Dopes
Yay Weekend!!!
So, it’s been quite the week over at the Tour De France. We TiVo the 4-6 hour live coverage every day, and let’s just say our TiVo needs a vacay. The poor thing has just been overflowing the last couple of weeks during the TdF. We try to flip through each day’s broadcast in the evening, but we are usually 1-2 days behind. That’s usually not a big deal because I know very few people watching it, and it never seems to be newsworthy. Well, not this week. I had already had the Next Food Network Star spoiled for me, and then Comcast.net spoiled part of the TdF. They had a big headline on the front page about the yellow jersey being kicked off. But little did I know when I sat down to watch the previous day’s footage that the guy I was rooting for and his ENTIRE team had been booted the day before the yellow jersey for blood doping. How upsetting. And we were really rooting for this guy – he had taken a nasty tumble early in the tour and totally ripped himself and his lycra up. But, he got up, dusted off and pushed through the pain. (BTW, I need to know what brand of lycra these guys wear because I was certain his outfit would unravel by the end of that stage, but it totally held – huge hole and all). He continued on the next day, bandaged up and with tons of stitches, literally having to be helped off his bike when he was done because he couldn’t walk. I admired this guy, and even though I usually cheer mostly for Americans I really hoped he could come back and win, on his sheer guts and determination. I told myself that if it were me I hoped I would be as tough and as strong, and have that sort of will to finish and carry on through the pain. I cheered when he won two stages and rooted for his entire team, who were unfortunately clad in some pretty hideous baby blue outfits. And then the news – blood doping. And it was just all sort of gone. This person I had “trusted” and “identified with” was nothing more than a cheater. That wasn’t him defying odds, that was just drugs. How disappointing. And ridiculous. And the next day’s TiVod broadcast was lead off with the yellow jersey being kicked off of his team for suspected drug abuse during some time “he went dark”. Again, so ridiculous. To just blow it all like that. All those days he’s been the proud owner of the yellow jersey he’s likely been on drugs. How sad for all the fans who see his jersey and light up and run along, often pretty well naked, beside him to say they ran with the yellow jersey for a few meters. How sad for the non-doped cyclists who missed out on all those opportunities to be the proud wearer of the yellow. Yellow is just not my color – but I’d love to wear THAT yellow.
But it’s not just cycling, it’s idiots like our own PacMan Jones as well as half the NFL and their need to “make it rain”, and people fixing games, and baseball has its own drug issues as well. I know I don’t understand their pressure, but it seems like all their ethics are just gone.
How about the latest controversy in running? Have you heard people are starting to get their DQs from Grandma’s marathon over their headphone rule? I think that’s a bit much. Of the 4 marathons I’ve run, I ran 1 with headphones all the way, 2 without (because I ran with Brent and we were there to socialize as well as run) and in Georgia I ran half with and half without. On the other hand, I really don’t care if you DQ me as long as you don’t pull me from the course. If I can still get my shirt and medal, fine, DQ me all day long. At a distance event like that I have no chance of placing anyway. I’m currently training for a brand-new, sold out half here in September, “The Middle Half”. Word is they plan to enforce this headphone thing and have said they may disqualify people. I’m running this one alone and fully plan to wear my headphones, so all this jabber is a bit irritating. Most of the people I’ve had issues with are oblivious because they’re jabbering, usually 4 or 5 wide. If they all had headphones on I feel like they might actually be paying more attention! It seems like most larger races I run do state the rule against headphones in their race packet, but no one seems to really enforce it. I think it’s crazy that a small race like this one (it’s limited to 1,000 ppl) is planning to enforce this rule.
I actually have run, swam and worked out well this week, but there really isn't a whole lot to say about it at the moment!! Anyway, time to move on! Have a great weekend!!
