American cyclist Tyler Hamilton retired from the sport today after testing positive for banned substances... again. Hamilton says he took steroids to alleviate his symptoms of clinical depression. I remember when Hamilton got busted the first time for blood doping--essentially transfusing someone else's blood to boost his red blood cells, and thus, his oxygen carrying ability. We had a poster of Hamilton up in our garage, crossing the finish line alone, beat to hell, but victorious, I think from the Giro or a day race, like Dauphine or Liege-Bastogne-Liege... I'm not sure. Anyway, hearts broken, we took the poster down.
As the winter wears on, and more of us are finding ourselves with free time (ahem, unemployed or underemployed), we face a decision as to what we should be doing with our spare time. Certainly, furthering the job hunt is toward the top of the list.