I think we're all just trying to figure why the sport is so messed up as far as doping goes. We're all fans here, but as much as we don't want to admit it, the reality is that no other sport has our history as far as doping goes. I don't know the answer, whether it's the sport is too hard, whether the "culture" or history of taking stuff is too long or what it is that keeps the sport so tied to the doping, whether legal or non prescription stuff or the the prescription stuff.Do you mean the fine line between over the counter and prescription? Or the fine line between legal and "doping"?
Interesting that you say it's the amount of racing and training that drives it. Do you think that, for example, if riders were able to make a living out of just racing the TdF and only training/riding in a few smaller events more as an "appearance" (turning up rather than performing, like the post GT crits), that training loads would be significantly impacted? That area isn't really my wheelhouse, and I know it's a contentious point, but we could argue that the cancellation of lots of racers allowed riders to train better and that's why we've seen some very good performances over the last year or so. Dogmatically it's always been thought that you needed the racing schedule to perform at the Tour, but I've never really believed that. Would a cap on number of days racing per year, possibly even within a certain time period, help? And lets ignore whether the financials are in a state where this would be feasible for the moment.
I just know my own history with the sport and what other guys have told me and it is all pretty much the same thing......start off with vitamins and it goes from there...some stay on the train others go whoa and get off.
It's not my life anymore, I'm just a fan at this point, so the vested interest is not there. I think any answers have to come from those with a vested interest........but then you've got no riders union, but 1,000 individual guys just trying to survive to the next contract. Teams wondering if they'll have sponsors at the end of the year and then ASO who just wants a fat bottom line.
I still think it's going to take a riders union to change things....someone like Sagan or Pogacar to stand up and say enough is enough and revamp the entire system from WADA to the team medical staffs.