No. They tar us all. Have been to watch a TdF and cycling home was somewhat displeased when some car passenger yelled 'dopeur' at me as they passed.
Believe it or not, dopers are not highly regarded sportsmen/women. We used to associate doping with the dictatorships behind the iron curtain. Now it is commercial pressure that makes them do it. And selfish voyeurs, I am sorry to say.
I quite understand. Infelicitous language may have left my post open to misunderstanding, so I've edited it after reading your reply.
By 'them' in my post, I meant the cycling authorities not the pro-racers. I was trying to show that I was on the fence as far as the notion of amnesties went. Apologies for the poor wording.
But I do think the 'selfish voyeur' (not my words) is an element here. One of the reasons the GTs are such good viewing is that there is oodles of money in them. Those oodles (as in football and other big-money sports) are generated from exposure to the TV audience of 'selfish voyeurs'. I ride a lot and have a son who races. My other two children ride but do not race. We would be seen as a 'cycling family'. I too have been to watch the TdF, but I'm too slow and spherical to be accused of doping.
Nonetheless, I do want my TdF and my Giro to be
spectacular and
watchable. I know now that it was not as it seemed, but the impression made on me by some of the extreme rides in the '99, '00 and '01 Tour live with me still. If any changes made by the authorities throw out baby with bath water, then I think there will be a negative impact on the racing. This is not a vote for doping or for a
laissez-faire selective blindness (as to date).
