If it's not one thing it's another...

Tom Boonen tests positive for Cocaine...seriously...

Story on VeloNews.com

O.k., so while I was a successful competitive athlete in several sports, I've never attained the level of an elite athlete and personally known the pressures they're under. But frankly, some of these stories really read like an intelligence test:

Examiner: "Are you smart?"

Pro Athlete: "Uh..."

Examiner: "Here's a hint: It's a yes or no question."

Pro Athlete: "Oh, I get it! Um...yes?"

Examiner: "Try to pose your answer in the form of a statement, please."

So it seems that we may have made some great progress in the fight against performance enhancing drugs. But the world of recreational drug use is still alive and kicking in professional sports and has now taken another swing at our beloved sport of cycling.
I mean, I think when Jan Ulrich tested positive for ecstasy and amphetamines back in 2004 we all saw it coming. The guy was depressed and on a downward spiral that included crashing his bike and his Porsche and he kept coming in second in some big race in France. Boonen on the other hand is in a season which has him coming off a Green Jersey victory in that same big race and a successful Spring Classics campaign which included a second Paris-Roubaix victory. And he's caught doing cocaine...but not only doing it...DEALING it TOO!

This is like the NBA player who has the multi-million dollar contract who gets caught selling stolen mobile phones out of the trunk of his Infinity. Yeah, you can make a lot of money that way; but is it really worth the risk when your sports contracts (and don't forget the endorsement deals) just made you more money by sitting on your butt than you made in that risky transaction?

Come on, guys! I'm really tired of losing respect for my favorite riders. I guess I really know how to pick them. Millar, Hamilton, Vinokourov, Landis, and now Boonen. Next thing you know Christian VandeVelde is going to be caught smuggling contraband back from Amsterdam...

At least with Rock Racing we know what we're getting in to. I like Michael Ball more and more by the day.

Thats all for now.

(photo courtesy Velonews.com)