# Inga Thompson talks Womens Doping



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Perspectives on Doping in Pro Cycling – 2: Inga Thompson | The Outer Line

Interesting interview.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

What interesting to me is not so much the doping but how willing the federation was to throw people away that had any self thought. This is not the first story I have heard of that mindset either.

Also if the stuff about Eddie B starting the US off on doping is true, I mean I know he was involved withe the 84 Blood doping tho it was really Burke that came up with it, but it sounds like it went deeper than that, I wonder what happened because when he coached my wife and I he had a very different take on doping. I can understand he may not have thought it was worth bothering with me (Cat 3) but he was really impressed with my wife's abilities but went out of his way to warn us (her) to stay away from that "stuff".


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## Data_God (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks for the link. It was a very good read.


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## SpeedNeeder (Aug 19, 2013)

She certainly wasn't holding anything back was she!?
Interesting interview.


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## mtbon (Jul 27, 2005)

Local Hero said:


> Perspectives on Doping in Pro Cycling â€“ 2: Inga Thompson | The Outer Line
> 
> Interesting interview.


This is where it gets interesting:

"My friend [name withdrawn], who was on those 7-Eleven men’s teams when I was on their women’s program – he has tons of doping stories from that time. I’m still surprised that no one has written a book specifically about the doping on that team – way before the whole U.S. Postal mess."


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

SpeedNeeder said:


> She certainly wasn't holding anything back was she!?
> Interesting interview.


You gotta love it. She's awesome.


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## Rich Gibson (Jul 26, 2013)

mtbon said:


> This is where it gets interesting:
> 
> "My friend [name withdrawn], who was on those 7-Eleven men’s teams when I was on their women’s program – he has tons of doping stories from that time. I’m still surprised that no one has written a book specifically about the doping on that team – way before the whole U.S. Postal mess."


OK I"m new to this line of cycling. What is the implication here? Who is it that she 'might' be writing about?

Rich


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

There was a good interview with Cindy Olivarri which said a lot of similar things. But that was twenty years ago and she was written off as a complainer.

Eddie B had demigod status in his heyday, it was insane how people adored him.


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

Good read--and interesting. But that the herd mentality/obey the demigod coach reigned at the national team level can hardly be a surprise to anyone who ever competed. "Amateur" sports is dominated by a##hole coaches who think they are gods, and their callous disregard for the long-term health of their charges and their deep desire to burnish their own reps by winning at all costs is the norm.

As a mom, I think she made the right call in keeping her son out of the sport.

As an aside, I'm sorry to think that Jeanne Longo has been at the top of the sport for so long by consistent and clever use of the juice...


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> There was a good interview with Cindy Olivarri which said a lot of similar things. But that was twenty years ago and she was written off as a complainer.
> 
> Eddie B had demigod status in his heyday, it was insane how people adored him.


I still have a great fondness for him, he taught me a lot about being a better rider and racer. There in lies the issue, its not like all he did was hand out pills and vials (if he did in fact do that) he was/is a great coach and mentor.


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## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

paredown said:


> Good read--and interesting. But that the herd mentality/obey the demigod coach reigned at the national team level can hardly be a surprise to anyone who ever competed. "Amateur" sports is dominated by a##hole coaches who think they are gods, and their callous disregard for the long-term health of their charges and their deep desire to burnish their own reps by winning at all costs is the norm.
> 
> As a mom, I think she made the right call in keeping her son out of the sport.
> 
> As an aside, I'm sorry to think that Jeanne Longo has been at the top of the sport for so long by consistent and clever use of the juice...


Agreed. Longo is the elephant in the room as far as women's doping is concerned. I found it curious that when Nicole Cooke attacked Armstrong upon her retirement she had nothing to say about women's doping (or Longo). Ladies got omerta too?


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

good read


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

sir duke said:


> Agreed. Longo is the elephant in the room


Even after her husband got caught with a carload of dope and EPO!

All I can think of is she got a pass because she was French.


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## Bluenote (Oct 28, 2012)

I'm not totally surprised. The National Team and world team selection process has always been a bit weird. Is it so coaches can pick their favorites? Weed out non-dopers? Pick more "sponsor friendly" athletes? 

A lot of talented women walked away from the sport. Not enough money, too much bs. Etc...

I'm glad Thompson has found peace.


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## spdntrxi (Jul 25, 2013)

nice read... I'm just trying to figure out if I was at Cal Poly SLO the sometime as her. My roommate was dating a girl that was on track so I know some of them, but Inga is a few years older then me.


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## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Even after her husband got caught with a carload of dope and EPO!
> 
> All I can think of is she got a pass because she was French.


She got a good lawyer and wriggled out because of poor admin from the French anti doping agencies, something about proper notification and being outside the testing window as I recall. Hubby fessed up to protect her too.


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> There was a good interview with Cindy Olivarri which said a lot of similar things. But that was twenty years ago and she was written off as a complainer.
> 
> Eddie B had demigod status in his heyday, it was insane how people adored him.


Guess I'm not the only one who remembers that interview - in Bicycle Guide I think. Got a good laugh when she described how testosterone altered her emotional state to mostly feeling nothing at all, punctuated by occasional fits of rage. Eureka! One of the few women to understand why men don't talk about their feelings. There aren't any.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Speaking of Eddie B, did any of you guys have his book "Bicycle Road Racing"? I read that thing many, many times. I remember there was some mention in there about eating horse meat, as it was a lean meat. He also thought Roy Knickman was the next Merckx. That didn't pan out too well. 
The one thing I still remember is he mentioned giving vitamin shots or injections to riders, and Greg LeMond, as a junior, would not do it. 

Didn't mean to derail the thread. Back to Inga. She was awesome as a rider and I'm glad she's now not afraid to talk. I still remember seeing her out riding around Reno in the late 80's. You couldn't miss her with that long braided pony tail. What a talent!


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

Always liked Inga. It's too bad the UCSF, Eddie B, and Gorski crapped all over her career.


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