Speed trends of major cycling races: does slower mean cleaner?

Since doping improves athletic performance, anti-doping policies should have the opposite effect. This analysis examined whether changes in the speed of major cycling races reflect recent anti-doping efforts. Average speeds of 5 (th) place finishers of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España cycling races were obtained for the period 1990-2009. Between 1990 and 2004, the average speed had been increasing by 0.16 km/h per year (p<0.001). In a downturn, since 2004, the average speed has decreased by 0.22 km/h per year (p=0.031). The slowing down of professional cycling races is compatible with the hypothesis that recent anti-doping efforts in professional cycling have curbed the use of performance-enhancing substances.

Ethics and the athlete: why sports are more than a game but less than a war.

Are the ethics of athletes complex? Consider that an elite bicyclist might inject himself with hormones to increase his exercise capacity,but if his opponent falls, then that same hormone-abusing athlete will likely stop until his opponent has regained control. This article reviews key concepts from the philosophy of sport. Using six cases from the sports archives, it presents a practical framework for interpreting and assessing the moral status of an athlete's behavior. This work enables readers to appreciate more clearly both the contextual subtleties and the robust relationship between ethics and the athlete.