A Comment on Dan Staite by Stuart MacLean

Dan Staite.  Until recently that was not a name that would have meant much to many of us, unless, perhaps, he rolled up along side us at the start of a race or sportive.  Since the news broke of an unnamed British cyclist testing positive for EPO, there has been a lot of rumour on the Internet forums.  For those of us who don’t keep our eyes on the internet forums, our reaction once the unnamed rider was officially named as ‘Dan Staite’ was a resounding “who?” and “he doped to race at National B level?!”.  Having had a day or two to think about it I thought I’d share a concern with other Bike Pure supporters.

While it seems crazy to dope at a level where you’ll never be financially rewarded to cover the costs of doping, that in itself suggests at a problem which is more complex than some anti-doping authorities have discussed (publicly at least).  Simplistically it is easier to understand and tackle those who dope for financial gain, harsher financial penalties and lengthier bans would be, at a glance, the most obvious way to deter these people from doping.  It can be presumed that in the case of Dan Staite that this is more tied into a need to perform better without effort, which is an all too common human flaw that logically justifies cheating against the risks of the punishments if caught.

In a week which has seen Greg LeMond publish his excellent ideas on where the direction of the anti-doping movement should go, I feel it is important to use Dan Staite as a reminder that doping problems are beyond professional athletes.  There are a multitude of personalities with different motivations at all levels of cycling and the Dan Staites of the world are unlikely to care about bans.  While reactive punishments are an important aspect of anti-doping, I personally believe that more investment on pro-active methods would be more effective.  An inherent change in the culture of cycling is needed and this can only be done by nurturing younger cyclists and in turn allowing them to never feel the need to cheat (and put their health at risk).  More responsibility shown and accountability held with those in positions of authority, whether this is at UCI, coaches, doctors, sponsors or team owners.  These people are in a position of influence to shape the evolution of cycling.

A friend of mine by the name of Nick, and Bike Pure supporter, is at the beginning of a project aimed to start in 2011 which will be in the form of a youth cycling team.  He wants to give the kids in the team a platform to develop as cyclists and human beings, while also promoting Bike Pure at that grass roots level.  Providing teenagers with encouragement and education about anti-doping is a great positive way to make a change.  Knowing Nick and his boy Fabio who will be racing in the team, this will be a successful project on many levels.  The team will have fun, perform will, treat cycling with respect and promote all that is good about the sport.  We can never know if Dan Staite rode in a team like this at the age of 14 if he would be where he is now, but why leave it to chance.  Bike Pure teams at a grassroots level are a great way to help make positive changes to the sport.

I’ve never raced on a bike and I doubt I ever will, I cycle for the enjoyment, my health, the new experiences a bike rider provides and challenging myself.  I ride against my shadow and I’m a lifelong fan of the sport.  These are just my observations sitting on the outside looking in and utilising the platform that Bike Pure provides to give cycling fans and cyclists at all levels to have their voice heard.  It’s important for all opinions to be heard, because like I can never know what it is like to be racing the Tour de France and am on the outside looking in, a pro-cyclists are viewing the cycling bubble from the inside looking out.  Each perspective gives a clearer picture of where cycling is and how we all want this bubble to grow.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article and you can find me on Twitter as S2_art.

Stuart MacLean – UK Bike Pure Ambassador