Each year more that 200 cyclists battle for dominance in one of the most grueling athletic tests in the world, known as the Tour de France. After three weeks, 21 stages and 2,178 miles spanning four countries, Alberto Contador of Spain triumphed over the competition.
Contador became the unlikely winner in one of the most controversial tours to date. Coined the “Tour de Farce” by French newspapers, this year’s tour was rocked by scandals, doping allegations and the eventual removal of numerous favorites.
Matthew Howe, president of N.C. State’s Cycling Club, said the number of athletes trying to gain an illegal advantage disappointed him.
“On one hand, I feel what has happened this year is good because the cheaters are unable to race,” Howe said. “But it is bad because all you hear is the negative press, so the sport must do something to get positive press.”
The tour began without a reigning champion-last year’s winner, Floyd Landis of the U.S., did not compete due to doping allegations-and the first week was marked by crashes and dominated by sprinters.
However, the doping demon soon returned. In a 48-hour span, Kazakhstan star Alexander Vinokourov-a pre-race favorite-and Cristian Moreni failed drug tests. The cyclists and their teams subsequently left the race.
With five days remaining, tour leader Michael Rasmussen of Denmark was ejected by his own team, who accused him of lying about his whereabouts in order to evade doping controls.
Wolfpack club member Shawn Kane applauded the actions of Rasmussen’s Rabobank team.
“Rasmussen lied to his team, and breach of trust is a big issue,” Kane said. “They were justified in pulling him from the tour — granted he didn’t test positive. It is a bummer to the sport and the race this year.”
Although he was disappointed with the events that unfolded at this year’s Tour, Howe said the famous race inspired him to start riding.
“The 2003 tour made me get into the sport. That year Lance Armstrong won by only 61 seconds. I enjoy exciting bike racing and that’s what got me into it.”
Howe and Kane are just two of the more than 50 members that comprise the Cycling Club here at State. Most athletes train year-round in order to compete in two seasons — mountain biking in the fall and road racing in the spring.
“Cycling Club has been around for quite some time,” Kane said. “It was refurbished in 2001, and we now have new sponsors and have been expanding since them. We placed second in our conference for both road and mountain biking.”
During the road racing season cyclists often compete every weekend and train for 15 to 20 hours per week. Although he doesn’t have any future aspirations to compete in the Tour de France, Howe speculates as to why some athletes take drastic measures in order to gain a competitive edge.
“Racing takes a lot out of you: 3500 kilometers in 21 days takes a lot out of you physically,” he said. “They turn to doping so they can win because it is their career. Winning means more than anything else so they will turn to whatever means necessary.”
