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Pressure on cyclists to succeed outweighs risks of drug taking, says Durham University expert

(1 August 2007)

Pressures on top cyclists force some to take performance-enhancing drugs despite the risk to their livelihoods, says a Durham University expert.

Dr Catherine Palmer's comments follow calls for the sport of cycling to take action following the end of this year's scandal-hit Tour de France. Dr Palmer, Reader in Sport and Social Policy in the School of Applied Social Sciences, at Durham University said: "Cycling enforces some of the toughest measures and punishments for when a rider tests positive to a banned substance or fails to comply with out-of-competition testing requirements, yet doping persists in the sport. "What haven't been adequately addressed are the reasons why some riders choose to illegally dope themselves, despite such punitive measures being in place and despite riders knowing the risks to their health, reputations and livelihoods. "Many are compelled to search beyond their natural physical capacities just to compete and without some form of artificial stimulant, legal or otherwise, it would not be possible to maintain the pace of professional cycling. "A lot do not have trades or qualifications to fall back on after they retire, their careers are often over by their mid-30s and they often have young families to support, which all contributes to a rationalisation for why some riders choose to illegally dope themselves. "While organisations such as the Union Cycliste Internationale, World Anti-Doping Agency, La Societe du Tour de France and British Cycling will, quite rightly, pursue a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in cycling, there is nonetheless a need to acknowledge the tension between athletic achievement and sporting purity that is increasingly difficult to reconcile now that the Tour de France is played out on a global, increasingly commercialised scale."