ethics

foreword by graeme obree
World Hour Record Holder 1993 (51.595km)
World Hour Record Holder 1994 (52.713km)
World Individual Pursuit Champion 1993
World Individual Pursuit Champion 1995
I was first attracted into cycling as a youngster it
seemed a great way to escape the drab and hum
drum surrounds of life in a small village. I was lucky
in that I did not have to travel far to open up whole
new and exciting horizons for me to explore and
discover. Within a heart-beat, I could escape to
beautiful places and learn to love and understand
the world. My head was filled with thoughts of the
great explorers as I broke boundaries that I could
never as a pedestrian.
I loved cycling over the hills and felt like one of the
world’s great explorers as I headed to horizons new,
that without a bike would never have been within
my reach. Whether it was hostelling trips across
Scotland or day trips into the moors and valleys of
Ayrshire and beyond, the pleasures were intense,
my sense of freedom defined and intensified.
My love of cycling led me to racing and this was
where I discovered that I had the ability to cycle
fast. The fun and racing continued, often with some
monetary reward for my efforts, which was great
as times were tough in the eighties, with few job
opportunities.
Gradually I learned to understand that my abilities
as a cyclist were good, good enough eventually
to challenge and break Francesco Moser’s World
Hour Record and to become the World 4000m
pursuit Champion. I got there through a mix of
personal desire, a thorough analysis of my training
techniques and designing frames and bike that
were right for me. I must stress that throughout my
career I never broke any rules. If I am ever cast
as a renegade then that is incorrect. I achieved
everything completely within the rules of the sport
and perhaps more importantly within the morals of
my sport. My achievement was earned intellectually
and physically, my conscience clear, my honour
hard earned.
When I look back on my cycling career I could feel
sad, perhaps I should feel sad. I was competing
with many athletes who did something which I
despise. They chose to use performance enhancing
drugs to fuel their ambition to become better than
they naturally were. My career coincided with the
huge growth in the use of blood boosters like EPO.
Riders who were less able than me thrust onto the
world cycling scene driven by white coated, often
anonymous chemists and doctors. The charade was
complete by the celebration, the idolatry of some of
sports greatest cheats, cheats who were lauded and
glorified throughout the world.
I turned my back on cycling. I did not watch or
follow the Tour de France, the Giro, The Classics.
Year after year, a more ridiculous charade was
being celebrated. I refused to participate in or
endorse those celebrations. Those (now hollow)
victories were built upon a foundation of lies
and deception. Human performance had been
subjugated by chemical performance. The winner’s
boards should have been populated by chemists
and doctors, the trophies needle shaped. Many
racing cyclists had become human guinea pigs,
sacrificial and willing to castigate their honour,
dignity and in some cases their lives, in pursuit
of a dirty cheque. Nothing new in that, but with a
lazy and complacent cycling organization then the
corruption was absolute. I harboured resentment for
a long time for opportunity denied.
On reflection, I do not feel sad for the career that
was stolen from me as I retired with my honour
intact. I never cheated. I was never attracted to the
culture of the pill and the needle. How could I look
my children in the eye if ever I chose that pathway?
Honour and dignity are much more important to me
than false glory and dirty money.
Bike Pure enshrines values which are core to me.
Cycling is beautiful, a wondrous and marvellous
past-time. I love cycling that is clean and about
honour as much as success. I detest performance
drug use in sport, all sport. I detest cyclists who
continue to live in a parallel universe protesting
values which they do not support while willing to
submit to the syringe in pursuit of soiled success.
I detest the hypocrisy which is represented by
drug cheats. I detest that many drug cheats are still
celebrated and still retain lucrative endorsements.
I detest the fact that very many clean and talented
riders have had their careers stolen, defaced,
destroyed by the drug cheaters. I detest the fact that
drug cheating is still part of the cycling culture. It
must be eradicated and that starts with riders being
man and woman enough to ride only for honour.
Support Bike Pure and stand up for the rights of a
sport that is clean, fair, exciting and captivating.
Graeme Obree
4