Letters to Cyclingnews — June 7, 2001Here's your chance to get more involved with Cyclingnews. Comments and criticism on current stories, races, coverage and anything cycling related are welcomed, even pictures if you wish. Letters should be brief (less than 300 words), with the sender clearly identified. They may be edited for space and clarity. We will normally include your name and place of residence, but not your email address unless you specify in the message. Please email your correspondence to letters@cyclingnews.com. Letters special — police raid the the GiroWithin hours of the news that Italian police had raided every single team in the Giro d'Italia, letters from Cyclingnews readers began to flood in. We're attempting to cover all opinions here, though letters have been edited for defamatory and excessively inflammatory content. John Stevenson (with more than a little help from Jeff). Can you imagine? Can you imagine?Although I agree with the police raids I do believe their timing stinks. Why not one of the earlier stages or one closer to the end. With such a close race and an important stage at hand the police raids have just ruined what could have been one of the more exciting Giro's in a long time. What really bothers me about these raids is the double standard cycling receives. Every sport has its cheaters and its drug abusers. Can you imagine the uproar if the Italian police raided a football team's hotel room the night before a big match? I bet you they would find just as much as they do in these raids, if not more illegal substances like cocaine. This will probably never happen because those other sports are not committed at all to cleaning up their acts. Geoff Webb Everyday Life & DrugsIts NOT a sad day for cycling, its an honest day! When you think there are a large number of riders together as in a Tour there must be some percentage who take performance enhancing drugs, it's the same in any sport its just that cycling has a lot more competitors together for longer. Its obvious to any person these days some people are going to take drugs. It's not a shock to me We do put demands on the riders all the time as demands are put on ourselves in life everyday. I take vitamins everyday to keep myself healthy, but these riders take something that in the long term will kill them. A lot of these guys have worked their arses off for years and years and all they have done is ride and been brought up by people in camps who give them these drugs. I go out on a Saturday night to clubs where a lot of people around me are taking drugs, they are just taking it, some are my friends. I choose not to do it, but drugs are all around us these days, its a modern age and people are always tempted and taking it. Those who get caught are arrested or cautioned but treated like an animal. But no other sport is any cleaner than cycling, every sport is the same. There must be champions in the past who have got away with it, and it's true. Fair enough it's cheating, but don't tar everyone and every rider with the same drugs brush. The teams shouldn't quit the Giro because of another drugs scandal otherwise we assume they are guilty. But the doped riders will be weeded out and that's life. Drugs will always be here. six out of 180 means three per cent are positive for doping, it doesn't seem too bad to me. The police are doing their job, but at midnight it seems very rough, riders aren't animals, its the same for any human who takes drugs they're not animals, they should be treated justly! These people have chosen or been brought up with it! I guess what I'm trying to say is drugs are here to stay now in every walk of life, it isn't a shock or horror, we just have to deal with it fairly and not go in some stupid panic and run round like headless chickens. Rambling rant over. Powolny Roderick Money = DrugsTo remove drugs from sport, first remove money from sport. OK, even then a *few* amateurs would still do them, but the combination of pressure from sponsors and the doubly tempting lure of big money and the grand lifestyle of the professional athlete are, seemingly, irresistable. Lary Ball Why are drugs banned anyway?Can I ask a simple (but fundamental) question? Why are there any restrictions at all on what substances an athlete (for example, a professional bicyclist) can ingest? Let athletes train as they wish, eat and drink what they wish, and make use of any substances or devices that they think will enhance their performance. Those who don't want to do these things should find another sport, one in keeping with their values. Those who don't want to watch technologically or medically enhanced athletes compete should find (and support) another sport. Based on the letters you have published, there are many totalitarians out there: people who would limit other people's liberty. Remember: Those who use performance-enhancing drugs are harming only themselves (if they are harming anyone). Doesn't each of us have a moral right to do this? Keith Burgess-Jackson Innocent till proven guilty?What happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'? Seems to me everybody is once again more than willing to jump to conclusions and throw first stones. Like pro sports is equal with pro crime. I for one (naive as it may seem) am not holding a whole group of people responsible for what's not even proven yet. I can only say that we saw in 1998 in France what such special treatment of crime-hunters can do to 'criminals' as pro-cyclist are. And what a crime this is... much higher rated than drunk driving or murder as it seems now with 200 carabinieri on their way. Better get our objectives right and treat others like we want to be treated ourselves in the same