British cyclist Bradley Wiggins, on top of the Tour de France after Stage 8, didn’t appreciate internet speculation about doping after his latest win:
Tour de France 2012: Bradley Wiggins Isn’t A Fan Of Twitter
The Briton lost his composure when asked by a reporter to comment on comparisons between the teams and “cynics who believe that you have to be doped up to win the Tour.”
Wiggins replied with a profanity-laced tirade, adding: “I cannot be dealing with people like that. It justifies their own bone-idleness because they can’t ever imagine applying themselves to anything in their lives.”
“And it’s easy for them to sit under a pseudonym on Twitter and write that sort of (thing),” he added, using an expletive.
To defend himself, Wiggins went all philosophical, bringing up the old Teddy Roosevelt “it’s not the critic who counts” argument.
However, whether or not the people who criticize him do it out of cynicism or “bone-idleness” really has no effect on whether or not he’s been doping. The fact remains that doping works, numerous cyclists have been caught doing it and everyone of them has furiously denied doping allegations while they were doing it.
None of that means Wiggins is doping, but it does mean he has very little control of people’s perception of him and the sport he plays. All he can control is his performance, so if people are going to accuse him of cheating, he’s better off shrugging his shoulders then getting all angry.
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