Revisting Floyd

I've been silently watching Floyd Landis' arbitration hearing, decided to reserve my thoughts until both sides have made their case. once that happens, I'll see what i think about Floyd. as it stands, I believe in him, and I believe in his being innocent until proven guilty.

Let me say that again-

innocent until proven guilty.

witch hunts aren't justice. "every pro cyclist is a doper" isn't a viable statement.

i see red anytime i hear someone make a statement like that.

I'm sick of all these jaded s.o.b.'s who say shit like that just to sound like they're in the know. making an assumption about every pro cyclist like that undermines the very sport you love. it trivializes the hours upon hours of sweat and suffering that all competitive cyclists endure in order to cross that finish line first- be it at the penultimate stage of the Tdf or a central park race. it's a destructive, unfair, and ignorant comment to make.

one thing is glaringly clear about this whole situation, though- the system is flawed.

The anti-doping system has failed. WADA and USADA created a slew of rules and regulations to sort out the cheaters. Then, be it through a witch-hunt mentality, or just plain sloppiness, they break a whole bunch of rules just to try and nab the big fish just to make a point. If the governing bodies of cycling can't follow the rules they created themselves, then the whole anti-doping system is flawed.

At this point, Floyd's innocence or guilt is almost inconsequential. Testosterone or not, this whole experience has shown us all that the systems that are in place now do not give a cyclist a fair shake. There's no system of checks and balances. a simple accusation is all it takes to have a rider suspended without proof or litigation. Chain of custody? who needs it!? the a and B samples exceeded their thresholds for contamination? who cares?! inconsistent results? pshaw. I could go on and on (although Arnie baker does a better job than I) it makes me sick.

That being said, i think reform is necessary on the cyclists side. I think the work team slipstream has done in order to prevent their riders from doping is fantastic. I don't think it's ridiculous to ask all pro cyclists to submit to DNA testing.

I love what I do. I love this hobby and the experiences it provides me. I've experienced victories, pain, camaraderie, getting dropped, road rash, 50 mph downhills, sprints, climbs that make my soul hurt, crashes, pacelines, saddle sores, way too much spandex, and too many clif bars. That's what its all about. There'll always be cheaters. It's up to both cyclists and the rule makers to make sure that a system is in place that not only prevents cheaters from sullying our sport, but also protects the honest cyclists that pedal their asses off to win.

If cycling is ever to make its way back to being seen as an honest, beautiful, tough, and fun sport- both cyclists and the governing bodies alike are going to have to make an effort. it takes two, baby.