Tom Zirbel Possible Doping Positive Deals Body Blow to Domestic Cycling Scene

It is never a good thing when a rider tests positive for performance enhancing drugs, but it is particularly bad when it happens to be a high-profile rider that is on a roll. So when Tom Zirbel announced recently that his A sample was positive for DHEA, cycling fans across America must have cringed in sadness and frustration.

Zirbel was on the up after a scintillating 2009. He rode strong as part of the Bissell cycling team all last year, and won the overall NRC title with consistent riding at America's biggest races. Then in September he blaze the individual time trial course in Greenville at the US Pro time trial championships, paving the way for a trip to Europe for the world time trial championship and a ne contract with the Pro Tour Garmin-Transitions cycling team.

Now though, all that is gone and it likely won't come back. Zirbel was on the precipice of competing day in and day out against the best rides in the world, but with the news of his A sample positive, Garmin dropped him from their roster with urgency. Even if he is somehow cleared of doping with his B sample, it is unlikely that Garmin would offer him a contract.

At 31, Zirbel knows that his time as an elite cyclist is short. Should be end up with a two year ban, his career is probably over. And once again, a rider who is seemingly above doping tests positive, reminding us all once again that the only thing that matters today is the test result. A rider may seem like the nicest guy in the world, he may even express that he is ignorant of products like DHEA, but a positive test is a positive test. Should his B sample come back positive, Zirbel will have little credibility in his claims that he didn't willingly dope. Sad news for a great rider and man, and news that will not only hurt cycling, but also the domestic racing scene in America.