Cycling may have had a serious doping problem, with evidence of continued abuses, but some other sports were much worse for positive tests in 2014. Above, Flyod Landis after recapturing the yellow jersey on stage 19 of the 2006 Tour de France. He held it to Paris but tested positive and was stripped of the victory (Photo: Sirotti)
The Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) has published the interesting information graphic below, comparing the number of doping positives in cycling last year with other sports.
Only cases concluded and proven in 2014 have been included in the MPCC data.
Athletics was by far the worst offender last year, with 95 known proven positives.
That was followed by baseball's 62 cases and weightlifting's 28 before cycling comes in in fourth position with 16 cases.
Incredibly, considering the financial rewards on offer in soccer and the sheer numbers playing the game worldwide, there were only seven known and proven positive cases last year.
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And a similar situation pertains to rugby, despite the bulk and power that steroid abuse can bring about being so important to the game.
A convicted doper himself, Alexander Vinokourov's Astana WorldTour team has been in the eye of the doping storm of late.
Most known and proven cases across all sports last year were recorded in the US, followed by Russia and the Dominican Republic.
Within the sport of cycling, there were 13 positive proven cases in road racing last year, with two on the track and one in mountain biking.
The WorldTour, which is the top division in road cycling made up of the sport's 18 best teams, accounted for just three proven positive cases.
ProContinental level, which is road cycling's second tier, saw two proven positives last year.
Continental level, which is the sport’s third tier and where a lot of riders are not paid a salary, saw seven cases last year.
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Continental is the only level in the sport where the biological passport system does not apply.
The system involves building up a profile of riders’ blood values to spot for signs of doping.
It has been successful in catching riders who have been taking drugs but have still managed to pass dope testing after races and/or out of competition.
Big time doper: Lance Armstrong is banned for life but there has been plenty of evidence that drug taking continues in cycling.
The MPCC - a coalition of cycling teams, sponsors, national federations and race organisers who have pledged a commitment to clean cycling - has issued something of a health warning with its figures.
It believed while cycling was disclosing all positive test results, it was not as certain the stated figures for other sports included every proven case.
"Identifying cases of doping is not an easy task and is subject to discretion if required by their respective international federations," the organisation said.
"Some do not advertise doping cases in their discipline. Cycling, in contrast, reveals each positive test.
"Our numbers are therefore based on proven cases in 2014, according to official communications federations and anti-doping agencies etc."
The detail in the graphic below still makes for some interesting reading.
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