circumstances; fair and honest. Kudos to the Italian policeIf these raids are what it will take to clean up our sport, even if it takes a few more years, I'm all for it. The riders say they are treated like animals and have no privacy? TOO BAD! After all that has gone down the last few years, maybe they don't deserve to be treated any differently. These drugs are banned by the sport and also by their country, yet riders continue to be caught year after year. Are we to feel sorry for them for being treated like "criminals" or "animals"? Maybe a year in a jail cell instead of the usual slap on the wrist will convince a few riders to clean up their act. I don't expect Verbruggen to take any drastic action in this case either, he'll probably go on vacation to Africa again and say that the sport is clean until the next big blow-up. So, my hats off to the Italian authorities, and also the French authorities in '98. These raids certainly disrupt our sport, but hopefully in a few years we will see that it was not in vain. Jim Hudak TimingHaving read the police's comment "The detectives said to us: don't worry about your sleep. there isn't a stage tomorrow..." my thoughts are that the police got the date wrong and should've done the inspection/raid on the night before the rest day, after stage 16 on June 4. A clerical mistake ? David Cowie RightsJust one thought that I'm sure will result in much criticism. If you don't have the right to put in your body what you want to put in your body, what right do you have? Russell C. Dutnell What intelligence did the police have?I'm all for the raid as long as the police had some solid intelligence information that indicated that they were going to hit paydirt. If this action was taken on a hunch or for political grandstanding then the authorities should be roundly condemned. If riders on dope are discovered, then the raid will be justified. If nothing is found or proven, then this raid is helping to diminish cycle racing. Phil Siena The raid was necessaryThe action of the Italian authorities was absolutely necessary, after P. Herve and Forconi have been tested non-negative concerning the use of EPO. It is in the interest of all the young and ambitious riders working hard to become professional cyclists under fair conditions. Martin Schmitt Just plain sillyRidding sports of drugs is fine but a public spectacle like hotel raids are just plain silly and moronic. It defeats the spirit of sports from all sides. Wouldn't it have been simpler had the organizers conducted mandatory testing on all riders instead of a raid? What's the point this circus? The fans should be outraged as we are being deprived of one of the best Giro's and certainly it's hardest stage. Sonny Hong Half measures don't workI'm glad to hear about the raids. I think cycling needs to be cleaned up big time. Like some of the other posters have mentioned, I too have been under the impression that many if not most of the racers are doping. Maybe I'm mistaken- but how can one not think this when guys are constantly being caught? Therefore, I don't think half-measures have been or will ever work. Along with random room/vehicle "raids" and strict testing procedures, maybe the sport should consider lifetime bans for racers that are caught doping. While I sympathize with the conundrum of a pro racer having to choose between doping and being competitive, maybe we should confront the pro and amateur pelotons alike with a more compelling question: "Do you want to risk losing your whole career to do drugs?" Carl Sterud Treatment or PunishmentThese riders are not criminals! They are athletes who are caught in a game of defect or don't defect. That is they either don't take drugs and their performance suffers or they take drugs and they become the new hero of the tifosi. They are in competition with each other and no one is willing to be the one who risks giving an advantage away. It's their career! Their livelihood! This situation is a classic dilemma and needs a stable, systematic and organized form of regulation. This has not happened. Instead we see the very blunt instrument of police raids delivering punishing blows to an already injured sport. We don't need this type of excitement and sensationalism. Ultimately it will not solve the problem. We need good ol' boring science and an institutional structure which can bring consistency and vigor to scientific controls on drug use. These riders need help. This sport needs help. I would imagine that most riders do not want to be on drugs. Let us work on creating the conditions that make it possible for them to be assured that they are racing each other cleanly. Treatment before punishment. Sebastian Lopez-Otero Not the FiftiesThese guys are ruining our sport. They have got to realise we're no longer living in the '50's when they could get away with it. I am inevitably reminded of our Canadian national roadie hero Steve Bauer, who road hard and clean, and got pipped at the line in Paris-Roubaix by a guy who years later admitted to riding "under the influence", only maybe not that day. Steve should have the cobblestone trophy on HIS mantle, darn it! Maybe the midnight raids by the police are the wrong way to go, but the doping has just purely got to stop. Ross Ashley Dumber?Are cyclists dumber or easier to catch than other athletes? No other sport seems to supply as many negative headlines as cycling and doping. I would suggest similar raids and extensive drug testing of all soccer players right after the next European Cup. Or check every Italian (or any other European) soccer team before or after each game for banned substances! As a matter of fact, let's apply the same rigorous drug testing as applied to cycling to all other