by Zach Bigalke

Created on: August 17, 2007

With the 2007 Tour de France in the books, doping has been the hot topic for a sport in turmoil. The yellow jersey was tossed out for evading doping controls, pre-race favorite Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for homologous blood doping, and eventual champion Alberto Contador continues to be tainted by suspicion due to his expulsion from the 2006 Tour for a supposedly-disproven role in Operacion Puerto. Amidst all the chaos, the true victor of last year's race is still in question as supposed winner Floyd Landis challenges his positive test result for synthetic testosterone.

But cheating is nothing new to cycling. In the early days of the sport, before television crews caught all the action for posterity, riders sought dishonest means to gain an unfair advantage. Tacks and broken glass were strewn by riders across the roadside to flatten competitors' tires. Maurice Garin, the champion of the first Tour de France in 1903, saw his successful title defense stripped when it was revealed that he and the three men directly behind him in the standing had hitched rides on trains and in automobiles to alleviate their suffering and finish faster. Fifth-place finisher Henri Cornet was awarded the title.

As chemicals became better understood, riders started to seek their benefits on the road. Cocaine was rubbed into the gums to keep cyclists alert during stages which would often last more than twelve hours. Brandy and other distilled spirits eased the pain of long days in the saddle. And overenthusiastic spectators influenced the outcome of many a race, pushing their favorites up the brutal climbs of mountain ranges like the Pyrenees, Alps and Dolomites while pushing the antagonists off their mechanical steeds. No tactic was too nefarious to avoid trial - after all, it is only illegal if one gets caught.

World War II exposed the world to amphetamines. In an effort to keep troops effective and operational for longer periods of time, governments on both sides of the battle issued pep pills to their soldiers. When the cyclists in the ranks traded back in their fatigues and bayonets for woolen jerseys and tire pumps, they brought this new pharmacology along for the ride. As five-time Tour de France champion Jacques Anquetil famously quipped, "We cannot race on mineral water alone." Even after the death of British cyclist Tom Simpson - dehydrated on a scorching day with alcohol and amphetamines in his system - on the slopes of Mont Ventoux in the 1967 Tour, amphetamines continued

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