Cam Wurf on doping, and how cycling and triathlon handle the cheats

Professional cyclist and elite triathlete Cameron Wurf has given his take on the vexed topic of doping in both sports.

Recounting how professional cycling used to be, the Australian underlined how the culture amongst riders and teams has changed, with the peloton as a collective now taking the responsibility to expose and deal with cheats.

Triathlon meanwhile has had its own high-profile issues recently, with PTO US Open winner Collin Chartier testing positive for EPO. Wurf though was adamant that he had never felt like reaching the pinnacle of the sport in triathlon was out of reach for a clean athlete.

Wurf on doping in cycling

Sharing his thoughts on how the culture in cycling has changed since the Lance Armstrong era, Wurf highlighted how in the eyes of most of the peloton, a clean sport is one of the most important things.

He told the Rich Roll podcast (click the embed below to watch/listen to the full episode): “The big thing that had to change in cycling, because if athletes want to cheat they’ll find a way to do it, was the culture and the way the peloton treated doping.

“The biggest thing I saw was that it became unacceptable to cheat amongst the athletes and there was now an environment of, if we see you do something wrong, we are going to do something about it.

“Without saying any names, you see some people disappear, or when they get caught, they’re not welcomed back the same way other athletes are.”

Wurf on doping in triathlon

Moving on to Ironman, the Tasmania native stressed that during his time in the sport, he has never felt that competing against the best in Kona was unachievable as a clean athlete.

“I think honestly in triathlon, I’ve never ever felt, at the highest level when you get to Kona, that I can’t compete. I think Ironman does quite a good job of controlling the athletes, particularly at the pinnacle.

“Sometimes in other races there are some crazy results, but often those guys never show up to Kona. It’s only the athletes that can really control it and fortunately it seems that we have all decided to do it the right way.”