competitive sports. From Archery to Yachting and everything in between, and while we're at it, let's test the spectators as well. This may keep everything in check for a little while, and then it'll start all over again! Let's be vigilant, it could happen; even in America! André Bohren Forget other sports let's get it rightI've just arrived home from work to find there are no highlights on the TV, of what was to be a fantastic day's racing in a very enjoyable tour, but no. Why?, because of heavy handed police action, natural disaster?, Gross stupidity on the part of SOME riders, sponsors and management. The notification was given in 1998, no drugs in the sport. Wasn't Tom's death and the premature deaths of other ex pros an earlier warning? So my day has been spoilt, my trust in the stars of the sport I love has been further tainted. I'm not interested in moans and pleas, it is going on, there have been how many positive tests for EPO. Taking EPO is a no-no because there is a test to catch you so why are the pros and their teams still allowing it to continue? If you keep quiet you are guilty by association, if you really care for your sport, or want to continue enjoying the financial rewards of it speak out, not with weasel words, "I was never proved positive" etc., but full blooded, "I do not and will not use banned substances," definitive, then we will have some true champions to support. I'm going out on my bike now, I'll never break any records, and I also hope never to shatter any illusions. Andy Fewtrell Legalize itPerhaps the only answer to the doping problem is to LEGALIZE the use of any substance out there in professional cycling. Riders could literally be 'doped to the gills' if they wished. Think about the TV ratings! We would have riders launching massive attacks up the slopes of the biggest mountains, only to have their hearts blow clear out of their chests, and land on some unsuspecting fan! We could also have a couple of extra support cars. Their job would be to follow the group, scraping the dead riders off the road, as the remaining riders looted their bodies for more 'junk'! The riders could also carry needles with them as they competed in stage races or in one day classics. When the attacks started, riders would whip out their needles and pump themselves full of energy, drugs, whatever you want to call it right there on the spot. The speeds would be astounding and the action unparalleled. Think of riders all doped up on speed, their eyes bugging out of their skulls, hurdling guard rails in order to bridge gaps to the next group on the road! But, until then we will have to continue to live with the police raids, and reports of riders jumping from windows while clutching their 'stash'. Because let's face it, the problem is not going away. Its been here since the beginning and will probably be around till the end. Its just too bad that its the one sport that I absolutely LOVE! Keith Transatlantic splitHas anyone noticed a transatlantic split? We 'Europeans' are for the raid and those across the pond aren't. Being a former (from the UK) I should be supportive of the raids. And I am... Well, if they treated everyone equally but I really don't see football teams being raided the night before a Cup Final and kept awake past midnight, nor the Derby jockeys being woken at six for a test, etc. So where's the justice. Or is it all hypocrisy? Play even and do it right. Perhaps cycling's easy to close down. Imagine Tony Blair's face this morning if the England squad had been beaten the eve of the election because they had been awake all night for continuous questioning. Michael Underwood Focus on cyclingAlthough it does seem that the cyclists are being pursued more stringently than other sports professionals, the argument that this is unfair is just wounded pride. We boast that cycling is the hardest sport in the world. It probably is, but for that very reason the interest shown in drug use in our sport should not come as a surprise. Cycling is the second biggest sport in the world if the media that I have seen is to be believed. It is a perfect target for the authorities. Either cycling has to make some very harsh changes in response to the problem, or face a dying sport. I do not say this lightly. The IOC and other world sporting organizations are at least publicly committed to stopping drug use. It is probably more a political gesture, but the effect is the same. If drug (ergogenic aid) use is illegal and considered cheating, then sponsors will leave the sport in droves because no company wants to have their name in the press associated with any thing of that nature. No sponsors, no cycling as we know it. At least on the professional level. Yes every other sport has the same problems, and some are probably worse. Unfortunately we are not involved in those sports, and so need to focus our attentions on the sport we love. If we keep spending valuable time looking over the fence and complaining about the neighbours, it will be to late to save our own home. I hope we can. Randy Wolfe Why the police?Why are the POLICE looking for things (caffeine, EPO, etc...) which are not illegal by any other standard other than the UCI's? How can police search for caffeine? Every coffee shop in Italy needs to hide their stash. This is an abuse of force. All the riders ride under their own free will and should be searched under the same free will. This wasn't a prison full of criminals. It was a hotel full of tired riders. I'm sure if the police had approached the teams on the off day, most team directors would have given permission to a reasonable search. Rich Lauch [Performance-enhancing drugs are illegal under recently-passed Italian laws Ed] Increase