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General Climbing Discussion

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steriods!! 9-Jun-2004 At 3:16:43 PM (removed)

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But I don't wanna have to drink 'roid smoothies or EPO in order to compete with top end triathletes Neil ! And I shouldn't have to. And same goes for climbers in climbing comp's (so this conversation is at least relevant to climbing.)

Your assumption that cyclists are happy to push themselves to near death is invalid - and so the comparison with mountaineers is irrelevant. None of the cyclists knew that blood thickening would cause their hearts to stop in their sleep ... the team doctor just said that they needed it in order to win and that it would be okay. Mountaineers know that they face objective dangers before they begin.

The "dope 'em up and let 'em go" attitude is a naive one pushed forward in general by non-athletes (Ron Clarke seems to be the exception, Kate Langbroek said it on The Panel once and I wanted to smash the T.V in a fit of ... errr steroid rage). The attitude these people have is that they couldn't give a shit about the long term health of the athletes. Steroids have been linked to the thickening of heart walls leading to heart attack. They are generally used in grave medicinal danger - like some cancer treatments and in treatment of HIV/AIDS - so don't go propounding the theory that since they are used in medicine (as is EPO) that it is therefore "safe" for general use.

I let it go before, but I don't have the restraint to stop this time: Neil, show me some literature that says that racing triathlons is dangerous for your health and I will stop. People making this sort of comment generally are making excuses because it will make them feel better about not doing it.

And a final word on drugs in sport from me: I've spent a lot of time (the last 20 years) competing in a number of sports at all levels right up to competing internationally. I've been fortunate enough to live and train with many internationals, including Commonwealth Games gold medallists and the highest ranked long distance triathlete in the world. AND I HAVE NEVER EVER ENCOUNTERED ANY DRUGS IN SPORT. EVER. The problem is exaggerated by the media, and when the occasional high profile athlete goes down, the public assume that everyone is one the gear. Generally it's just not the case: they are the exception, not the rule.