Xequecal wrote:
It's not about "overcoming adversity." Your opponent can do all these things too, and you're again behind. You can't expect to win at something thoughtless like running or cycling if they cheat and you don't. Sports like soccer and basketball don't really have problems with drugs or doping because in those sports you can win by outthinking the opponent, so drugs don't help. I doubt many football quarterbacks take drugs either, it's not worth it. But for something as single-minded as moving from Point A to Point B as fast as you can, I'm pretty sure nearly everyone cheats. They wouldn't be competitive if they didn't.
This assumes three things:
1) In games where the depth of strategy is greater than cycling, you can't win on physical prowess plays no role. This is untrue because physicality plays into the execution of gameplan.
2) Cycling involves no strategy at all. Similarly in thinking that team sports completely ignore the elements of physical athleticism, it is untrue to say cycling includes no strategy.
3) That ability to perform physical exertion isn't linked to the mind. A strong mind is absolutely critical to winning event of endurance. It's not thoughtless at all. In fact, it's more mental than anything else.