All over my new feed this morning. Got to say it has made me sad but I guess it shouldnt come as too much of a surprise. I guess it was just a matter of who and when.
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I really liked that guy. Shame. I do think itās maybe tip of the iceberg. However I donāt think Mikelās name should be in the title of this post. He hasnāt been proven guilty of anything to be fair to him. And projects almost an accusation. Although I do have my questions about it all with this current generation.
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There was no suggestion in my post that he was in away involved and why I linked the article. It is a fact, that he was Colins coach and his shock is part of the story. I have edited the title so that is clearer.
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Totally man, I actually think itās not right these articles being worded these ways for clicks and Iām not really having a go at you, it was more the article title.
You should listen to Joe skippers podcast. Some good listening material. He said that Sam Long had told him that he was removed from the Whereabouts list because the drugs testers didnāt even see him as good enough to test anymore with the new wave of up and coming triathletes coming through the ranks. Itās mad, but not surprising.
Iāll listen to Colinās explanation later when I get the chance but I heard it wasnāt too convincing. But I canāt see him outting anybody and itās unlikely heās acting alone.
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I am at the very second I am reading your post, on the Texas recap now.
Like just about everyone else, seems to be a lot less sorry for doping and a lot more sorry for getting caught. The āI am being honest and not claiming a tainted burritoā excuse is little more than an attempt to deflect anger. Thanks for bringing the sport and other professionals into disrepute 
When you have a healthy anti-drug infrastructure & you have competitive athletes occasionally youāll get news that somebody got caught. Thatās just the way it is.
This is not a condemnation of the sport. This is just the nature of competition, unfortunately.
Way back in the day I was floored by the news that somebody I knew had failed a drug test. I called to find out how this could happen and the athlete was honest with me, āWell, it happened because I took stanozolal.ā
Why? Well, the OTC coaches told this athlete the progress they were seeing didnāt justify that athleteās position & that if x% progress didnāt happen they were going to make room for younger athletes that couldnāt perform as well but had development potential. So the athlete figured, āWhat the heck? If I donāt, Iām out. If I do & get caught, same result. If I donāt get caughtā¦ā
Not solid logic. 
But one of the things the athlete said that really, really stuck with me. āProbably the best thing? At least itās over now.ā You know what? Probably the same for Collin. At least the grind is over. Instead of constantly clinging to the cliff by his finger nailsā¦now he can breath.
What is weird is a few months before he says he started using EPO he won the US open ($100, 000) clean. I dont get it, surely if you have been at that level before you can be again. Yeah I know he got injured butā¦ He seemed a very intelligent guy just goes to show you never can tell. Seems the probability of getting caught is low and he rolled the dice.
Iām not convinced about the testing in Tri, the whereabout scheme sounds like its a joke. Glad IM paid for the test and caught him though. Not sure if weāve heard the end of this.
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Bruh, he is lying so he can keep the purse.
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This was pretty active over on slowtwitch yesterday, and Iāve listened to several podcasts on it on the trainer this morning. Iāve briefly met Colin and thought he was a nice guy, so to that - Iām āsurprisedā.
I donāt believe this is the tip of a doping iceberg in triathlon (or cycling, or running).
I do however, think that anyone who is surprised to hear of a doping violation in professional endurance sport is willingly having the rug pulled over their eyes. I donāt know %s, but to assume this is a one off would be absurd. Is he part of a larger ādoping ringā? I doubt it. But do I think there are likely hundreds across professional endurance sports that are doing this? Yes, I do. This is 2 high profile busts in less than 2 months (Zane Robertson) - these arenāt one offs, but I donāt think you absolutely have to dope to win.
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Probably, that is the conclusion that makes the most sense.
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I worked with Collin at a bike shop in Virginia a little more than 10 years ago. He was a good kid (I think he was still in High School) and so strong on the bike. Iāve loosely followed his career and it had been great to watch his success. Itās sad to hear heās thrown so much talent away.
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Ditto met him in the DMV 5-8 years ago through a comp trainer studio (remember those) and was super nice and helpful. I canāt imagine the anxiety heās been going through leading up to the announcement but hopefully heās in a good headspace and can continue on with his life. When you are consistently performing and it drops for what ever reason, AND when your job depends on it, people will do what ever it takes to stay on top.
In terms of Colin being involved in some sort of ādrug ringā or others being involved (ie his coach) i really doubt it. Gone are the days of needing Doctor Ferrari to tell you how to take it or when to take itā¦its pretty much all out there. The fact that he got caught proves this a bit (even though it was out of competition) being that EPO does not really stay in your system for that long.
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I assume if they did more testing, there would be numerous more positives. At least within the amateur ranks.
The pros are typically smart enough to not get caught.
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Definitely when I first gave up Triathlon competition I knew several competitors that were taking testosterone. I donāt know about regionally consistent podium finishersā¦Iām talking about just regular rank-and-file age groupers that were taking cypionate. I was a serial complainer to promoters asking for a tested divisionā¦to which they claimed (correctlyā¦totally understand what they are saying) they are not drug testers, itās an added expense most didnāt want to pay, and it would be a real bad look for the sport to bust half a dozen competitors at every event.
However, none of the athletes I 100% knew were doping are still competing. Which is a lesson in itself.
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Unfortunately good people make bad choices. Many are tempted to get to the pinnacle of the sportā¦ Others who were clean most of their career then use PEDs to hold on a bit longer as they age. (Just look at how many masters and seniors are taking testosterone, either prescription or otherwise). PED use is one of those things you know is out there but donāt really want to think about. In the end though all it does is make every standout performance questionable. (i.e Floyd Landisā amazing (and drug fueled) rebound in the 2006 Tour pops in my head every time others seem to rebound so strong after a really bad day).
I personally have a friend who missed the Olympic marathon by 13 secondsā¦ and the person who was selected was later found to be using PEDs. Thereās a lot more to it than just putting your own life at risk.
All that said, the same person who was beat out for the Olympic spot also told me, āI know I am clean, and I know there are people out there with more talent and who train harder than I doā so he didnāt question performances from Komen, Tergat and Gebrselassie (who were dominant at the time). Stillā¦ doping has created a cloud around sports for me, and it is more than just cycling, running & other endurance sports.
I canāt speak for others or for professional athletes, but I can definitely say Iād never put my career in jeopardy or bring this kind of disrepute to my field by doing something stupid like doping just to ākeep my jobā. Thereās plenty other ways out and around whatever limiters he may have had. Cheating is never an excuse or a way out. Ever.
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Once someone tests positive its going to throw shade on every other prior accomplishment. Comes with the territory when you cheat.
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As it should.
Yes: good news for anti doping, terrible news for triathlon.
Iām not sure what TRs policy is on these discussions @mcneese.chad but I recall the cyclist murder hunt case was surprisingly open.
Iād encourage people to search up what Sebi Kienle and seperately Ben Kanute have been posting on social media.
Itās good to see that some pros arenāt afraid to tell it like it is.
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