punishmentsThe riders are clearly NOT scared of a stiff punishment even after the 98 Tour fiasco and the recent EPO testing improvements. For EPO and other banned substances, I think a minimum ban of 6 months during the season is necessary. A second positive test for said substances should end the athlete's career. For caffeine and cortisone (controlled substances), the punishments should be less severe, I think, but still more severe than the current situation. The police action ??? Damned if they do, same if they don't. They need an element of surprise and they need to ensure that most everybody will be in the hotels to do an effective job. At this point in time, I do not fault them at all. If stories potentially arise about body cavity searches, or anything like that, my opinion will change. If a similar operation was carried out on NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL players, what would happen? Food for thought... Spencer Dech Start at the topIt's a shame that doping has invaded one of the best sports in the world, but the damage was left unchecked for so long that anything done now has to start at the very top of the cycling world, and not at the bottom with the riders. If Willy Voets is to believed, in the past the same doctors who did the drug testing were the same ones who supplied performance enhancing drugs to the riders. Clearly the problem goes beyond just the riders, and no amount of police raids are going to stem the tide until there is a house cleaning throughout cycling and not just in the peloton. I can understand the rider's frustration, and the feeling of being unfairly singled out. Why aren't there police raids at the French Open for tennis players? Why aren't soccer players hotels being raided during World Cup qualifying matches? To persecute the cyclists isn't going to solve the problem at all. Like recreational drug abuse, it is only through an intensive education campaign, along with diligent testing, that the sport be made clean once again. And that has to start at the top, and not with the political ambitions of some French or Italian prosecutor. Derek Mosher Defective tests?With the very high level of "non-negative" results from random EPO tests indicates that the cyclists, or their handlers, are stupid! Or, the tests are flawed. A few years ago in Australia nearly every winning racehorse returned positive results to banned substances. The test kits were eventually tested and found to be contaminated. Is there a chance of similar circumstances now with the high rate of "non-negative" EPO results? John Madigan Book 'em, DanoI would like to state my support of the police action at the Giro d'Italia. I have grown increasingly disgusted with riders such as Herve and the others who flout the rules of fairness and decency with their doping in order to win an unfair advantage in a sporting event and expect to get paid for it. I can't even fathom how they thought they would get away with it. Sure, I too enjoy the image of an athlete pushing him or herself to the limit on a tough climb, and when I am riding I sometimes imagine myself to be such a person. However, I cannot and will not tolerate such fraudulant athletes. After the Tour of 1998, I really had to make a decision about my continued support of pro cycling. My friends know I am a big fan, but I almost let it all go. I decided to see how the authorities and leaders of the sport reacted. I am very pleased that a new test for EPO has been found, and I understand and support the need for ongoing development of new tests to detect cheaters. However, I think Hein Verbruggen has been a disgrace and disappointment for the sport because it is clear that he is unwilling to do anything except the minimum, and he kicks and whines the whole way. Therefore, it is fine with me that the police and justice departments are taking the matters into their hands. Cycling is just the first sport, I hope, to undergo these tough sanctions. It seems to me that the authorities planned well: for such a big, decisive stage as the 18th was supposed to be, the temptation to cheat was going to be high. I am curious just what the police turn up. The clean riders and teams will know that the playing field will be level for everyone, and hopefully the dirty ones will lose their reputations, sponsors, and careers. They can go back to school or to the factories or wherever and get a real job until they're 65 like the rest of us. Cycling doesn't need a Pantani, Virenque or a Herve if they have to dope. I thought the difference was that they were willing to train themselves to a high level and hope their genetics and desire to win would help them to prevail. If they need the dope, then you and I might as well might as well make up the field, and we'll race for a t-shirt and all the sodas or Gatorade we can drink. We'll catch our breath, swap big-ring stories, and go home. None of us deserve to earn a lifetime's worth of money in a few years anyway. Maybe if they developed a cure for cancer or AIDS, but sure as Hell not for being a showperson. Several years ago I grew disgusted with the behaviour and excess money of the pro and big-money college football, baseball, and basketball circuses. I haven't watched them or followed them for at least a decade, and it is hard for me to get excited about playing what I know are basically good sports when played cleanly. How can I face my young nephews and say I support such frauds? Now I hope they all the pro leagues go bankrupt. I didn't want cycling and running, "my sports", to go the same way. So as far as I'm concerned, "Book 'em, Dano!" Let the dice (and the law) fall where they may! Maybe the clean riders will be able to ride in peace at last!
