“Cycling is living in a big lie”: This is what an anti-doping campaigner says

The 48-year-old emphasized that the anti-doping fight has become much more effective, but in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Saturday) he called for more transparency in order to make the sport more credible. “Nowadays the medical support is much more extensive, so you can drive at almost the same level as doped people. But this medical support scares me almost more than doping,” said Bassons. If you have the choice “between a small therapeutic dose of Epo or 20 to 30 tablets a day to ride a Tour de France, then you can take a moment to think about which is more dangerous. Cycling would gain enormous credibility if riders said exactly what they were putting into their bodies and at what time each day.” Bassons also criticized the increased mental challenge. He hardly sees today's professionals smiling on the bike: "The psychological pressure is monstrous." Refused to take banned drugs Bassons was a professional during the height of EPO doping from 1996 to 2001 and refused to take banned substances. The current teacher was riding for Team Festina in 1998 when it sparked one of the biggest doping scandals in history. Because of his attitude, Bassons was ostracized in the peloton; his own team even once pursued him when he attempted to escape from the Tour de France. According to Bassons, he was once presented with two contracts during a contract negotiation. One copy if he stays clean and another if he were to dope. In the latter case his salary was ten times as much.

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“Cycling is living in a big lie”: This is what an anti-doping campaigner says

The anti-doping campaigner and former professional Christophe Bassons sees the use of medication in cycling as a major problem.

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