Doper

Not too long after the race, a rumor went around that the winner had tested positive. Velonews confirmed it, but USADA didn't release the final suspension (probably due to B-sample testing & other procedures) for quite a while. Some said he tested positive for weed. I was guessing something like DHEA, or Geranium Oil. The guy's apology sounded like maybe he thought it was unintentional - and I was feeling sympathetic, pending details. There's lots of bad shit hidden in supplement and convenience store energy drinks. And what was the positive test finally for? It was for Efaproxiral.

That's not weed, motherfucker. It's a fucking cancer drug. That shit doesn't contaminate your Rock Star, your whey protein, or your sushi. Efaproxiral has apparently been around the doping circles for a while, and is also known as RSR13. While the Wikipedia article says it hasn't been proven to enhance performance in humans, PubMed has a little article outline describing detection methods saying it has been proven to raise VO2. There's a reason they give that shit to cancer patients: those folks are usually anemic, damaged by disease and heavy-handed treatment, and need a boost just to function.

So I got beaten by a real, solid doper. The for-real, needles-in-the-ass kind. Cheater, thief, and for all I know stealer-of-girl-scout-cookies.

So I got 4th. 6 guys went to the line, I crossed 5th, 1rst was struck from the books, I move up a spot. Justice done? No. I got cheated, as did others, and there's no fixing it.

You can take the doper out of the results, but you can't take him out of the race.

Three of us went over the crest of Awbrey Butte together in the finale of that race, with the rest of the field good and dropped. That included the doper. I attacked the other two, and when I got brought back there were 5 guys on my wheel, not 2. The other 3 came back from being dropped, not something you usually expect. But it could happen. The doper played a role in getting them back. Take him out of the race, and it's 2 chasers. That makes a big difference, in bike racing. Take him out of the race, and it's 3 to the line, not 6. Maybe the other 2 catch me anyways, maybe they don't. Maybe the Oregon guys, Scott and myself, go 2-3 instead of 5-6. Maybe we go 1-2, or 1-3. There's no way to know, but it wouldn't be the same finish.
In my head, I know that it's impossible to play that game. You have to take the results as they are, asterix and all.

So there I stand: cheated. USA Cycling cancelled the category for next year. By the time I'm eligible for the next one up, I'll have kids. There's no second chance.

Fuck the dopers.