Kevin Jayes I think that the situation with the Giro is a travesty. Why do the police have the right to treat these fine athletes, possibly some of the hardest working in the world like criminals? It seems a lost cause when you read stories where vials of "unknown" substances were taken. Due to the 98 Tour de France everyone jumps to the conclusion that it is a banned substance. But pro riders are often injected with vitamins and other legal substances for their own health. Just imagine the physical strain put on their bodies When they do a 7 hour plus mountain stage in the middle of a three week tour. No wonder there is some used of banned substances, just to survive. Cycling is one of the cleanest sports in the world, and is the first to introduce a EPO test. But it still is dogged by its dark side. Why do the press keep using negative publicity of cycling to sell their papers. Swimming had a dark past as well, but it has been able to move on and get away from the drug taking image. I hope that this raid fines little if anything and that it is the first step to forgetting the darker side of professional sport on a whole. Philip Gale
I have to laugh when I see people so bent on cleaning up cycling. Yet here [USA] we think that a 300lb man running a 4.5 forty yard dash is all natural! Track and Field, Football Baseball and Basketball are all guilty of performance enhancing or recreational drug use. The pathetic part of all of this is that we think it is deplorable and we want people punished but not our favorites. How many of us wanted Lawrence Taylor put out of the NFL, Allen Iverson, Dexter Manley, Track and field stars, film stars (Robert Downey)? The money that backs the sports want winners at any cost, so another team signs them up and the public rationalizes it based on their free time and the amount of money they make. Besides, they create revenue. Face it, sports and normal life need to have drugs taken out of the equation. Who is willing to enforce laws, when those with the money are going to protect their interest by investing in known drug users because they make money. They provide legal counsel to ensure that they do not truly face the consequences. How many have met the three strikes and your out only to have them re-appear in their sport because they bring in the crowds. I would love to see cycling (my favorite sport) clean, as well as every other sport. As I am sure those competing, would like to compete on even ground. But if I needed to boost myself in order to compete and there were millions of dollars at stake, I can understand the rationalization. I hate to see politics play a part in any of this, since many of the politicians are no better themselves. Quit being hypocritical and either enforce the laws and make punishment stick, regardless of socio-economic status, or shut and enjoy the sport with its known faults. Ken Stephens The president of the Italian Cycling Federation, Gian Carlo Ceruti said the raids were the price cyclists would have to pay if they had not yet understood the need to clean up the sport." This is the largest load I have ever seen! How can Ceruti really blame the riders?!? These are people trying to do their jobs, and do them well to please their constituents. If anything it is the Italian Cycling Federation that needs to realize what is going on. It just amazes me that a bureaucrat can project this on his riders. We demand spectacle, and if it is spectacle that the public want then we have to put up with the darker side. Kurt Kuckein
How can our sport hope to advance with any credibility to both fans and sponsors (no money-no pro's) when the likes of Herve continue to insult us with breathtaking arrogance. He should never ride a sponsor's bike again. Credibility is everything in competition and great performances should be admired and emulated not scrutinised and spotlighted in investigation as proof of wrongdoing. If that is where we are at then I am very concerned that there is not a lot left. Mark Wilkinson
Did anyone ever think that there was another motive behind the raids other than searching for drugs? From one comment that I read the police said that there was no reason to worry "...because there is not going to be a stage tomorrow". That sounds almost like the race is being fixed by the bookies. On a stage that could be very decisive to the overall results, and not letting it happen? C'mon, there's got to be more to this story. Rusty DeBlassie
The hypocrisy of the French and Italian governments makes me think that maybe George W. isn't so bad. It seems that cycling has some doping problems, so what is new? I have several more questions: Why hadn't this been done earlier, in the 1970s and 1980s? It's not like doping started in 1998. Why don't they do the same to football/soccer, where much, much more money is at stake, many more athletes compete, it has a much higher profile for Europe's youth, and many more people are involved? Why attack a sport with just a few hundred professional athletes, only the top one hundred or so are paid anything worth mentioning and only ONE of whom has died(Tom Simpson), and that was almost thirty years ago? Is it because there are no bigger crimes and travesties to devote 200 police to and hundreds of hours of investigators, lawyers, and judges valuable time? Not last time I checked... I don't believe in doping, but this is ludicrous and disgusting. Cathal Blake I was in the Army in the 70s when we were attempting to get control of our barracks from the drug users/abusers. We regularly held "health and welfare" inspections to "inspect" rooms. It was a morale buster, destroyed trust between soldiers who lived in the barracks and the leaders, most who didn't live in the barracks. And, it did little to diminish the use by the hard core druggies. There are better ways to do this. The improvement in urinalysis and blood testing is one such way. Today, technology isn't perfect, but an athlete who cheats runs a high risk of being detected. That is the proper way to control this, not raiding the entire peloton on the eve of the biggest stage held this year in all of Italy! Make the consequences of a positive test so high that the death penalty looks tame. I guess I'm just pissed off - I had scheduled my calender to be available to watch this one tonight and this just makes me want to puke Louis Deeter
