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BIKE AND DRUG

A insurmountable obstacle?

The bicycle is the most addictive drug, and healthier it is. But there are other not-so-healthy addiction related to the bike.



In recent days we have read about doping scandals involving some of the Puerto Rican athletes who won medals in the recently held Central in Mayaguez. Yesterday the federal Justice Department accused the pitcher Roger Clemens lying to Congress about his use of federal controlled substances. And today the New York Times article published latest on what seems to emerge as a doping scandal for the famous American cyclist Lance Armstrong.

The problem of doping, or substance use forbidden to gain a competitive advantage in sport is a serious problem that has affected and continues to affect the professional cycling. doping in cycling has a long history. The first cases of doping in cycling is reported in the late 19. Doping has tarnished the reputation many professional cyclists, including cycling recognized as: Laurent Fignon, Bernard Thevenet, Jan Ullrich, Marco Pantani, Alexandre Vinokourov, Ivan Basso, and even the legendary Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx - considered by many the best rider all time. The Floyd Landis doping cost him the title of winner of the Tour de France, 2006

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More than champagne flowed in the veins of Landis.

In May this year, Landis claimed publicly that the Texas Seven-times Tour de France, Lance Armstrong had been doped, as the Wall Street Journal will report . Armstrong has denied allegations of Landis. Both riders were teammates on the U.S. Postal Service team, which is currently being investigated by the authorities for fraud fedrales linked to doping. Federal authorities also currently investigating Armstrong for doping, and New York Times reported this month now there are other former teammates of Armstrong who have told the authorities that Armstrong was doping. The famous American cyclist Greg LeMond also several times winner of the Tour de France (and who was never detected doping), and the first non-European rider to win the Tour de France Armstrong has spent years suggesting that doping is, and has expressed interest in cooperating with the federal criminal investigation against Armstrong.

Eddie Mercx

setting the distance record of 1 hour in Mexico City (with a nice steel frame bike!) In 1972. Merckx's record remained for the next 12 years.

Greg LeMond facing the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the final stage of the Tour de France (1989)

The controversy surrounding Armstrong is particularly unfortunate for cycling as Armstrong, who once was a cancer victim, has donated millions of dollars to fight cancer through his foundation, Livestrong .

Armstrong suffers a fall during a competition this year. To fall also its reputation?

As a result of the recent doping scandals in cycling, there have been several groups and initiatives to promote drug-free professional cycling. One of these is Bike Pure . Bike Pure is an "independent and global levels to those fans, professional cyclists, and people in the bicycle industry opposed to doping in cycling, and want to promote exemplary professional cycling, and positive. " The PRBC supports the work of Bike Pure, and others who fight against doping in cycling.

a couple of weeks ago the Wall Street Journal reported the World Anti-Doping Agency plans to investigate more about doping in cycling professional, as the Agency estimates that International Cycling Union is not doing a good work on this important issue.

An excellent book / report on doping in professional cycling is the biography of the famous Italian cyclist Marco Pantani, entitled The Death of Marco Pantani . Pantani was found dead at age 34 in a hotel room in 2004, resulting from an overdose of cocaine, a substance to which he was addicted from years before. The book you can get the shop at Amazon PRBC ( http://astore.amazon.com/puerricobicyc-20 ).