Just like the words "live strong" and "Lance Armstrong" go together, drugs and cycling have become synonymous in recent years ... as they should -- a ton of competitive bikers are using and getting caught.Not a lot, however, are failing drug tests for recreational drugs. That wasn't the case for Belgium cyclist Tom Boonen, who failed his third drug test in less than three years, leading to Boonen getting help for both his drug and alcohol addictions.
Boonen admits to enjoying the sauce, and his reasoning for failing the drug test was pretty honest (and anyone who has had one too many drinks in their life can relate).
"I was very drunk. I do not know what happened, but the next day I tested positive for cocaine," he said.It's refreshing when athletes don't B.S. us. He could have gone a number of ways to avoid telling the truth, but at least this guy manned up and told us what really happened.
Boonen was hammered, someone had some coke around, and he decided to rail some lines, believing the consequences weren't that big a deal in his current mental state. The sad thing is, Boonen is a helluva cyclist, winning a gold medal in the 2005 World Championships and his success has made him one of the premier athletes in Belgium this decade.
The good news is it appears the counseling is working and Boonen isn't using anymore.
"Hair samples proved that there was no cocaine in his system for more than four months," said (Quick Step Team manager Patrick) Lefevere. "The amount of cocaine present [at the time of his positive test] was enough to say that there was someone with him who was using it, and he came close to those people."via Deadspin
