Everybody cheats - or how NOT to pick a hero

I think we in our culture have lost some sense of perspective regarding sport. This has been driven home to me in the wake of the recent doping revelations in cycling during this years Tour de France.
Many of my customers are becoming disillusioned with the sport of cycling and their cycling 'heroes.' Our shop cycling club has an e-mail discussion list and this has been the topic of discussion the past few days. When one rider was bemoaning that every time he picks a cycling hero, the rider turns out to be dirty I posted this reply. I think it bears wider repeating:

"Everybody cheats. I just didn't know."

Dennis Christopher (As Dave Stoler) in Breaking Away.

If you want true heroes, don't look to professional sports. I don't think our society really knows what a real hero is any more. Athletes - even the best - are not heroes, the are athletes, and human beings. they may be exceptionally talented and good at what they do, but they are often time as flawed as the rest of us. People like Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr are heroes.

Doping in sport is nothing new, even cycling. Doping and cheating has been going on as long as there has been competition. If you are curious about the history of doping in cycling I can recommend Les Woodland's book: The Crooked Path to Victory.


On the bright side, we may well be turning the corner on doping and cheating in cycling. Both Astana, and Cofidis have pulled their Tour teams in the wake of positive dope tests, and Robobank today pulled Yellow Jersey rider, Rasmussen from the tour for lying to the team about his whereabouts during the off season. It seems like we are finally at the point where even the appearance of impropriety will not be tolerated.

Jim Couch