Full survey results: One in 20 amateur racers admit to doping

Analysing the results of CW’s online poll, we grapple with the implication that one in 20 British amateur riders is a doper

A cocktail of substances
(Image credit: chris catchpole)

A few weeks ago the BBC reported the findings of a poll it had conducted asking 1,125 amateur sportspeople about doping: eight per cent said they had taken steroids, and 35 per cent said they personally knew someone who had doped — worrying, perhaps, but not especially shocking, given that nearly half of those questioned said they participated in gym/weightlifting.

It’s hardly news that steroid use is rife in certain sections of British gym-going. Are the BBC’s findings a fair reflection on UK amateur cycling?

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David Bradford
Senior editor

David Bradford is senior editor of Cycling Weekly's print edition, and has been writing and editing professionally for 20 years. His work has appeared in national newspapers and magazines including the Independent, the Guardian, the Times, the Irish Times, Vice.com and Runner’s World. Alongside his love of cycling, David is a long-distance runner with a marathon personal best of 2hr 28min. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in 2006, he also writes personal essays exploring sight loss, place, nature and social history. His essay 'Undertow' was published in the anthology Going to Ground (Little Toller, 2024).