Rae
So, it’s been quite the week over at the Tour De France. We TiVo the 4-6 hour live coverage every day, and let’s just say our TiVo needs a vacay. The poor thing has just been overflowing the last couple of weeks during the TdF. We try to flip through each day’s broadcast in the evening, but we are usually 1-2 days behind. That’s usually not a big deal because I know very few people watching it, and it never seems to be newsworthy. Well, not this week. I had already had the Next Food Network Star spoiled for me, and then Comcast.net spoiled part of the TdF. They had a big headline on the front page about the yellow jersey being kicked off. But little did I know when I sat down to watch the previous day’s footage that the guy I was rooting for and his ENTIRE team had been booted the day before the yellow jersey for blood doping. How upsetting. And we were really rooting for this guy – he had taken a nasty tumble early in the tour and totally ripped himself and his lycra up. But, he got up, dusted off and pushed through the pain. (BTW, I need to know what brand of lycra these guys wear because I was certain his outfit would unravel by the end of that stage, but it totally held – huge hole and all). He continued on the next day, bandaged up and with tons of stitches, literally having to be helped off his bike when he was done because he couldn’t walk. I admired this guy, and even though I usually cheer mostly for Americans I really hoped he could come back and win, on his sheer guts and determination. I told myself that if it were me I hoped I would be as tough and as strong, and have that sort of will to finish and carry on through the pain. I cheered when he won two stages and rooted for his entire team, who were unfortunately clad in some pretty hideous baby blue outfits. And then the news – blood doping. And it was just all sort of gone. This person I had “trusted” and “identified with” was nothing more than a cheater. That wasn’t him defying odds, that was just drugs. How disappointing. And ridiculous. And the next day’s TiVod broadcast was lead off with the yellow jersey being kicked off of his team for suspected drug abuse during some time “he went dark”. Again, so ridiculous. To just blow it all like that. All those days he’s been the proud owner of the yellow jersey he’s likely been on drugs. How sad for all the fans who see his jersey and light up and run along, often pretty well naked, beside him to say they ran with the yellow jersey for a few meters. How sad for the non-doped cyclists who missed out on all those opportunities to be the proud wearer of the yellow. Yellow is just not my color – but I’d love to wear THAT yellow.
But it’s not just cycling, it’s idiots like our own PacMan Jones as well as half the NFL and their need to “make it rain”, and people fixing games, and baseball has its own drug issues as well. I know I don’t understand their pressure, but it seems like all their ethics are just gone.
How about the latest controversy in running? Have you heard people are starting to get their DQs from Grandma’s marathon over their headphone rule? I think that’s a bit much. Of the 4 marathons I’ve run, I ran 1 with headphones all the way, 2 without (because I ran with Brent and we were there to socialize as well as run) and in Georgia I ran half with and half without. On the other hand, I really don’t care if you DQ me as long as you don’t pull me from the course. If I can still get my shirt and medal, fine, DQ me all day long. At a distance event like that I have no chance of placing anyway. I’m currently training for a brand-new, sold out half here in September, “The Middle Half”. Word is they plan to enforce this headphone thing and have said they may disqualify people. I’m running this one alone and fully plan to wear my headphones, so all this jabber is a bit irritating. Most of the people I’ve had issues with are oblivious because they’re jabbering, usually 4 or 5 wide. If they all had headphones on I feel like they might actually be paying more attention! It seems like most larger races I run do state the rule against headphones in their race packet, but no one seems to really enforce it. I think it’s crazy that a small race like this one (it’s limited to 1,000 ppl) is planning to enforce this rule.
I actually have run, swam and worked out well this week, but there really isn't a whole lot to say about it at the moment!! Anyway, time to move on! Have a great weekend!!
Rae
posted by Rae @ 2:13 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I'm with you on being disappointed in The Tour. Or at least the ones who are doping. I hate to think this way, but it really makes me wonder "are they all doing it? And every now and then something goes wrong and someone gets caught?" Because it's hard to believe that those guys would play with their career like that if they didn't really think they could get away with it. It puzzles me, actually.
About the Staggerwing course. The runs will be easy - they are flat and fast. And the bike course is not bad, but it's not exactly flat. It's an out and back with lots of rollers and one fairly significant hill on the way back. It's not super steep or anything - it's just kinda long. Come on down and do it!! It's a great event with lots of beer at the finish line!
The doping stuff has been the topic of many conversations here. Like Lana, we're starting to wonder if anyone's clean -- or ever was.
Very interesting about Grandma's following through on its threat. Personally, if a race specifically bans them, I think runners should follow the rules. But if the rule isn't enforced, then I certainly can't blame someone for wanting to listen to music on the run.
Hi Rae - we definitely should meet up in Memphis! I'm at the Doubletree downtown too, and looking forward to it ... sans dope :-)
Hi,
I just wanted to ask about something you have in your blog. The comment about Rasmuesan, I thought they did not catch him doping. I thought it was that the team kicked him off for lying to them. It was more of a team policy. He said he had been tested 17 times in the tour and all were clean. Am I wrong? I guess I could have missed something. If he did not actually dope I hope he comes back next year.
Thanks for the blog I enjoy reading it.
blb
I am debating what to do for the 1/2. I always run with headphones, but they are strongly discouraged. Good to see that others face this same challenge.
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