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NCNCA Racing- August 28 – Vacaville Gran Prix
- August 27 – Winters Road Race
- August 27 – Sonomas
- August 21, University Road Race
NorCal Rider Sanctioned By USADA
A story broke early this afternoon on AP that local masters rider, and writer, Andrew Tilin was handed a two year doping suspension by the USADA. A more comprehensive story was written later that evening by VeloNation which picked up the story around 7 pm PST. Tilin, a writer, has written a book to be published later this spring titled to be published by Counterpoint, a publishing house located in the East Bay.
Despite having produced few results, and apparently chronicling the drug use as a first person journalism exercise, results amongst the . An independent source (holy crap, i just said independent source like i’m a real news dude!) has verified that Tilin had approached a member of the NorCal cycling community to get their thoughts regarding doping, after identifying himself as a writer, in masters categories, as far back as 2008.
As publicity stunts go this is sensational. The sanction would have been timed better to come out right after the book was released, so this could backfire given the negative reaction it is receiving to date. Assuming this mostly chronicles Tilin’s personal journey on PED’s it falls into the same vein as the famous Outside article “Drug Test” which follows Stuart Steven’s experimentation with several PED’s under the care of an anti-aging specialist. Since i’m not on the advance look list (dude – hit. us. up!) I will make a big leap and say that nobody on the local or medical level get thrown under the bus which will disappoint many who feel that master’s doping is as out of control as it is in the ProTour.
As a creative exercise I think there is some merit to the Hunter Thomson like descent into the middle of the story. He might have tried to do a better job of getting out in front of the story, or letting any of his old clubs know the 411, but judgment here doesn’t seem to be top notch. Either way, i don’t think this is really the smoking gun that doping is rampant in masters racing, but it will hopefully demonstrate how hard/easy it is and open some people eyes the the dangers and pitfalls that come with drug abuse. However, like drug education in high school (at least like it was at my high school), this will sadly only get more people to do it. As Hernando says… “What ever. I’m still going to beat you one day!”
And… just to cover myself… if this was an april fools joke… well. brilliant, pure brilliance!
April 2nd, 2011 at
Hellyer, it looks like the time is ripe for you to write your NorCal Doping Manifesto article.
Can’t say any of this surprises me, it has been going on for years. What does surprise me is the indifference paid to it by my fellow racers.
April 2nd, 2011 at
Bernie is a very bitter man that clings to the notion that if it weren’t for doping he would be king of the peloton. Given that this idiot doped and only mustered seventeenth place begs the question if Bernie has been doping for his high finishes too or if he is just a dope. Bernie, you’re just that bad.
April 3rd, 2011 at
Back when I didn’t know for sure if guys were doping, I wasn’t “king of the peloton,” and now that I do for sure because there is actually proof, I just feel sad for the guys who get beat out of their socks and energy gels by the cheaters, not bitter, since I’m not that involved anymore.
If you had half the brain I do, you would notice Andrew finished higher than 17th several times, and also that USAcycling does not publish every result from every race.
And since I guess you don’t know who the hell I am really, you’ve made a mistake in your rant against me, I haven’t had a “high finish” in years, much less raced with the frequency that I used to.
As an “Anonymous Ex-Pro” (and current Royal Douche-Bag Of The Supreme Order) I challenge you to print your real name, or, if you are even half-a-man, and not the sissy-pants I think you are, meet me sometime in person if you have the huevos to level your accustaions against me.
But you don’t. So hide behind your keyboard little big-man, and fire away.
April 3rd, 2011 at
I’m of two minds here. I’m totally with Bernie – in that i feel doping is probably more common than we think, and there is a strong indifference from the general community towards it. I need to think about it a little more.
I do think its okay to post anonymously, but I do think you should change your name to “Royal Douche Bag – Ex Pro” for being a little extra mean. I have to check and see if i can do that as a bulk operation in wordpress…that would be funny. If i can do that i might work in a “princess” there as well. Either way, printing a real name would be no fun.
April 7th, 2011 at
I get it that someone would cheat at the higher levels, and I can understand if folks try for an edge at the Masters and amateur level. Money isn’t necessarily an issue to some, who race on tricked out weight-weanie specials with all the bells and whistles sold to the paying public. And competitiveness is kind of a requirement to participate in this sport at any level.
Some of the doping is probably minor stuff, like taking that MD prescribed steriod or stimulant, even though you know it’s verboten. But how much is straight-out doping, the kinds of steroid etc. regimens that we hear about in the pros?
Seriously, I’m curious.
April 9th, 2011 at
Google “Pete Cannell positive.” Check his results on USACycling also.
Royal Douche-Bag Anonymous Ex-Pro might find this interesting also.
April 11th, 2011 at
Based on the notion that the main object of life is to be a happy fella or gal — in a dahlia lama balanced and inner-peaceful kind of way — perhaps the saddest part of amateur doping is that it is a recipe for true unhappiness for those who do it.
There is nothing more satisfying than putting in an honest off-season’s work to better oneself, and to see the results of that effort bare themselves out on race courses the following spring. This certainly doesn’t mean winning all the time. Winning isn’t really the result that matters. It’s about enjoying the daily process of effort and truly knowing that you did the best you could.
But amateur doping — which must always be done out of some starting place of negative emotions like fear, low self esteem or greed — will never allow the racer to experience that honest inner satisfaction. The doper will always have that secret to hide, along with the lingering question of how much of their result was really “them” vs. the drugs.
I guess that’s why I’m not actually angry at any of these amateur cheaters. In fact, I actually feel sort of bad for them, not only because I know that they’re suffering inside (thus the reason they doped in the first place), but also because they don’t have the wisdom to recognize that their cheating will do nothing but make them even unhappier in the end.
And being unhappy in life is a lot worse than finishing last in a bike race, if you ask me.
April 11th, 2011 at
Awesome comment – you mind if i publish that sometime this week?
April 11th, 2011 at
Thanks Hellyer. I appreciate that.
Yes, please feel free!
April 21st, 2011 at
Wow – pretty sure Tilin freelanced an article in Outside Magazine on the US doping revelations a few years back; mainly on Joe Parkin I think. Enjoyed it and told him so.
Right after I read it, we both raced at Cascade Classic – we competed for Lantern Rouge in the cat 4s. So, the following doping+training took him from a long-time cat 4 to cat 2 in a fairly short while.
April 21st, 2011 at
http://outsideonline.com/outside/culture/200806/joe-papp-cycling-doping-1.html