Quote of the Day | March 17, 2009: We Are Obliged to Take Stimulants

From Part II of Bil Gilbert's 1969 Sports Illustrated expose on PEDs:

“I dope myself. Everyone [that is, everyone who is a competitive cyclist] dopes himself. Those who claim they don’t are liars,” Jacques Anquetil, a five-time winner of the Tour de France and a French sports figure of the stature of a Jean-Claude Killy or a Michel Jazy, has said. “For 50 years bike racers have been taking stimulants Obviously, we can do without them in a race, but then we will pedal 15 miles an hour [instead of 25]. Since we are constantly asked to go faster and to make even greater efforts, we are obliged to take stimulants.”

Anquetil’s remark was made in the summer of 1967 in the midst of what to date has been sports’ messiest public drug scandal. Anquetil himself was much involved, both as a commentator and competitor. In May 1966, after winning a race in Belgium by nearly five minutes, he forfeited his victory and his check rather than provide a urine sample, which was to be analyzed for amphetamines or other banned drugs. In September 1967 a world speed record set by Anquetil in Milan was disallowed for the same reason. In between these two incidents there were two cycling deaths attributed to amphetamines, a number of suspensions at the Amsterdam world championships and a slowdown strike by cyclists protesting the fact that they were being forced to compete without the aid of their accustomed drugs.

Tags: Bil Gilbert, Sports Illustrated, Steroids