It’s hard to be a pro cycling fan these days. Hardly a day goes by without someone (or someone and their twin) testing positive for some sort of performance enhancing substance. This is hardly unique to cycling, and I’ve resolved to myself just to put in the back of my mind the fact that most of the peloton is juiced on something.

If it were only racers, most of whom come from poverty, cutting some corners to make a living, I’d chalk it up to poor enforcement or a lack of team leadership. Unfortunately, the cancer of self-interest and pettiness appears to be here to stay in pro cycling. Earlier this month, we had the AFLD, the French anti-doping agency, threatening sanctions against Lance Armstrong putting his return to the Tour de France in jeopardy. His crime? Taking a shower, which he asked for and received permission to do, while he was waiting for confirmation of the credentials of a drug tester that had arrived by surprise at his home.

I guess I’d toss that one out to the enforcers being hard-asses if it weren’t for my witnessing the following footage from the Tour of Turkey.

If you watch to about the 3:30 mark, you will see a Rabobank rider throw the yellow jersey wearer, Daryl Impey of Team Barloworld,  to the ground in the middle of a high speed final sprint. Though he remounted his bike to finish the race and ended up retaining his jersey for the overall win, Velonews is reporting that he had back and neck fractures as well as some broken teeth and deep cuts. And what punishment did Theo Bos, the Rabobank rider, get? Nada. It appears that taking a shower receives more punishment in the twisted minds of Euro officials than potential manslaughter.

Now, I’ve know cycling isn’t all purity and goodness since I watched our hero David Stoller get tossed to the ground with a pump to his wheel by the Italian Cinzano squad in the 1979 classic, Breaking Away. However, it seems that pro cycling is in a continuing downward spiral with no one stepping up to act like adults.

How much longer will the glories of Coppi and Meckxx keep us fans coming back (though both were likely using amphetamines when they raced)? I don’t know, but no matter what foolishness transpires, I can always ride my bike.