I’m sure that at some point in my life, I’ll be disgraced. And when that day comes, I hope I can weather the storm and resign respectfully, without trampling my denouement under a landslide of excuses; e.g., “I’m not a married, self-loathing homosexual – I’m just prone to misunderstandings. Lots of them“. “I’m not into adolescent boys – I was just drunk. For the past past 11 years“. “I wasn’t doping – I was just having relationship problems”
Given the trend toward newer, more stringent anti-doping standards, I don’t think we’ll encounter a dearth of sniveling excuses in the ’08 season, either, even if organizers are aiming for kinder, gentler races. To avoid these embarrassments, organizers will be seeking out out teams unlikely to turn up a doping positive, which means Jon Vaughters’ commitment to clean cycling should be netting him much more than “Sportsman of the Year” nominations. Even if Slipstream shakes out buck-naked last at every major event, no other team lets organizers make as strong a statement for the future of the sport.
If only the Germans had such foresight. With T-Mobile – er, I mean High Road – continuing to chase the dream of in-house testing, odds are their Giants will be getting invitations to the biggest races, and be seen as the face of a cleaner cycling. Adidas, Audi and T-Mobile, however, will simply be remembered as the companies who couldn’t risk advertising on non-doped riders, after funding the sport through its most chemically enhanced years. It’s like they haven’t noticed that Roberto Heras can’t get a job.