Tue 31 Jul
2007
CYCLING FARCE
Overcoming. Just what, exactly? The farce that is the world of professional cycling is nothing about overcoming. The sport has become disgustingly disgraceful. The heroes and champions I once looked up to, paid reverence to, are mere shadows in my thoughts now.
Who are my heroes now? There was something about their pain, their suffering in the saddle, their ability to dig into the abyss and pull out the will to turn the crank over one more time
This years Tour de France has left me with a hollow feeling. My personal favorites Basso and Ullrich, under suspicions of doping, but later cleared (see last paragraph). Floyd Landis, last year’s Tour champion, fighting his positive doping test. Bjarne Riis the manager of Team CSC and winner of the Tour in 1996 admitting to using EPO, during the Tour.
This year’s perennial favorite Vinokourov, disgraced by a positive result for doping half way into the Tour. Then shockingly, and the point where I threw in my towel, Rasmussen, the holder of the Yellow Jersey, (and likely winner this year), bowing out under the pressure of questions raised as to his absences for scheduled doping tests earlier in the year.
Still want to get on a bike and ride?
Who can we look to now? Who can we look to in awe?
I just don’t know anymore. At least, for now, I have Lance. There have been suspicions about him as well and an attempt to hit him for his 1999 Tour win failed. But he never missed a drug test; in fact he was probably the most tested athlete in the entire world while riding.
Eyebrows are still raised at his accomplishments. Even more so given the fact that his closest competition during his seven-year reign of the Tour, are all under suspicion of doping. As far as I’m concerned, show me a positive A and B sample from Lance, and then I’ll talk. I take this stance because I need to know that it was real.
I need to know it was you, really you.
I need to know the moment when your heart rate was at 180+ bpm, when your legs were pumping out greater than 6.7 watts per kilo, when your mind gave up, when you fell into the blackness, when you all you heard was your quick raspy breaths in your inner ear. I need to know it was you who pushed the pedal one more time.
I need to know it was you who looked back into your rival’s eye, saw the vein pulse on his temple, saw his knuckles turning white as he grasped his handle bars. I need to know it was you who knew it was time to attack.
I need to know it was you … and not some fucking bag of blood.
Comments [0]
Trackbacks [0]
TWEETS - follow nuvAE on twitter
CURRENTLY
Kingdom Of Heaven: The story of Balian’s quest for redemption and his battles against those who seek power in it’s name. This is an excellent movie whose message is perhaps more important today than it was then.
Dawkins tackles it all in his no holds barred approach to whether God exists. The stance? The probability of it? Very unlikely.
"Hopes and Fears” and “Under The Iron Sea” by Keane get constant play from my iTunes. Find out why their music is so good. After all they were the band that inspired Coldplay.
As Marcus Fenix, you fight a war against the immense Locust Horde, which not only out powers but outnumbers you, your squad, and the entire force of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. Time to pull out the stops in a game that delivers the next-generation in tactical combat systems in Gears of War.