I'm all for cleaning up the sport and applaud the ongoing efforts put toward testing etc. which I believe have begun to contribute to a gradual but positive improvement. I am, however, very concerned and disappointed with the grandstand event that has taken place. This will have a very dramatic long-term negative impact upon the sport. It has been a very difficult balancing act to both conduct clean-up efforts while at the same time trying to keep them on the QT. I don't believe that cycling needed or benefits from this "outside help". This has only served to make the problem very public in the form of a 20/20-style expose. I suspect that team sponsors, always difficult to secure in the best of times, will be leaving in droves. If I were a sponsor I'd be looking for a quick exit and begin to distance myself from the sport entirely. While this won't be a death knell, it will have long-term effects that will leave the sport in shambles for some time to come. This too shall pass but pro racing will, I believe, survive in a much diminished format and have a difficult time recovering from this little stunt for some time to come. Gordon Mooers
Having never competed in a real race, I don't know what a cyclist can and cannot have. Some paraphernalia is undoubtedly due to legitimate drugs with the bouts of flu going around but some is probably EPO or other dangerous drugs. But I worry that an entire sport is being besmirched from either a very few who are doing the wrong thing OR by overzealous power fiends going after everyone just because some riders consume the equivalent of strong espressos. I could certainly see it as just that, everyone hurt from some crusading inquisitionist who doesn't care for the truth, just himself. Geoff Knobl
Why blame the police, it is the riders who chose to cheat, it hurts the sport, and diminishes the heroic efforts of clean pro riders. I have no respect for riders that hurt such a great sport. As far as Marco, not wanting to ride in stage 17 as a protest [ed. note: he claimed bronchitis], ha look how he has been riding since he been clean. He hurt his reputation, let the police, teams, & sponsers clean up the sport and get back to fair racing. Guy Smalley
If the Giro is raided by the police, then why are they not being straightforward and raid anyone who is doing forbidden things (which are, contrary to a cyclist using corticosteroid or EPO, harmful to other people as well) such as driving while drunk, or even smoking in public areas? If the world of cycling is poisoned, then it is no more poisoned than normal society! The hypocrisy displayed in this matter is annoying. Bart Broex
So another drug scandal hits a major tour! This is not news, nor is it especially shocking to me or many cycling fans. What I found appalling was that Marco Pantani, a known user of illegal substances in the past would be selected to represent riders at discussions with the Giro organizers. That the riders seemed to have no problem with this only lends credence to the public perception that the riders themselves widely accept drug use in the peloton. Until the riders themselves condemn the practice on a wide scale the problem will likely continue to fester. Brian Leverenz
From the reports I've read, the Italian police's tactics and attitudes indicate that they wish to destroy the Giro, and all of competetive cycling for that matter. The new EPO tests are turning up doped riders at an unprecedented rate, and the UCI are taking steps to get its house in order. And now this. More police state tactics which lead the public to assume the worst - that the riders and teams are all cheats until proven innocent. If you want the sport of cycling to be clean, and you believe this type of fascist crackdown is the way to go about it, then I suggest you start following "sports" like bowling, golf, or chess. Yes, cycling has its doping problems, but so do all "real" sports. If you need to feel clean yourself, to feel you are not supporting a dirty sport, please don't support the complete destruction of individual liberties and police state tactics to cleanse your own guilt. The riders are already tested frequently. Many riders from the late 1980's and '90's are succumbing to doping-related health problems, and are real-life examples to current professionals and amateurs that doping isn't worth the risk to your health. The police, governement agencies, UCI, and national federations, need to treat doping as a sickness, not as a heinous crime that requires police raids, the destruction of liberty, and a media circus that will drive away fans and sponsors alike. If you like what you've seen in Italy, go to the police the next time you are sick. Robert Campbell
It is unfortunate that these raids are needed. But they are needed! I am a big fan of cycling but am also a rider. I know guys who use drugs to win local crits and even masters races. We need to wake up and realize that the best we can do unaided is what we must do. It is more obvious with the top pro riders but look around your local club. We need to cast out the guys at local levels who cheat as much as the opt guys. Bob Burns
With the new EPO tests proving conclusively that abusers will be caught, one would expect the authorities to let the new testing take effect before making lotsa noise. UCI, get up the curve on Hemopure and Actovegin test as offered by the makers! There are many sports that have substance abusers and, unfortunately, always will be. Abuse in athletics is rife as is abuse in many endurance sports but cycling has had more than its fair share of focus. Let authorities act in conjunction with cycling bodies to test, spot raid etc. but let them do it in an orderly manner. Let our sport stay alive, undue publicity will kill sponsorship and the racing we love to see. The riders and authorities need to act together to keep it clean and keep it quiter. Crofton McLaughlin
