Yes, doping is/was against the rules, but why is it that we consider an advantage due to using knowledge of biochemistry different from the advantages some riders have due to knowledge applied to better equipment, better training regimens, better nutrition, hyperbaric chambers, etc.? Why do we choose that category of knowledge to be inapplicable? If we really wanted all of the riders to be on a level playing field, why don’t we dictate the equipment they’re allowed to ride, what they’re allowed to eat, how they train, etc.? I read a comment in the NY Times recently where the reader said that doping is unfair because individuals that are physiologically better able to use the doping agents get an unfair advantage, but that is already true for other training methods, like weight training. Armstrong (and nearly everyone else that competed at the top level) broke the rules. But why were those rules chosen in the first place? The logic is not clear to me at all.
Yes, doping is/was against the rules, but why is it that we consider an advantage due to using knowledge of biochemistry different from the advantages some riders have due to knowledge applied to better equipment, better training regimens, better nutrition, hyperbaric chambers, etc.? Why do we choose that category of knowledge to be inapplicable? If we really wanted all of the riders to be on a level playing field, why don’t we dictate the equipment they’re allowed to ride, what they’re allowed to eat, how they train, etc.? I read a comment in the NY Times recently where the reader said that doping is unfair because individuals that are physiologically better able to use the doping agents get an unfair advantage, but that is already true for other training methods, like weight training. Armstrong (and nearly everyone else that competed at the top level) broke the rules. But why were those rules chosen in the first place? The logic is not clear to me at all.