[Jeff Higgins]

I well remember my school and post-school years when my roommate introduced me to weight lifting. As an avid cyclist and soccer player, I was not carrying any upper body mass to speak of. 6'0", 170 pounds, and most of that in my legs. He thought he would help me out by helping me "bulk up" a bit. So, he introduced me to the gym. A local, small-time, dark and damp hole in the wall - a real "man's" gym.

There was nobody who worked out there that was any kind of pro bodybuilder or anything like that. What there was, however, was a lot of guys who aspired to become one. Some made it quite high up in the amateur ranks, though, even winning NPC level shows.

I don't believe a place on earth exists that suffers the rampant drug abuse I witnessed in that place. Struggling amateurs, wannabe pros, just not quite good enough to break through into the big time. Those were the guys most susceptible to, most enticed by the promise of getting over the hump through drug use. Being somebody was so close they could taste it. They would resort to anything that offered a chance to taste it.

I rather suspect cycling is the same way. The top amateurs, the low level pros, competing at levels that cannot afford to test as much as they should, emboldening the competitors with the idea they won't get caught. Cyclists that are almost there, would give anything or do anything to get there - I would suspect drug use is more rampant among that level than the very top, elite pros.

That, and it's not as well administered, with many competitors having to resort to self-administering. They just do whatever their buddy says to do with the stuff, who is only doing what he heard from the guy selling the stuff, who really has no idea either. I saw this play out in the gym time and time again. I saw some pretty sobering consequences of this level of drug use, including full-on, no holds barred "roid rage". Hulking 20-somethings with no control over their emotions, desperately trying to "make it". The same healthy looking, vibrant 20-somethings that couldn't get it up, their hormones and testosterone levels being so confused by the introduction of such massive, unnatural levels into their systems. It was a pretty ugly thing to see.

I bet cycling at that level is in much the same boat. That would paint a rather different picture of that day's events, now wouldn't it?