Dekker and Other Alleged Dopers, P.S.

Let's not forget that just about every professional rider caught using banned substances is also--actually first and foremost--a very talented, hard-working athlete. It's nothing new but it bears repeating: people take "doping" for all kinds of reasons, but doping can never turn a mediocre rider into a champion. And the line between riding "clean" and breaking the rules is blurred, gray one--not a sharp black one. This is because racing and training at the top level in this sport (and everyone in the peloton is at this top level) is fundamentally unhealthy. It often makes you sick, and thus you need medical care in order to be able to do your job. So what medical care is permissible, and what crosses "the" line? There will never be unambiguous answers that settle every conceivable issue, because medical science, for one thing, continues to evolve. Yet, the debate--distinguishing between stuff that's mostly in the interest of the rider's health on the one hand, and stuff that's primarily performance-enhancing on the other--is essential. Try to imagine, really imagine, a world in which anything goes. The best we can do is to make distinctions (and devise sactions) that are as honest, fair, and as clear as possible. Exactly where EPO (for a roadie like Dekker, in December) would fall is an interesting question.