Recently, Protrinews podcast did a collab with the Howtheytrain podcast discussing the hosts’ top 10 long course triathletes of all time. During this, Talbot mentioned (vaguely) a story about him seeing a Pro athlete with “more world championships than you can dream of†discarding what appeared to be performance enhancing drugs in a trash can, and said “it wasn’t in the US†where this occurred. For fear of a lawsuit he obviously refrained from using names. Do we have pros cheating? And if so who could he have been talking about? Discuss.
And if so who could he have been talking about? Discuss.
I’ll jump in for the moderators. I would not use this thread to attach any actual names to that story. Just don’t.
Talk in generic terms about possible cheating, sure.
I struggle to believe a pro that is cheating discarding ‘stuff’ in a trash can people can see.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some cheating going on, but I’d be surprised about someone just tossing something in the trash and saying he’s okay cheating because he’s not in the US.
Recently, Protrinews podcast did a collab with the Howtheytrain podcast discussing the hosts’ top 10 long course triathletes of all time. During this, Talbot mentioned (vaguely) a story about him seeing a Pro athlete with “more world championships than you can dream of†discarding what appeared to be performance enhancing drugs in a trash can, and said “it wasn’t in the US†where this occurred. For fear of a lawsuit he obviously refrained from using names. Do we have pros cheating? And if so who could he have been talking about? Discuss.
I am convinced there is cheating going on but I am also convinced that Talbot would do/say anything for clickbait.
I find it extremely unlikely that someone would risk throwing PEDs into a bin in public view.
Certainly there are some cheaters.
A while back a pro was caught at an “international boarder” with drugs. No sanction bc that border didn’t do anything about it.
We have people in Long course who no longer race a bike that goes off-road at the highest level, because of doping bans.
We’ve had professional road racers come over with a checkered past.
We’ve had people popped for drugs that “aren’t useful” except the athlete can’t function without the drug.
There are a few course cutters in the pro ranks. “a few” = 1-1.5% of the pro’s in non-draft.
I know of 4 that are 100% course cutters. Only one still races. I know of a few other stories that seem plausible, but I take with a grain of salt, because lots of people are sore losers.
There are cheaters in every sport.
Generally speaking, Triathlon is one of the cleanest sports out there.
I’ve had extremely candid conversations with two world champions who just wanted there to be more testing. I did not start either conversation.
Most people at the top of the sport are anti-drug. I think it’s a large appeal to most of the elites. Especially when a few of them could race bikes, or run at an elite level.
Age-group doping is FAR more prevalent in my experience.
Sorry for the terrible grammar. I have no excuse.
Triathlon is one of the cleanest sports out there. /quote]
I doubt that unless your “one of†is one of a lot.
I’ll agree to disagree.
No way to prove it either way.
Is there some degree of fame and fortune to be had through triathlon?
Would drugs help someone excel in the sport?
Could a cheater take steps to avoid detection?
The question about whether there is doping answers itself. Unless you believe in fairy tales.
Given the rigorous drug testing in long course triathlons by Ironman, I doubt the story is true. 🤣
There are age groupers getting popped all the time, why wouldn’t pros be doping? There have been guys at the gym, with no intention of going pro, doing steroids just to get bigger. There are guys talking testosterone treatments racing in my age group. And you think someone whose whole livelihood depends on peak performance isn’t going to dope. I lost my naive view of doping with Lance, and believe there’s a high level of doping in every professional sport.
Recently, Protrinews podcast did a collab with the Howtheytrain podcast discussing the hosts’ top 10 long course triathletes of all time. During this, Talbot mentioned (vaguely) a story about him seeing a Pro athlete with “more world championships than you can dream of†discarding what appeared to be performance enhancing drugs in a trash can, and said “it wasn’t in the US†where this occurred. For fear of a lawsuit he obviously refrained from using names. Do we have pros cheating? And if so who could he have been talking about? Discuss.
I am convinced there is cheating going on but I am also convinced that Talbot would do/say anything for clickbait.
I find it extremely unlikely that someone would risk throwing PEDs into a bin in public view.
Hmmm…that modus operandi is usually the reserve of Russian KGB officers with exceptionally fatal nerve agents operating in a Britain.
I cheat every race I’m in…….I run in alphaflys
.
… Discuss.
I have a better idea: You discuss. With those you have mentioned, your follow up with them, what your thoughts are, etc.
Recently, Protrinews podcast did a collab with the Howtheytrain podcast discussing the hosts’ top 10 long course triathletes of all time. During this, Talbot mentioned (vaguely) a story about him seeing a Pro athlete with “more world championships than you can dream of†discarding what appeared to be performance enhancing drugs in a trash can, and said “it wasn’t in the US†where this occurred. For fear of a lawsuit he obviously refrained from using names. Do we have pros cheating? And if so who could he have been talking about? Discuss.
Why do people give them oxygen?
Given the rigorous drug testing in long course triathlons by Ironman, I doubt the story is true. 🤣
I think what athletics has taught is is that the dopers are well ahead of the drug testers. (Stuff like blood doping can be hard to test for).
Take a look at Justin Gatlin, busted for doping in 2006, gets banned for 4 years, makes a comeback in 2010, competes for the next 10 years, sets 100/200 PBs aged 34, world champion at 35, 4 x 100 world champion at 37 and runs 9.95 aged 39, quicker than his college times. I’d like to think triathlon is clean and it probably is relatively clean, but who knows. I don’t think there are many AGers in Australia that are doping, a few have been busted, but overall I would say it’s clean. In my state you get to know most of the triathletes and what they are capable of. Sudden improvements in performances are very rare and even then that could be down to changes in training, more time to train, getting a coach etc
That said there are at least 3 guys who jump out as being suspicious. Years of achieving the same 70.3/IM times and then boom…
There are age groupers getting popped all the time, why wouldn’t pros be doping? .
Not really a great comparison, because if you get pinged as an age grouper you don’t loose anything beside public shame and humiliation, but you still have your career.
A pro gets pinged and he/she is finished.
That being said I can think of a pro or two who I would be almost certain they have doped, and it’s not Blu, Iden or Laidlow.
What is your certainty based on?
evidence
testimony
personal experience
In aussie you just say it wasn’t me or your drink was spiked, supplement. If semi attractive get off.
Given how much people draft in Oz, why bother with epo just sit in
There are age groupers getting popped all the time, why wouldn’t pros be doping? .
Not really a great comparison, because if you get pinged as an age grouper you don’t loose anything beside public shame and humiliation, but you still have your career.
A pro gets pinged and he/she is finished.
That being said I can think of a pro or two who I would be almost certain they have doped, and it’s not Blu, Iden or Laidlow.
Pros are already finished within a couple years if they’re not basically top 10 in the world. Most of them can’t even afford to race the world championships of their sport, and are reduced to making 5 different social media accounts just to scrape by. They have infinitely more incentive to dope than AGers. And we all know it’s going on. AGers might be more frequently using steroids and ephedrine, but no way they’re using more heavy stuff like EPO and blood than the pros.
History has shown us that dominant athletes are more frequently dopers, and athletes up for contract (aka sponsorship in tri) are more frequently dopers. Most pro triathletes are always in one of those two bins. It does feel as if it’s cleaner than other sports, maybe because the talent isn’t fully saturated yet, but too many people are willfully ignorant.