The Third Thing

Thank goodness for radio, because I was just reminded of the third thing I wanted to mention: high-tech swimsuits. These are the latest thing in competitive swimming, and apparently give a speed advantage to the wearer. Newspapers are calling this high-tech doping, in a joking way. I don't really get why anyone is joking about it. If the suit offers a speed advantage over the natural talent of the swimmer, how does it differ from chemical doping? Considering that the things are ultra-thin, very hard to get into without tearing, and about $600 apiece, they aren't exactly available to all. Even worse, Speedo has a lock on the new technology, so swimmers or swim teams who are sponsored by another company cannot use the suit.

So, this bugs me not because I care about swimming, but because I care (intensely) about cycling, and am annoyed that my favorite riders have not been invited to the Tour de France this year because their teams have the "wrong attitude" toward doping. Both Contador (last year's champion) and Leipheimer (perennial contender) are members of Team Astana, which has had some embarrassing incidents in the past. However, the team was entirely revamped last year, and none of the current members have any doping controversies. Nevertheless, the French (maginot line) are refusing to budge, and these guys are being excluded because former members of their current team were disgraced in the past.

So the question for me is: why can swimmers use suits so advanced that the maker brags about the records they are collecting for the corporate brand, but cyclists (like my man Landis, poor little trooper) are kicked to the curb for allegedly using a possible performance enhancer like testosterone (which we all know they would have more of naturally, if only they didn't spend so much time on their bikes)? They aren't actually doping, if indeed they are doing anything at all (I believe you Floyd!), they are merely getting back to baseline.

Stayed tuned. The TDF starts July 5, and I'll be spending the last 3.5 weeks of this pregnancy hypnotized by a marginal sport in a foreign country, contended by riders I don't yet care about.