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@Puncheur
The doping & cheating debate goes right to the heart of what you want the essence and value of sport to be.
Real life is shit. It's not fair. The playing field isn't level. Privileged c*nts get a massive headstart in life and then pass that unfair advantage on to their kids and onto their kids who are all c*nts. Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? That's life.
We want sport to be something different to real life, to have a different value system, or at least to be a bit more like how we'd like real life to be. We want it to be completely fair. We want the winners win purely on their own talent, endeavour and hard work with no outside assistance. We want our champions to be nice, decent and honourable people. We don't want them to be c*nts. We don't want it to be like real life.
Unfortunately all sports mirror real life. They always did; Charly Gaul only climbed well when the weather was shitty. Hot weather meant his body couldn't cope with all the speed he was popping; Anquetil thought anyone who didn't dope during the Tour de France was a moron; Merckx failed a number of drug tests, usually pulling a tearful 'Virenque' when he was caught. Coppi refused a drug test after he broke the hour record. No need to guess why.
Does this diminish what they achieved? Morally or ethically speaking, without a doubt. In terms of entertainment value or in pushing the boundaries of what can physically be achieved by a bloke on a bike when he's eyeballs out, perhaps not. It depends on your perspective.
I was stood on the roadside on the final climb to Madonna di San Luca in Bologna on Saturday. It was 114 degrees and the road was fucking steep, far steeper than the route book suggested. Regardless of whether there was CERA or not in their blood stream, you look in the eyes of every single rider that came past and they were all hurting. I respected each and every one of them for getting to the top.
The sporting utopia will never exist, and has never existed. Its professional sport. Enjoy the entertainment.