Let's make a list...

I was out on a ride today, and I was thinking about making a list. So here we go...

1. Floyd Landis
2. Roberto Heras
3. Alex Zulle
4. Eddy Merckx
5. Ivan Basso
6. Johan Museuw
7. Frank Vansebroucke
8. Tyler Hamilton
9. Lance Armstrong
10. Alejandre Valverde
11. Jan Ullrich
12. Tom Simpson
13. Joseba Beloki
14. Raismandas Rumsas
15. Bjarne Riis
16. Richard Virenque
17. David Millar
18. Marco Pantani
19. Laurent Brochard
20. Oscar Camenzind

Now, there are 20 names of cyclists up there on this page. What do they all have in common? They've all been singled out for doping in their cycling careers. Review that list. Take it in. Look at it again. There are some seriously big names in there, and I mean really big names in there. Some of them have been proven out to be dopers, others were suspected of it, and some were found out after their careers were over. This is by no means a full and comprehensive list, this is just the names I came up with thinking about it for a few minutes. Can anyone add some more to this list?

My point with this, is that, look at the names. Look at the races that they won. Now, do you honestly think that there are any racers out there at the highest level of the sport who are not doping? To be certain, I'm sure and certain that there are a few folks out there who are not doping to ride their bikes, but I firmly believe that they are the exception, rather than the rule. With testing catching up to riders, and their "techniques" for enhancement, this is why we're seeing more and more riders pop positive these days. This is why folks keep getting nailed, and it will continue. I don't know if we'll have any pro cyclists left after Puerto is all said and done, there will be a few less boys in the peloton for sure. I think that we're in a dark time as far as cycling goes and we don't know what's going to happen to the sport. I for one, haven't been paying any attention to the Giro D'Italia, which is odd for me, since I love that race, but this year, I'm disinterested. I'm interested in racing, and riding my bike, but now more on a local level as opposed to watching the big time pros too much. I still watch some races, but I'm tired of opening up cyclingnews.com, or velonews.com in the morning, and seeing who got busted for what today. It's maddening, and sad at the same time.