Drugs.

It seems that nowadays a cycling enthusiast, like myself, can't enjoy reading about a race or listening to an interview without hearing something about doping.  It's everywhere.  

Ged and I were even going to have a special steak from Spain but unfortunately, I'm a vegan, which means I don't eat any animal products.

For a couple of reasons, I feel like I'm personally attached to the anti-doping scene.

Here's why:

1. My last name, ADAMS, is also the initials for the World Anti-Doping Agency's program that keeps track of all the athletes.  In this context, my last name stands for Anti-Doping Administration & Management System.  It's neat and strange to see my surname on pro-cyclists' Twitter accounts...
2. A University of Florida alum who is a rider for Kenda Pro Cycling recently got a tattoo, along with a few of his friends, of a bar of soap reading the word "CLEAN" as a testament to staying drug-free in the cycling world.  See photo below:

Honestly, I don't have much to say about all this doping business except that I'm against it yet intrigued to hear why and how these pros feel so pressured to use EPO, steroids and other stimulants, like David Millar.

At the end of the day, I think I fit into a group of cycling supporters that David Walsh talks about in this article on CyclingNews.  I'm the kind of person who will continue to follow the sport because she loves it, even if there are people who dope.  Yes, I hope that it will get cleaner, but if it doesn't I will still be there at the finish line cheering riders on.

Last July I saw a stage of the most famous cycling race in the world and I loved every minute of it.  And in September, I witnessed one of the most exciting time trials.  And tomorrow, I will get on my bike and ride 100 miles in the Gainesville Horse Farm Hundred.  

That's how it is for me.

--Amanda