Florida cyclist A.J. Smith had his moment in the sun last year when he won the Discovery Channel pro cycling team's so-called Race2Replace contest in August.
Now the 25-year-old cyclist who won the promotional honor to replace Lance Armstrong on the Discovery team at the USPRO Time Trial Championships in Greenville, S.C., last September is getting back into the sport after quitting six years ago.
He's riding for the Herbal Life/Bike America Racing Team and hopes to join a pro team this summer to race throughout the Americas.
An up-and-comer who raced his bike in the 2000 US Olympic Trials for sprint cycling, Smith dropped out of the sport because of widespread performance drug use by cyclists. He spoke unequivocally about his oppostion to this to the Florida Sun-Sentinel in “Back on bike, cyclist blasts dirtiest sport in the world:”
“This sport is the dirtiest sport in the world. There is no other sport that even comes close to the amount of drug use that is going on. It is happening overseas and over here in the U.S. It is happening much more than anyone wants to talk about. It's ridiculous. I am not the only junior national champion who quit the sport ….. there is plenty of talent out there sitting on a couch or behind a desk job because of the doping problem.”
That's a scathing indictment of cycling, if true. Smith remains diligent in pursuing his cycling career and efforts to clean up the sport.
“I guarantee you I will be hated by at least half of the European field before I even get over to Europe. … I am going to do it clean with a strong mind and heart. I could care less what they think.”
Smith talks more about his plans and beliefs at Mountain Top Human Performance website.
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