
One school of thought would say no, it's not cheating if everyone in any given competition is taking steroids - there is no unfair advantage. Would the argument then be that if you really want to win badly enough, the price is taking more drugs and sacrificing your health more than the guy you want to beat? If becoming a chemist's pin cushion is the main path to glory, well then sure, by any means necessary.
This system works fine for everyone except those for whom the no-drugs rules are designed to protect: the athletes who wish to compete with nothing but their own abilities, training and effort. The look the other way culture of drug enforcement is also detrimental to the fans who want to see an event unfold on the road, not in the lab. These may be cheesy sentiments said many times before but they really do ring true. What if we missed the next Eddy Merckx because he was overshadowed by those whose hearts pumped chemicals?
So why do people condemn the Tour when the organizers make such painfully brave decisions to do what's necessary to clean up the sport? Probably because John Q. Dumb-ass has the attention span of a flea and likes to jump to easy conclusions without a second thought. Phil Liggett says that this is the Tour's finest hour and I agree. Pro cycling is facing up to a problem by temporarily sacrificing some prestige in order to restore the true integrity of the sport. The phrase "confronting an inconvenient truth" comes to mind. This is something Major League Baseball doesn't have the balls to do. Giant headed Bonds is about to cheat his way past the home run record with the blessing of his commissioner. Its the same behavior displayed by the Bush administration: as long as you don't admit a problem, it doesn't not exist. Your greatest hero uses illegal performance enhancers? You just pushed the world closer to total chaos? You've made a mockery of our system of government by standing by your appointee to the highest law enforcement position in the land as he smirks while repeated lying to congress? Don't worry, it will all just go away. By that I mean it will be buried just deep enough to fester into a cancer that will eventually doom us all.