I agree that the sport needs to be cleaned up. and maybe police raids are one way of placing fear in the riders. however, I think that the fear should be placed on the riders by their own conscience, for health or moral reasons. the riders themselves should be responsible for their own bodies, and what they do to it. Since the sport obviously has a problem with the riders' lack of morals and care for their bodies, we then have to look to the directeurs sportif to place the fear in the riders. But then we have those directeurs who want the prize as badly as the riders. The national federations should then be the ones responsible for ensuring a level playing field. But wait! They are playing for national pride, and want to see their riders win for their country. So we then leave this in the hands of the UCI, and Verbruggen is doing everything he can to work with the riders, the teams, and the authorities. I think it's obvious that he is the only one who is truly concerned with making sure every race comes down to the best rider, not the most well-doped (and I say well-doped because there are those that dope, and those that control it well enough to go undetected...) The real problem in cycling is that the riders are pulled through a system where the motto seems to be "win no matter what it takes" and are given the resources to do this. their morals are shaken to the ground by their directeurs and national federations. though there is no clear way of solving the problem, I think that attacking the riders is starting at the wrong end of the "fault line". Police raids are absurd. the manner in which they are performed is harsh and undeserving by athletes who are "professionals". I'd like to see that the rest of the cycling community (and in these cases the Italian or French police) act as "professionals" as well. Sean Yeager
When I first read the news this morning it was just depressing. Here we go again, just like the '98 Tour of France, and the bad press that a really enjoyable sport will be receiving because of this incident. Trying to explain to the other sport enthusiasts that doping is not just a problem in cycling but in all sports, be it recreational drugs or performance enhancing drugs. I wish that all sports would have to comply to the same standards that cycling has issued. If this were so most of the professional athletes in pro sports would not be allowed to play. But this argument is a mote point when cycling continues to receive the "bad press". I support the police in their attempt to enforce the rules, that is their job. But I do not like the political influences that have used this issue to gain political favor or advancement. This cheapens the ideal of a clean sporting environment. So if cycling needs to be or become the standard bearer for tighter drug controls and a drug free sport that allows the individual or team to play to the fullness of their natural ability then so be it. A level playing field enhances the sport and the athletes' skills and performance. I hope that this and the new EPO tests causes the athletes, and those who pay them, and the companies who sponsor the teams and events to have a moment of pause and reflection before they consider using or are pressured to use drugs to enhance their performance. Lest we forget, we who are fans of cycling and those who participate in the sport are role models and we want to be a positive influence on the future cyclists that will be entering the sport. Let us always remember it is still just a sport, so lets enjoy it as such. For cycling and racing is fun and it would be a shame to lose that part of the sport. Brent Skelton
Why is everybody so surprised? I don't have a single inside contact to any of the teams, but I'm not surprised! Everybody wants a show, including me, but lest we realize the pressure we put on the athletes to gives that spectacle day in and day out. From the sponsors who pay mega money and put their name on the line to the national expectations to represent a country of crazed fans. I'll hold my tongue to call this what it is. Athletes using drugs? Is that really the travesty? Or, is it the media hype fueled by personal obsession on something that won't mean too much in 10 years? Why don't we take the pressure off the athletes and enjoy the natural abilities that they have worked hard to reach. I'm sure if you ask anybody who bikes if they had the opportunity to reach their potential whether they'd rather do it with substance abuse or without, the answer would be obvious. Here's to the athletes who maintain their integrity. And, respect to the one's who stand up for what they believe is right. Making money off these races, from the race promoters to the sponsors, has infected the pelaton psyche and has warped the purity of what sport is all about. Those who fall into these categories are hypocrites for being so hard on the athletes, but then distorting the importance of a single race way out of proportion. I that's why the early years of competitive cycling were so inspiring to the present, because the races were focused on the essence of sport. Media has made giants out of mere men, dream like movies out of everyday life, and taken no blame for this. Take the hype of the races and enjoy the game. Then see how many dopers we've got. Jeremiah Williams
Well, This is another disappointment on a grand scale. For those who love the sport, have patience, eventually the European peloton will be rid of the drug addicts. It amazes me though that the director sportifs are complaining about how their riders are being treated. If they weren't the ones to turn a blind eye in the first place, this wouldn't happen. I do however feel cycling is being used as a scapegoat for the majority of sport. It would be nice if the authorities and media began to look at the other addicts(e.g. soccer and track & field). Then maybe the public might realize the extent of weakness in professional sport isn't subject only to cycling. Charlie Adams
