I like it JP.  Of course, all the local clubs would have to be part of some kind of Cycling organization with binding power over the individual clubs.

Jules, are you implying that CRCA could do more to root out the dopers that are in their ranks?

They're just a little club, that puts on small little training races, in a little local park. What can they do? Maybe it would be important for them to act, if there was some kind of pattern or where multiple riders over they years are caught, for similar infractions. That all seems so hard, can't they all just sign an unenforceable piece of paper that says that they "pledge" not to dope and be done with it?

Dan Reiners said:

Jules, are you implying that CRCA could do more to root out the dopers that are in their ranks?

They're just a little club, that puts on small little training races, in a little local park. What can they do? Maybe it would be important for them to act, if there was some kind of pattern or where multiple riders over they years are caught, for similar infractions. That all seems so hard, can't they all just sign an unenforceable piece of paper that says that they "pledge" not to dope and be done with it?

Lol.  I was poking fun at the totally disorganized and state of amateur bike racing.  USAC's sole mission is sending people to the Olympics.  Local racers can all go found salt from what I can tell.

CRCA bans teams when that team's member skips a marshaling shift. It is kind of odd to think they don't ban them for doping.

How long until David Anthony comes back?!  Oh, he's not going to race anymore?  Riiiiiiiiight... Don't all these loser crackheads always come back b/c part of what led them to dope is that they have ZERO OTHER HOBBIES?

I can't wait.  Although he's old enough he might actually just fade away.  So sad; he deserves a second chance just like Valverde (that's what Laura Meseguer told me when I asked why she never brings up the issue when fawning over him).

konrad said:

CRCA bans teams when that team's member skips a marshaling shift. It is kind of odd to think they don't ban them for doping.

If CRCA doesn't have enough marshals Central Park Conservancy revokes their racing dates and then no CRCA club races. CPC isn't going to take their dates for dopers, so there are no real world impacts for CRCA to allow dopers to remain in their ranks and teams that harbor dopers from continuing to exist.

Also the way CRCA cliques sub-teams work, if a rider from Random Asset Management/Overpriced Botique Frame Marketer sub-team gets popped for taking bootleg Porcine Growth Hormone at Mengoni, all the other fools can just jump ship and join the *new* Overpriced Botique Frame Marketer/Hedge Fund sub-team and get a quick and dirty new jersey from ChampSys. So there is no real penalty.

I honestly just feel like if people are so pathetic that they want to cheat at amateur bike racing then let 'em. I just don't care. It's so absurd that I can't even be bothered to worry about it.

I feel the same...but I don't suffer fools lightly (I know right coming from me)  I don't really care that these cock slaps are cheating and winning...I just care that they think I don't know.  Like it's some big secret that only these dopers know about.  

I used to feel that way, but recently I despise cheaters more than ever. I don't like the way they can takeover a race. I don't like when they use that advantage to win. The more tuned in I get to it, the more it ticks me off. I don't care so much that they're beating me, but I think those fucks should pay simply for violating the sport.

I have an idea...What if...for the racing series we have in the city...The R & A series, Lucarelli & Castaldi Cup and Floyd Bennet Tuesday night series...the top three finishers in the series have to take a control after the final race and there will be a one time unannounced control where the current series leaders will be tested?  We could finance these one time tests by reducing the prize money offered at each race by say 5% or by increasing the cost of each race by $1.  Now someone that wins the first few races could stop showing up at the series, and "dry out" before their mandated control after the last race....still this approach can do two things...put fear into the dopers and give the clean guys a shot at winning one of these series (not saying any past winners have doped...nudge, nudge, wink, wink)  I really think I'm on to something here and I'm basking in my brilliance....someone chop my wheel on this please...

Great.  For the first time since I started racing bikes 20 years ago...I felt like a victim of passive doping...and it didn't feel good.

twoyacks said:

Great.  For the first time since I started racing bikes 20 years ago...I felt like a victim of passive doping...and it didn't feel good.

Related, this past weekend, I watched Michael Margaritte of the Weather Channel team, a double legit national caliber cat 1 road racer, with a reported LT of 400 watts. He started the small race of about 18 or so riders at the back, and finished at the back too. Which surprised me, on a course that was not especially technical, favoring the strong, this monster-strong rider couldn't do much of anything out there.

It's just a nice reminder that you can be strong like bull, but not necessarily be competitive in a cyclocross race. And vice versa, I assume.

Come to the dirty side oh, ye frustrated road racers. Where I think maybe dopers probably don't have as much an advantage as they do on tarmac.

Sandbagging is an addictive form of doping for sure

I think he might still be in the 5s because he's leading in the NJCX cup standings. If you notice, he's pretty much raced those exclusively. Not sure if he could still win the series after upgrading, but I think there's an exception to mandatory upgrades if you're competing in a series like this (it's what allowed Brendan to stay in the 4s for the L&C cup if memory serves correctly). 

There's NOTHING worse than a sandbagger !!!! (pay no attention to my profile pic)

From this morning's NYSBRA newsletter:

"As part of the NYSBRA “RaceClean” program, the US Anti-Doping Association performed testing this weekend at the New York State Road Race Championship at Bear Mountain, The winners of the Cat 3, Men’s Master 35+, and Women Pro/1/2 were pulled and asked to provide samples.  This is a great example of how you and NYSBRA keep our sport clean, ensuring fair competition and stopping doping at its root.  Testing each event costs $3500, though, so please donate to Race Clean!"

Strange that they left the 1s and the 2s alone.

Wow that's awesome

Jeffrey White said:

From this morning's NYSBRA newsletter:


Strange that they left the 1s and the 2s alone.

I agree.  I'd like to see more testing and it goes for the 2's, the 4's, all women, and all masters.

However, I'm betting The winner of the Pro/Am, Scott Zwizanski, a legit road pro, has been tested several times this year.  He was tested by USADA 8 times last year.  13 in 2013, 13 in 2012, and 12 in 20111. Maybe this played into their decision? 

you can look up athletes and their test histories here:
http://www.usada.org/testing/results/athlete-test-history/

If the pros have taught us one thing, it's that spot testing is basically only going to catch incompetent dopers.

Not all dopers are incompetent, but local dopers are probably less competent about evading testing, because there are so few.

mugwump said:

Not all dopers are incompetent, but local dopers are probably less competent about evading testing, because there are so few.

I wonder...

Not sure this counts as "local" but... wow. Doping to win out of a field of ten.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/12/news/age-group-cyclist-fails-doping-test-at-louisiana-championships_390281

Fairly aggressive GIF there Velonews...

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/12/news/florida-cyclist-suspended-for-cocaine-positive_390867

"His ban was shortened to one year, because he did “not intend to impermissibly enhance his athletic performance through the use of a prohibited stimulant,” USADA said."

So if you do lines before a race because it's just fun, but has nothing to do with cycling, that's more ok than if you thought it would make you faster.
Got it.
What if, however, your coke is inside a sweet, small Rapha bag with plastic lining?  Or if you were using a valve extender to. . .  oh, never mind.

I believe he used the Boonan defense. if you snort your coke while listening to bad Euro-house music, they know it isn't intended to enhance athletic performance.