Who's the Good guy?

Watching cycling is some what of a hobby... Ok, I admit that I follow all the big road races when displayed on TV. During the summer months I probably spend about two hours a day watching the Giro, the Tour or the Vuelta. So, you could say I follow cycling. But does that make me know the cyclists? Well, I'd say no. I don't know them at all. I'm pretty good at recognizing them on a distance based on their form, style, clothes and all that. But I have no idea who's nice and who's not so nice. Well, you see that some of the guys seems nice to the others in the peleton and in their team. But the behavior in a competition, not to mention an inhuman physical competition in the summer heat and with cameras up your face probably doesn't say everything about that person.

So I'm amazed at cycling fans being "chocked" when learning that a specific cyclist has cheated and used illegal substances. Do you know that people cheat? Yes. Does cyclists cheat? Yes. So how do you know which cyclist is predisposed to cheating? That he's nice looking? That he passes water bottles to others cyclists? That other cyclists are disappointed at a guy they spent hours racing with is probably just sane but we watchers will never have any idea which athletes are cheats. Just imaging Lance Armstrong's comment when his old buddy and long time room mate was caught: something like ' I would be amazed if he'd used doping." He couldn't be certain of one of his oldest friends, so how can we be?

Well, I'm saddened by cheating but hey, in all competitions there are cheaters. We must be better at catching them and giving them the proper punishment.