Tour de France - 4771 Words

The Tour de France is considered the worlds most competitive bicycle race. Each summer top cycling teams from around the world compete in the three-week event, which sends riders on a grueling, multi-stage course through the mountainous countryside of Ireland, France, and Belgium. In 1998, the image of Tour de France cyclists as athletes at the peak of their natural abilities was tarnished by allegations of widespread performanceenhancing drug use among competitors. The doping scandal broke a few days prior to the start of the race when a masseuse for Frances Festina team, Willy Voet, was arrested after police found large quantities of anabolic steroids and erythropoietin, or EPO, in his car as he crossed from Belgium into France. A†¦show more content†¦Explains Ivan Waddington in his book Sport, Health, and Drugs, Performanceenhancing drugs have been used by people involved in sport and sportlike activities for some 2,000 years, but it is only very recently (specifically, s ince the introduction of anti-doping regulations and doping controls from the 1960s) that this practice has been regarded as unacceptable. In other words, for all but the last three or four decades, those involved in sports have used performance-enhancing drugs without infringing any rules and without the practice giving rise to highly emotive condemnation and stigmatization. This shift from tolerating doping in sports to testing athletes and ostracizing drug cheats has been driven by several factors. Perhaps most important, technological advances in performance- enhancing drugs, beginning in the 1950s, have bolstered the contention that drug use threatens the integrity of sports. Another motivation behind the shift has been to deter athletes from using illicit substances with unknown health effects. Consider, for example, the evolution of performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries looking for chemical enhancement were stuck with the limited efficacy of stimulants and painkillers. In the mid-1950s, anabolic steroids, synthetic versions of the male sex hormone testosterone, were introduced. Anabolic steroids build muscle and boneShow MoreRelatedDoping and The Tour de France: Lance Armstrong786 Words   |  3 PagesDoping has been present in the Tour de France cycling races since 1903. Doping is when a drug is taken by an athlete to improve his or her performance. In the beginning, Tour cyclists would ingest alcohol, ether, and other addicting substances, to dull the pain in endurance cycling competitions. Later on, riders began using substances and drugs to improve their performance and endurance, rather than diminishing the pain. Soon the government and other people began to notice these practices, soRead MoreEssay on Tour de France Drug Abuse4746 Words   |  19 Pagesaffect all future Tours and will place them and the athletes under scrutiny. To begin with, in Europe until the 1998 scandal occurred, despite a few exceptions, cycling was considered a drug free sport. The 1998 drug scandal tarnished the Tour de France and the reputation and image of other sports. The media response to the scandal took differing positions on what should be done next to clean up cycling. The scandal also affected advertisements, sales, and without question the 1999 Tour and Lance ArmstrongRead MoreTour de France Drug Abuse4890 Words   |  20 Pagesall future Tours and will place them and the athletes under scrutiny. To begin with, in Europe until the 1998 scandal occurred, despite a few exceptions, cycling was considered a drug free sport. The 1998 drug scandal tarnished the Tour de France and the reputation and image of other sports. The media response to the scandal took differing positions on what should be done next to clean up cycling. The scandal also affected advertisements, sales, and without question the 1999 Tour and Lance ArmstrongRead MoreThe Greatest Accomplishment Of Lance Armstrong At The Tour De France2213 Words   |  9 PagesThe seven time victories of Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France proved to be an unforgettable accomplishment that has inspired individuals to part take in the sport of cycling. This triumph, however, spurred curiosity and scandal on whether Armstrong had taken performance enhancing drugs to achieve his victories. The use of performance enhancers has been a debate sparking controversy among the industries of professional sports. Advocates of the legalization of performance enhancing drugs in professionalRead MoreThe Legacy Of Lance Armstrong1456 Words   |  6 PagesClassic† (Bio. True Story, 2013). Then, in 1991 Armstrong attempted his first Tour De France at which he came in a disappointing fourteenth place. However, his disappointing placing in the Tour De France did not put a damper on his performances in other races. According to the website Bio True Story, Armstrong went on to place second in the World Cup in Zurich in 1992 and second in his second attempt at the Tour De France in 1992, and in 1993 he was able to win the coveted Triple Crown—the ThriftRead MoreEssay On Lance Armstrong1433 Words   |  6 PagesClassic races (Osei-Hwere). Armstrong attempted his first Tour De France at which he came in a disappointing fourteenth place. However, his disappointing placing in the Tour De France did not put a damper on his performances in other races. Lance Armstrong placed second place at the World Cup in Zurch, and he placed second place at the Tour De France in 1992. He took home the gold at the Triple Crown in 1993 and he placed second at the Tour DuPont also in 1993 (Wyatt). Armstrong went on to race inRead MoreAthletes Understand The Danger Of Using Performance Enhancing Drugs1061 Words   |  5 Pagesor steroids may also loses their fame or position in their own sport. For example, â€Å"Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life by cycling s governing body.† (Dunbar) Lance Armstrong hid his abusing on PED for 13 long years, even though he did success well internationally, but the truth about his progress of getting all seven tours titles has ruined his life and fame. However, Dr. Simon from Hamilton College said â€Å"If each of us ought to be free to assume risksRead More Lance Armstrong Essay1153 Words   |  5 Pageswho invited Lance to go to Europe; it was then that his career as a professional cyclist began. By 1996, Lance became the worlds top-ranked cyclist winning ten titles in every race from San Sebastià ¡n to the Tour Du Pont. At his best, Lance was on his way towards success in the Tour de France, when he received some distressing news; he had cancer. I thought I knew what fear was, until I heard the words You have cancer. (73). On October 2, 1996, Lance Armstrong received terrible news which statedRead More Lance Armstrong and Overcoming Obstacles Essays3525 Words   |  15 PagesPedaling strong through the Pyrenees Mountains at remarkable speed, Lance Armstrong approached the tenth stage of the Tour de France. Beginning at an elevation of thirty-three feet above sea level, Armstrong was in sixteenth position with five minutes and fifty-four seconds separating him and the leader. For many this would be an insurmountable amount of time to makeup, especially on a stage containing such a grueling and exhausting climb, but Armstrong saw it as an opportunity to put his great mountain-climbingRead MorePerformance-enhancing Drugs and Athletes674 Words   |  3 Pagesinvolved with steroids over the years and admitted to have taken EPO, Testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormone and illegal blood transfusions. The result left Armstr ong stripped of all titles won over the years including the trophies of the Tour de France. He was a great influence to many youngsters however after being publically embarrassed after confessing his unethical behaviour, his fans started to decrease. This is what steroids simply does. It bring your name to shame and unfortunately teaches