In spite of an aggressive television advertising campaign by Versus... In spite of erudite and entertaining commentary from Paul Sherwin, Phil Liggett and Bob Roll... In spite of the absolutely breathtaking scenery as the peloton pedals its way through the beautiful French countryside... In spite of the legions of fans who line narrow, twisting mountain passes to catch a fleeting glimpse of their favorite rider...
... The Tour de France continues to suffer from cheaters and horrible public relations.
As it is, the only time most Americans pay attention to the Tour is when either an American dominates the event (see: Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong) or when the news reports that an American is suspected of taking performance enhancing drugs to dominate the event (see: Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis).
Given our winner-take-all culture, it's understandable that most Americans don't comprehend how, as my former father-in-law succinctly stated, "a guy can finish dead last in a stage and still win the whole race. It doesn't make any sense."
Besides, most Americans don't have the patience to watch a drama like the Tour de France unfold over three weeks. We want quick and decisive outcomes for the sports we follow.
But for those of us who appreciate the supreme level of fitness required to ride some 2,400 miles over varying terrain, in all types of weather, and to those of us familiar with bike racing, the Tour de France remains an irresistible event.
For many of the racers who compete in the Tour, the lure of winning (either a stage or the whole race) has since the inception of the Tour spurred ever-increasing sophistication in taking performance enhancing drugs that speed recovery, boost aerobic capacity, and stimulate muscle production. Blood doping has throughout the Tour's history for many riders proven irresistible (for an excellent description on blood doping in bike racing, check out http://bicycling.about.com/od/drugsdopinginprocycling/.htm)
When blood dopers get caught at the Tour de France, the PR fallout is toxic: Sirens, flashing lights, humiliated riders, photos of used syringes and obligatory comments from former pro riders lamenting the demise of purity in sport (as if when they were riding the Tour was clean).
Every time, the Tour organizers issue a predictably similar statement: "[Name of rider] from [name of team] tested positive for [name of performance enhancing drug]. He has been expelled from the Tour and the matter is now being handled by law enforcement authorities."
That's a typical lawyer's statement. And while there's nothing fundamentally wrong with a statement from a lawyer, these statements are generally formulaic. They lack emotion. They address facts and facts alone. The problem with these predictably formulaic statements is that they don't address the raw emotions surrounding the tour.
TdF fans are incredibly passionate about the riders they follow: Whether it's exhorting the Basque riders up the Pyrenees, cheering for breakaway French riders on Bastille Day, or waving an American flag in one of the four American riders, the Tour is an emotionally draining experience for fans.
For riders--both past and present--the Tour is physically and emotionally debilitating. The clean riders--and there are some, notably led by Slipstream Chipotle, an American team with a rigorous, self-imposed drug testing regimen--are justifiably furious at the dopers. The dopers must ride in constant fear of getting "randomly" tested. The sponsors--many of whom dropped their team sponsorships after last year's debacle--are angry that their brands are associated with cheaters. The commentators are upset at having to report yet another drug-related expulsion when the real action takes place on the roads.
There's a lot of emotion when a doping story breaks, and the lawyer's statements don't address the sense of betrayal, the anger, the frustration, shared by fans, clean riders, sponsors, commentators and cycling afficionados.
If I were handling PR for the Tour de France, I would formulate and distribute to team sponsors, managers, mechanics, riders, bus drivers, commentators--anyone who is even remotely affiliated with the Tour--the messages below. I would instruct them to repeat these messages to anyone who asks them about the Tour's policies regarding performance enhancing drugs.
1) "We fully oppose the use by anyone associated with professional cycling of performance enhancing drugs before, during and after the Tour de France. We will swiftly and to the full extent of French law prosecute any violations of this policy. Further, we will ban for life participation in the Tour de France by any professional cyclist proven to have taken performance enhancing drugs during the Tour de France."
2) "As part of our continuous efforts to eliminate the use of performance enhancing drugs during the Tour de France, we have adopted a rigorous drug testing regimen and policy (as follows). By riding in the Tour, all riders agree to participate in the efforts to keep the Tour clean."
3) "We apologize to fans and supporters of professional cycling for any violations of the Tour de France's drug testing policy. The lure of Tour de France fame and fortune is not sufficient motivation to violate the principles of sportsmanship upon which the Tour de France is based. We are embarrassed and our sport is ashamed when we find dopers--and we will find you. You and your team will be humiliated on the international stage."
4) "We understand professional cycling is both physically and emotionally draining--both for riders and for fans--and we appreciate the support of fans who, like us, want only to witness a clean race among drug-free riders. We strongly encourage followers of professional cycling--be they fans, team sponsors, event sponsors, former riders or amateur cyclists--to support those teams and athletes who ride drug-free."
Messages like these address the emotion surrounding the use of performance enhancing drugs and send an unmistakable message to those riders who risk getting caught with that crap in their systems. They also placate fans by telling them in no uncertain terms where Tour de France organizers stand on the use of performance enhancing drugs.
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