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A friend tells me that performance enhancing drug use is pretty common on the high amateur, almost pro level of bicycling. These are folks who are very good and

A friend tells me that performance enhancing drug use is pretty common on the high amateur, almost pro level of bicycling. These are folks who are very good and obsessed with the sport, but not at the pro level. But there's also no testing at many of their races so they can get away with the PED use. No one is really sure what to do because these dedicated semi-pros pay lots of fees to support the races. If they're a bit strict on PED use, the registrations could really drop off. But on the flip side, the PED use drives away others who are competing fairly but just not ready to submit their body to all of those extra chemicals.

jerrygenser 3y ago
All (or nearly all) of the top pros were using PED for a number of years.
nradov 3y ago
Not just cycling. When I line up at the start of a triathlon it's pretty obvious that some of those other guys are geared. I don't really care because I know I won't be on the podium anyway and I just enjoy racing, but it's a little ridiculous. In theory all of the age-group athletes are subject to random testing at any sanctioned race but in practice I've never seen it happen.
bsder 3y ago
It's the same the whole way down in high schools for things like football. I was big and for my age--I was over 6" by the time I was in 8th grade and could pull a 200lb stack on a lat pulldown exercise. Some dudes who were middling 5 foot would come back absolutely jacked after a summer. I was big, working my ass off with weightlifting and couldn't remotely catch up. And our school was a nobody in terms of sports. It wasn't until decades later that I found out they were all juicing. I still wouldn't have done it (academics were my ticket to college--not sports). However, I would have been much happier as a high school student knowing why I could never catch up. This is why I have a a HUGE problem with celebrities who are obviously juicing and lie about it. I don't care that you are juicing--you do you. It's the lie that I have a problem with.

jerrygenser 3y ago

All (or nearly all) of the top pros were using PED for a number of years.

nradov 3y ago

Not just cycling. When I line up at the start of a triathlon it's pretty obvious that some of those other guys are geared. I don't really care because I know I won't be on the podium anyway and I just enjoy racing, but it's a little ridiculous. In theory all of the age-group athletes are subject to random testing at any sanctioned race but in practice I've never seen it happen.

bsder 3y ago

It's the same the whole way down in high schools for things like football. I was big and for my age--I was over 6" by the time I was in 8th grade and could pull a 200lb stack on a lat pulldown exercise. Some dudes who were middling 5 foot would come back absolutely jacked after a summer. I was big, working my ass off with weightlifting and couldn't remotely catch up. And our school was a nobody in terms of sports. It wasn't until decades later that I found out they were all juicing. I still wouldn't have done it (academics were my ticket to college--not sports). However, I would have been much happier as a high school student knowing why I could never catch up. This is why I have a a HUGE problem with celebrities who are obviously juicing and lie about it. I don't care that you are juicing--you do you. It's the lie that I have a problem with.