“The cheaters will be caught, sooner or later”
Thomas de Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM ) this week spoke out against some of the perception that all cyclists use illegal performance enhancement. The third place finisher in this year’s Giro d’Italia posted a bold statement on his Facebook page stating that he has achieved all his results through racing clean.
“It hurts to read the comments on many articles about doping. I speak from the heart, I dare say that cycling is cleaner than ever. Controls are tighter and can occur at any time. Thanks to the biological passport, variations and abnormal blood values can be detected easily,” de Gendt wrote.
“When I read articles on doping, everyone thinks that all cyclists dope and it is a common practice. There will always be cheaters [in life] but that is everywhere and with everything. Don’t throw away a whole basket of apples because there are some rotten ones in it; look beyond the rotten ones and you will find many good apples.”
De Gendt boasts two victories this season, one in Paris-Nice and another on top of the Passo dello Stelvio in the Giro, after a long breakaway that saw him ride onto the race’s podium. He is known for his breakaway strength and willingness to attack.
He maintains that there are no secrets to what he has achieved. “I am 100% clean and all the results I obtained are clean, like many of my colleagues,” he said. “Do not think that all riders are like [Lance] Armstrong and teammates. The cheaters will be caught, sooner or later.”