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The second blog for The Yorker from the University of York Riding Club
Contador was cleared of doping by the Spanish Cycling Federation in January, so is currently free to continue racing; but should the UCI’s appeal against the verdict be successful, he will be prevented from riding this year’s Tour de France and banned for what is likely to be a year.
So cycling is left in the sorry situation where the favourite to win its second most prestigious event is involved in an on-going doping scandal, and should he win may well be stripped of his title just weeks after. With cycling’s reputation as it is, few believe in his innocence, and will see his competing as evidence that cycling is a sport being destroyed by drug cheating.
Which makes the recent achievements of Phillippe Gilbert all the more significant for cycling. The Belgium has throughout his career been renowned for his outspoken stance against doping, most famously in a 2005 interview with the Sunday Times, in which he admitted his fear of never reaching the highest level of the sport due to his choice to ride clean.
Two weeks ago Gilbert completed a hat-trick of wins in a series of races known as the Ardennes Classics, a feat that has only ever once been achieved in the history of professional cycling. The three races (Amstel Gold, Flèche-Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège) are some of the most prestigious one-day races on the calendar, and, though not as famous as the Tour de France, are deeply respected among the cycling community.
In winning all three, Gilbert has delighted all in proving wrong his earlier assertion that riders cannot reach the top without cheating. Despite his success, the 28-year-old’s reputation as a clean rider is still widely acknowledged, emphasised by his recent heading of his local Walloon regional government’s anti-doping campaign. Whereas Contador always seems eager to avoid the subject of drugs, and responds to questions about the matter with generic, unconvincing answers, Gilbert’s outspoken and uncompromising attitude towards doping is a breath of fresh air, and exactly what fans want to hear from their stars.
Encouragingly, Gilbert’s combination of an outspoken anti-doping stance and success on the road is not unique. Britain’s Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, who has become the best sprinter of this generation; Carlos Sastre, who won the 2008 Tour de France; Cadel Evans and Thor Hushovd, the two previous winners of the World Championships, one of the most iconic races on the calendar; all have reputations for riding clean.
There examples show not only that not all cyclists are doped, but significantly that it is possible to win on bread and water alone, something the cynics laugh off as impossible.
With riders like Contador still tarnishing its reputation, cycling is a long way from beating the war against drugs, but with the state the sport was in ten years ago it was never to be a quick fix. Progress is certainly being made, and with a new generation of riders lead by Gilbert, fans at least have heroes they can believe in.
Gilbert is an incredible rider. I watched all of the classics races and I was shocked and how strong he really is. This is a huge achievement as you say, due to his outspoken manor of never cheating.
However, you paint Alberto Contador to be a villain in this article. Although I dislike the rider this is not true. A microscopic amount of Clenbuterol was found in his system, something which is highly unlikely to be performance enhancing. This has then been tested, tried and found not guilty in the court of arbitration for cycling.
Please make sure to make people aware these are your personal feelings as these are not hard facts.
Thanks for the comment - you're right, I didn't make it explicit enough that Contador has not yet been declared guilty. But my concern is with cycling's image, and how regardless of the eventual verdict Contador's image will be tarnished, due to the lack of faith fans now have in cyclists.
However he has not been found not guilty in the court of arbitration for sport; that trial is ongoing. Only the Spanish cycling federation has cleared him so far.
And although it is true that the Clenbuterol found in his system wasn't enough to enhance his performance, the rules state that a rider is responsible for what is in his body, however small the amount is.
Glad thats settled, great article. Viva Gilbert!
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