Kudos to the Italian police! If these raids are what it will take to clean up our sport, even if it takes a few more years, I'm all for it. The riders say they are treated like animals and have no privacy? TOO BAD! After all that has gone down the last few years, maybe they don't deserve to be treated any differently. These drugs are banned by the sport and also by their country, yet riders continue to be caught year after year. Are we to feel sorry for them for being treated like "criminals" or "animals"? Maybe a year in a jail cell instead of the usual slap on the wrist will convince a few riders to clean up their act. I don't expect Verbruggen to take any drastic action in this case either, he'll probably go on vacation to Africa again and say that the sport is clean until the next big blow-up. So, my hats off to the Italian authorities, and also the French authorities in '98. These raids certainly disrupt our sport, but hopefully in a few years we will see that it was not in vain. Jim Hudak
While I, like many/most/all fans of cycling wish that my sport was clean, that I could count on the amazing performances I watch on TV or video, and all the amazing performances I read about were done cleanly...pragmatism demands that I accept that many, if not most of those performances have been enhanced by drugs. What I have to try to figure out is if it really matters that much. I am a fan of cycling, and I want to see incredible grit and courage and amazing climbs and daring descents, and I want to see the riders do it over and over and over again, every day. The body cannot take this. We, as fans, demand too much from the riders we follow, the riders we idolize. In order to live up to our expectations, along with the expectations of their sponsors to win, win, WIN! riders feel they must supplement their natural ability with unnatural help. Does it mean a less full calendar, or perhaps more rest days in the major Tours? Perhaps. Does it mean limiting the number of days a rider can race? Perhaps. Yes, I want my sport to be clean. No, I will not condemn any rider for doping...not until the demands on riders bodies are eased some other way. Steven L. Sheffield
I think it's deplorable that the authorities, whether they be the French (in 1998) or Italian police, mar one of the Grand Tours in this fashion. Especially on the eve of such a significant stage that all of the cycling world was looking forward to eagerly. I understand that doping continues to be the most serious issue facing professional cycling, but since the Festina Affair in 1998, the overwhelming majority of cyclists who have been caught have been the lesser lights past their prime or the overmatched in the peloton. It is clear that the elite riders have been winning on pure talent, hard work and sacrifice, and not through doping shortcuts. Yet they must suffer along with the rest. Guilt by association is a very fragile foundation upon which to pursue "justice". Let the UCI be the final authority on doping control in the peloton with their EPO tests and random testing and not the local police in a given country. Cary Brown
I'm with your other correspondents...the authorities have got to do whatever it takes to stamp out drug abuse. I've loved the sport all my life but I'm mighty disillusioned. Our heroes have feet of clay. It's depressing to read Meier's reaction to testing positive to EPO. "I've never failed a test before." Not much sign of remorse there. Perhaps lifetime bans are the answer. Keith Warmington
Its great that Italy, like France, has so little real crime that 200 police officers can be diverted from their regular duties to harass athletes. I suggest moving the Giro to the USA where officers are generally too busy chasing real criminals to waste time and tax money on some bike racers AND where personal liberty is (usually) shown some respect. As for the riders, get off the drugs already. You share part of the blame here. J. Parsons The actions taken of the Italian authorities and those riders that continue to abuse drugs are disgraceful. The Italian police was wrong in the way they conducted their searches. However, since it appears that some banned substances were indeed found in some hotel rooms, their heavy handed actions will now appear to be justified. Each team in the race that has been maintaining a drug free environment - and I do believe that there are a number of them out there - got screwed. How much more of this can the sponsors take? The continued abuse of drugs by a hapless minority of riders is allowing this type of hysterical over-reaction by the police to continue. Talk about a self sustaining feeding frenzy. Best of luck to the sport we love. John Verrier
I have to back the police on this course of action. At the end of the day it is only fear that will stop the use of drugs in our sport and we need the fear of police raids on top of getting caught by drug tests. I have no sympathy for any rider who gets caught and the minimum ban should be 1 year and 3 years on a second offence. Maybe riders would think twice if they had to miss a whole season not just part of the year. Do we want to watch riders that we suspect are cheating ? I don't Kieran Hewitt Here we go again! Doping troubles in cycling ("Giro de Italia"). They are all doped to the limit. Every team in the big pro cycling circus, and we all know it. The sport is infected by poison, and I think it is a shame for all the fans of cycling (including myself). Say hello to all the drugaddicts from me... all of them! Martin Riis Rasmussen Congratulations to the Italian police. I want to defend their actions. It is necessary that cycling is cleaned up, and I don't see another way than to look for illegal substances in the vicinity of the riders, because it's so hard to detect them in the body itself. This Giro was a good Giro, but what about Hervé? Forconi? Seven others are suspected, and one big name would be in it. Gotti? Simoni's time trial? I'm really curious about the results of last night's action, and I'm in no doubt that some of the cyclists will have trouble sleeping tonight. And today's stage is being cancelled because no-one wanted to ride it. Only Selle Italia I would guess. Simoni is one stage closer to victory, Frigo would probably have lost time and not won any, and everybody else is glad with their standings in the GC or was just going to be happy to survive today... They're whingers with a bad reputation, and they should continue this Giro. If they abandon it, then it's a farce. Good luck to Frigo for the pink jersey in Milan. Antoni Vanloffelt
The last month's letters
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