He describes personally "charging" as a junior so that he would race well in front of his family, and goes on to describe many of the tricks used to outwit the doping controls. Some of these tricks were sneaky, some sound painful, and some just depended on the laissez-faire attitude of the authorities. He goes on to ask how these can be the same authorities who now claim to be trying to clean up the sport.

He does name names, although in a matter-of-fact way (as they were merely the riders he was responsible for) rather than in a shock-horror-expose way.

Cycling journalist William Fotheringham's translation is excellent, although he has had to shy away from some names, I presume for legal reasons. If your French is good enough, buy the original version from www.amazon.fr and read it directly after the English one.


Sports, Money, Drugs...   June 5, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

It is clear from the outset that the author is not a professional writer, but his story is compelling, if not chilling. Cycling, at least professional cycling outside of the USA, is a big money sport. With all the money on the line, it is not surprising that everyone is looking for an edge over their competition.

The surprising thing is that these througbred cyclists, who will depend on their bodies for a living, wind up putting totally unknown substances into their bodies (i.e., "Belgian Mix") with no idea about the long or short term effects. And that is just the cyclists themselves. The book implicates the entire team structure.

Are there "clean" riders in the pelethon and on the podium? Surely there are. However, if you are struggling to hang on for the purpose of staying in the sport the lure of that chemical assist is enticing.

I am saddened, but not surprised, by the content of this book. I don't expect these folks to be perfect, I could never achieve what they have achieved. However, the culture of winning at all costs has gone beyond all recognizable limits.


The other side of the story...   May 30, 2001
In Breaking the Chain, Willy Voet gives his frank account of the events that sparked off cyclings current state of turmoil. Voet, a former soigneur with the Festina team, was stopped by French customs officials just days before the start of the 1998 Tour de France with a car load of performance enhancing drugs that were to be systematically administered to the team throughout the course of the three week race. Breaking the Chain is incredibly disturbing to anyone who loves the sport of cycling. Voet openly discusses what many have feared for so long to be happening that previously had been "overlooked". Much has been written about doping in sport, (not just cycling) since his arrest and Voet deserves the chance to tell his side of the story. Possibly the most worrying aspect of this book is Voet's matter-of-fact attitude towards so much that was done by the riders and support staff. He cannot however, be held responsible for the current state of cycle racing. As he himself explains, he was such a small part of the greater evil. An excellent and at times shocking account of Professional cycling.


Drugs in Cycling - The true story.   May 11, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Willy Voet, former FESTINA soigneur. His own account of his arrest and his experience of drug use in the professional pelton. He is particulary explicit in his descriptions of how, what and where banned drugs were used, revealing a world where not just the athletes are using performance-enhancing substances but there support crews too. Whatever your stand-point on drugs, you cant help but feel a degree of fascination as Voet discusses what each drug does, how they work, and the lenghts that riders and there doctors took to conceal drugs are often grimly comic.