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Kacper Szczepaniak, the young Polish rider who placed second in the U23 World Championships in Tabor and subsequently tested positive for EPO, tried to kill himself.
Read more here.
Honestly, if these kids are being told to dope by their fucking coaches, this is SHIT. Let them fucking race for GOD’S SAKE. The pressure they have on them to WIN and the $$$ and the greed all get in the way of the fucking sport.
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What a jaggoff. Just like his doping and racing, his suicide attempt was half-assed.
I feel sorry for a lot of people who are victims of circumstance in this world, the kids across the street from you Judi immediately pop to mind. however, professional bike racers do not get my sympathy so much. No one has a gun to these guys’ heads, they make their own decisions.
Still think they should lift the doping restrictions (Cat 2 and up at least) and let ’em run what they brung.
On lugged steel bikes.
Five speed block permitted, but gears (and freewheel) optional, and if you run ’em you give up like two minutes on each stage.
Mountain stage, time trials-Balderdash. Run on goatpaths like back in the day.
And snipers on scoping for team cars.
Shit like this burns me to read. These kids are barely out of their teens and still very subject (or vulnerable in this case) to influence from persons who mentor and coach them.
The coach role is supposed to among other things provide guidance and direction across a broad spectrum of issues and impart upon the pupils the perspective & judgement so that they develop the skills necessary to make their own appropriate decisions.
The fucktard who “coached” these two young persons failed in a most spectacular fashion.
B dizzle, I don’t know the background on these kids, but I think it’s worth noting that eastern Europe has a laundry list of areas where a life of poverty and drudgery is all but certain for anyone growing up those communities. Pro cycling has no shortage of names who hail from such hopelessness and clawed their way out of a crap future on the strength of their cycling. Further, these kids were being mentored by a coach who’s program they bought into and trusted to.
yeah, they should know better at 20 and 21 yrs old, but don’t forget to put a bead on the coaches forehead.
I agree with Kark…I’m thinking the dope dealing parents across from Judi probably earn more than the parents of these racers. According to the article, “Their father earns just 250 euros per month, while Kacper with a world-caliber team could easily clear 2500 euros.”