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Doping and The Tour de France: Lance Armstrong

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Doping has been present in the Tour de France cycling races since 1903. Doping is when a drug is taken by an athlete to improve his or her performance. In the beginning, Tour cyclists would ingest alcohol, ether, and other addicting substances, to dull the pain in endurance cycling competitions. Later on, riders began using substances and drugs to improve their performance and endurance, rather than diminishing the pain. Soon the government and other people began to notice these practices, so they formed organizations such as the Tour and the International Cycling Union to battle them. From around 1903 to the 1940s doping was considered acceptable, but in the 1950s and 1960s people started to take an anti-doping approach. The first doctor as an advocate for the testing and decrease of doping was Pierre Dumas. He held this movement for cycling, as well as something so international, the Olympic Games. Eventually, testing riders in the cycling road races were being carried out, and several athletes were found positive for performance enhancing drugs and were suspended or disqualified from their races. The consequences and effects of doping can be noticeable, harmful, and very devastating. These performance enhancing drugs can lead to severe health conditions or problems, and even death. Athletes who take steroids can develop acne, have mood swings or increased aggression, high blood pressure, increased risk of liver or cardiovascular disease, increased risk of

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