to beat my skull..he needed his license signed for a 6th place to upgrade. The official told him he would only sign for top 3 because that was all the placings they were keeping track of...I am sure that that sh-tbag is probably being coached by somebody like Kenny who has shown him how to be king of his local parking lot crit. They should do away with 2 categories and raise feild limits to 125 and get rid of all this grey haired feel good bs. The fed has divided the body of racers into so many divisions that even a masters win is life or death. Wish you were wrong about the Cat5 and the 15 mile crit but I know you are right.
people like to achieve things. anyone who's ever paid a lot of money to get credit for some special university course is going to be ****ed at getting a "C" grade. they want an "A" whether they really earned it or not.
so, in a sport like road cycling which is probably the most competitive sport out there, the pressure to succeed or hold some kind of status is very high. people justify things in their head about what's "right" and what's "wrong." sorry to hear about your negative experiences, but that's what happens when adrenaline and pride take over.
class & honor bypass poor sportsmanship at all times. no excuse for being a bad sportsman, no matter what sport you participate in. i think road racing is the toughest sport in the world with no equal, so the attitude, passion, and will to take the easy road or be effected by negativity will always be extremely high among riders.
as athletes and competitors we have rules in place to ensure the best athlete who obtains victory is playing on a level playing field and is participating "clean." no athlete should have to risk liver & kidney disease, increased risk of sudden heart attack/stroke, PLUS increased cancer risk, PLUS painful experience with the criminal justice system for felony possession of controlled substances, JUST TO BE ON AN EQUAL PLAYING FIELD WITH DOPERS. doping is so bad we have to shorten the TDF as to not encourage doping, that's ridiculous.
now, let's break down the TDF to a local 1-2 scene. we all have our own suspicions as to who is clean or not clean, but it's another thing when people come up to you and start the conversation.
a large and well-established shop in my area had a sale on pre-built wheelsets at a price i couldn't refuse, so i bought a set. when i was looking at the wheels, the clerk (who was a local CAT 2) initiated a conversation about all the 1's & 2's that he thought were doping in local races. and, this is So Cal, so it's a big scene. i'm also a coach, and he knew i was a coach, and i'm sure that's what turned the convo from wheels into to who's doping on the local scene. he was ****ed and wanted something to be done about it.
of course, his accusations were merely his own observations and his own speculation, no "science" behind any of it to back up his claims. but.....it wouldn't surprise me to find that at least some of those he accused were indeed guilty.
the culture of doping and the "it's all good" mindset needs to be stamped out for good in athletic competition. cheating is never good or "right" or "ok" or anything else short of "fail." how anybody can stand on a podium and raise their hands & smile with dope in their veins is beyond me. the only hope i have for dopers is that they come clean and admit their sins to the tribe like so many top pros have already done. maybe that will positively influence for the better, the 19 y.o. kid who's tempted to dope in order to hang with the old guys at some crit.
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