Millar changes his mind….

forgot ( really)
forgot ( really)

ref earlier posts,
ref earlier posts, notcastenough read his book says it was used needle and old vial, he kept to remind him of dark times, who in rite mind keeps old needles and vials in house when no need too!!!

I agree it’s an endless
I agree it’s an endless debate – DMs point though is that the racing culture was so ‘above-the-law’, and the riders were that blase about the threat of enforcement, that he never really saw that as an issue.

I’m about to read Pantani’s story, and have been warned to feel very disillusioned afterwards re doping.

if he stopped taking drugs a
if he stopped taking drugs a few months b4 he was caught( his words in his book) ur choice to believe it or not. is itweird or coincidence a syringe and vial was found in his apartment,.
if he was off drugs the last thing u would keep is an old needle and vial just gives authorities more ammunition. sorry not reading his book and putting more money in his pocket ( my choice) got better things to buy with my money. we can go on debating this matter for ever ( we all have our own opinions and mine is same as b wiggins

issacforce wrote:fair

issacforce wrote:

fair comment, but it is still there choice to take banned substance,if like you say an 18 year old takes a supplement,which has banned substance in it,if he,s any good should,nt he be asking his coach or manager what is banned and what is not, or is it monkey see monkey do,not in my book.

1) Not every team manager or doctor is trustworthy and young pro’s will be more likely to go along with what older, more experienced people in positions of authority suggest. They may not be even aware of what they’re taking trusting their doctor to check these things (do you think Wiggins or Cavendish check all their supplements themselves? Sky will employ people to sort this kind of thing).

2) It is not always choice and there is a lot of pressure on pro’s, especially younger ones who have pressure to improve, to win things and be better. If there is a culture of doping it’s very easy for them to get sucked into it.

Yes, pro’s should take responsibility for their bodies and what’s in them but it is a very simplistic view to take to say that if it’s in there they chose to take it and chose to cheat.

The main problem with life
The main problem with life bans is the current level of.doubt that lies in the testing process. The riders are responsible for whatever is in their bodies and there will always be instances of innocent contamination. Are you happy that in cases of contamination or false positive results an innocent rider is banned for life? What if that rider is 18, just starting out in their career and accidentally takes a supplement which contains a banned substance, or misses three tests? Should they lose their livelihoods, their futures, for one mistake? Like stumps said, punishments have to be proportional, we moved on from chopping off thieves hands, life bans are in the same vein

Also, for young riders under pressure from all sides to succeed and to do what their colleagues are doing can you really hand down the same sentence as you would to someone like Riccardo Ricco?

Until tests are 100% accurate and it is impossible for a rider to accidentally take a banned substance life bans are just too harsh and, for me, absolutely should not be imposed except in exceptional circumstances (Landis/Ricco levels of abuse).

one one question to ask!!!
one one question to ask!!! if he had not been caught, would he have stopped taking drugs, sorry but should have been banned for life like them all who get caught.