Originally Posted by
dooner90
well you probably can't believe what you're reading because you're reading my post wrong.... I'm not considering taking steroids. I don't even suggest this in the OP.
I mentioned that I'm new to cycling -- not that I'm new to cycling and want to try steroids. You misread me.
Alright then.
Steroids are probably among the things that professional cyclists used to take. More importantly they used to take blood boosters such as EPO which give a boost in red blood cell count, very beneficial to endurance athletes. In more recent years, they went to blood transfusions even, reinjecting themselves with old blood that was extracted previously. Pretty gross stuff. There have been many books written about all of these practices in the 90s and 2000s.
Most of us who enjoy professional cycling racing choose to believe, or hope, that the sport is now much cleaner. At least any abuses are not as rampant as they used to be, controls are stricter and better. Athletes are tested during training as well, at random times. No sport will probably ever be 100% clean, but we can try.