It is fun these days to read the German sports pages about doping in cycling.

Of course, no one actually believes that any of the Tour winners since more than 50 years has not been doped. But they all declared their innocence (the system forces them to lie, for if they tell the truth, they lose their jobs). It was common knowledge that nonsmoker Thurau's (multiple winner of stages and 5th in one Tour) urine contained nicotin.

Jan Ullrich once was found with dope in his blood but of course he only had made the stupid error to take something offered by a stranger in a disco. His blood is found in the office of a Spanish gynecologist? Now, can you really be sure that all your blood you ever have donated, has not landed in Spain? You can't. See?

"I have not cheated anyone" Ullrich is quoted which actually may be true in a sense for at least all of the first ten did the same.

Well, not it becomes fun:
First, the long time masseur of Team Telecom (now: T-Mobile) has told that all (wait for an interesting exception) of that Team werde doped in the years he was with them (covering the Tour wins of Ullrich and Riis). A week of dementis followed this information. Who would believe a masseur)

Now, from day to day the domino pieces fall:
Three days ago, one racer of that time declared he was doped (if one of the minor racers of that team was doped...)
Two days ago, a better known but still minor racer of that team followed suit.
Yesterday, old man Thurau admitted having been doped during all of his career (not that anyone had doubted it)
Today, the two university professors who were the Telecom team doctors have both admitted helping with the doping of the team in getting and administering the drugs (EPO) and making them hard to find in controls.
Tomorrow morning, Rolf Aldag, one of the closest helpers of Ullrich, and at present team chef of Telecom will have a press conference and come clean (it has been leaked).
I await the day after tomorrow with anticipation.

The single clean one of Telecom as the doctors and the masseur say? Erik Zabel. He was the man for the sprints and not for endurance. He has declined all offers of dope (if one may believe the whistleblowers).

There are only two possible ways in my eyes for the dope problem in endurance sports:
(1) Don't care which way they get their form but test regularly for dangerous levels and take out those with these levels without forcing them to lie about who has put the dope in their toothpaste without their knowledge.
(2) Have all of them give their blood after 2 weeks of close supervision and make a full DNA etc analysis of their blood for comparison so that those who dope just to the limit (Landis) can get caught.

Wolfgang