Once again, the inept anti-doping enforcement and doping deterrence policy of the USADA has left the cycling world scrambling to re-write years of history. The magnitude of this failure of the public trust can not be understated and ultimately calls into question the relevance of the USADA involvement in the sport.
Emblazoned on the home page of the USADA website is the stated “Mission” of the agency:
We hold the public trust to:
Preserve the Integrity of Competition
We preserve the value and integrity of athletic competition through just initiatives that prevent, deter and detect violations of true sport.Inspire True Sport
We inspire present and future generations of U.S. athletes through initiatives that impart the core principles of true sport — fair play, respect for one’s competitor and respect for the fundamental fairness of competition.Protect the Rights of U.S. Athletes
We protect the right of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes to compete healthy and clean — to achieve their own personal victories as a result of unwavering commitment and hard work — to be celebrated as true heroes.
For the cycling world, the USADA mission has been a complete failure. The integrity of the sport is a tattered ruin, the USADA prevention and deterrence initiatives have clearly failed, and its doping detection methodology is at best, inadequate and at worst, a farce. Principled up and coming amateur cyclist know that they will not be able to compete with the cheaters and at best may receive delayed and much reduced recognition effectively negating the benefit of any protected right “to be celebrated as true heroes”. These conditions only provide incentive for young competitive riders to dope.
The litany of reasons for the USADA’s failed effort in policing pro-cycling include; inconsistent and/or ambiguous enforcement, inadequate doping detection methodology, and lack of transparency. This ineptitude has led to financial loss for corporate sponsors, the degradation of public support, and incalculable loss of prestige and potential financial compensation for cyclist that compete clean.
The expected justifications for the dilapidated state of USADA initiatives in cycling will most likely be its limited resources to complete the scope of the work. However, those excuses will do little to compensate for the financial losses that are being incurred by pro-cycling’s many stakeholders. The USADA should modify the scope of its cycling initiative to objectives that it can reasonably attain in a timely fashion.
The cheaters are, in large part, to blame for the current upheaval in the cycling world. That does not, however, absolve the USADA of its failed policing effort which has created an environment where the cheaters flourish and profit for years while the names and accomplishments of clean cyclist pass quietly and uncelebrated into the pages of history.
The USADA may not be beholden to public opinion but continued public support is the life-blood of the sport. The out-classed, meandering, and selective police effort of the USADA has put a noticeable drag on pro-cycling fan enthusiasm. There is an acute sense of distrust in the validity of the standings in the classifications at the end of every stage and every race (and this uncertainty can stretch on for years!). Uncorrected, the trajectory of this trend can lead to financial disaster for pro-cycling.
The doping situation in pro-cycling is real. Thus anti-doping enforcement needs to be real or, at best, realistic. The doping detection process needs to have a transparent method of being scientifically updated, institutionalized, and deployed efficiently. A common-sense statute of limitation for sanctioning and/or prosecuting athletes needs to be instituted. Anti-doping policy must apply to all athletes equally.
All of the stakeholders in pro-cycling have put nearly a century of commitment and incalculable resources in to building and growing this highly competitive and very exciting sport. The institution of pro-cycling is jeopardized by the under-resourced and over-reaching authority that the USADA holds over the sport. The USADA needs to make the commitment and “get in” to pro-cycling or please just get the hell out!
Sincerely,
One Pissed-Off Cycling Fan