Through the past centuries competing athletes have continued to excel in the sport of cycling. Winning athletes have become idols of what their sport represents and give messages to young children and even adults that anyone can achieve their dreams. Cycling is known throughout the world as a vigorous, intense, fast paced race. Only cyclists know how hard it is to ride through the mountain or to know the feeling of flying downhill as the wind as it brushes past the bike. Many humans are oblivious to the amount of training and hard work that goes into preparing for a race. The thought of “Oh, it is just a bike how hard could it be to pedal the thing?” runs through many minds of spectators as they watch a bike race such as the Tour De France on the television. What most viewers do not know, is a shock to others. Many of the best athletes [cyclists] are using performance enhancing drugs. Performance enhancing drugs are an illegal use of substances that can be used to boost the ability of a cyclist to perform better at races or speed trials. These drugs should not be allowed in the sport of cycling for they cause unfair advantages to those who use them along with harmful side effects that can scar the athlete forever.

Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have lead people to believe that cyclists have become what someone might think of as a super human. They are not like the rest of us. Lance Armstrong, for example, is one of these men. One of the greatest cyclists of all time winning seven Tour De France titles, starting the Livestrong Foundation, and overcoming testicular cancer was proven to have been using performance enhancing drugs to increase his winning abilities in all seven of his Tour de France titles, giving him an advantage above the rest of his competitors.

To some athletes performance enhancing drugs level the playing field of athletes and allow for all to compete on the same level. In reality this only will make situations worse than they already are or will become. Today, there are athletes who do their best, train day in and day out, go the extra mile, and work their heart out to make themselves a superlative competitor, hoping to win, and try and be the best of the best are the ones who are being pushed aside and not getting credit for their victory. Those cyclists who do use these drugs have a huge advantage over those athletes who don’t. According to Mayo Clinic, Many athletes that do train with performance enhancing drugs are “Provided with a number of benefits, including increased strength and lean muscle mass, decreased body fat, improved bone density and the ability to recover quickly from workouts.” (Negative Effects of Performance Enhancing Drugs) “It is no longer the player that is actually achieving anything; the drugs are doing the cream of the work.”(O’Leary, Thomas). Looking back into the races of the Tour de France it was easy to see how this was accomplished. Lance Armstrong is one of the best known cyclists in today’s world. He would win tour after tour. He used a drug known as EPO. EPO is an illegal transfusion of oxygenated blood put into an athlete’s blood to help the cells stay oxygenated throughout the course of the race. EPO, no matter who uses it, will gain a huge advantage over any athlete who does not use this drug to increase their performance. For many this would indeed increase their ability to perform to a whole new level. This did not level the playing field for any of the athletes that have competed in cycling events. In fact it gave athletes such an advantage cyclists were stripped of their medals and titles.

In many recipients of Performance Enhancing Drugs, something goes off in their mind that makes thinks it is ok to use these drugs. In an interview with Opera Winfrey, Lance Armstrong said that he was going along with the doping process in addition he didn’t see anything wrong with it during the time he was doping. When a person takes performance enhancing drugs they are only hurting themselves. They lose the integrity everyone once had for them and they soon become an idol of shame. When an athlete is trying to master [a sport] their use of performance enhancing drugs can only be seen as a selfish and arrogant attempt at cutting corners and making themselves look better to all those around. (O’Leary, Thomas) Lance Armstrong later stated in his interview that he wished he could go back and change everything. He said he was sorry for all the pain and hurt he caused everyone. He stated he was so caught up in the fame and glory of his time he did everything he could to protect it.

Many athletes see performance enhancing drugs as a way to get ahead of the game. Norman Fost, MD, MPH, Professor and Director of the Medical Ethics Program at the University of Wisconsin stated “"There is no coherent argument to support the view that enhancing performance is unfair; if it were, we would ban coaching and training.” When you use performance enhancing drugs why do you need a coach? The drugs do the work for you and you do not have to do as much work to get comparable results to those who work as much as they can to get big results.

Although athletes take performance enhancing drugs to enhance their performance the side effects that come are not even worth the risk. According to United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), “Physiological effects such as Acne, Male pattern baldness, Liver Damage, Premature closure of the growth centers of long bones, stunted growth and disruption of puberty” can come from participating with performance enhancing drugs. Along with the general effects each gender has specific effects that occur. In males a breast tissue development starts to form, adding to this includes Shrinking of the testicle, impotence, and lastly reduction in sperm production. For the female population that indulges in performance enhancing drugs, the deepening of the voice and cessation of breast development occur along with the growth of hair on the face, stomach and upper back, and enlarged clitoris, and lastly abnormal menstrual cycles. Effects from the use of enhancing drugs may be permanent and can vary by individual.

Not only does the athlete face the fear of these effects, they also face problems within the home and with other individuals. The USADA stated that Psychological problems occur because of; “Increased aggressiveness and sexual appetite, sometimes resulting in abnormal sexual and criminal behavior, often referred to as “Roid Rage.” If these enhancing drugs are causing aggressiveness in the home the family would soon fall apart and diminish due to the lack of structure and possibly abuse. These enhancing drugs also lead to withdrawals from anabolic steroids and the use can be associated with depression, and in some cases, suicide. Parents keep their children protected from the lies that build up in the homes can tear a family apart. Lance Armstrong used his son as an example. He stated, “My son would walk the halls and tell kids that his dad did not use drugs or his dad was clean” (Oprah and Lance Armstrong). Later after finding out that his dad used drugs to win the Tour de France titles, Lance knew it was time to start making changes.

Instead of allowing performance enhancing drugs in the sport of cycling, setting boundaries can eliminate the problem of having athletes cheat and win using illegal substances. One of the things that can be set up is a fair race. Those of the athletes who want to race using performance enhancing drugs will go in a group all by themselves and the cyclists who want to race based on pure human power can go in another heat. Another way to level the playing field is to have each athlete perform with the same bike helmet and race shoes. This will eliminate the cause of athletes using their bike for an advantage. The goal is to have a future where cycling athletes will love the sport they race in and not have to worry about someone having an advantage over another one because of performance enhancing drugs.

Athletes all over the world athletes know performance enhancing drugs help athletes get an edge on other competitors, risking their career and even their life in the process. While performance enhancing drugs can become very enticing and desirable, they cause many side effects as a result of taking them. The playing field is not level to those who try to come out on top without the use of performance enhancing drugs. The risk is not worth the price you would pay to live with the guilt knowing you cheated your way to the top.