The continuing revelations of performance-enhancing drug (PED) use by high-profile athletes have forced many to question the collective portrayal of elite athletes. Professional cyclists must confront a suspicious public that often labels them as “dopers” and deviant. Drawing from interviews with professional cyclists, this article describes the interactional processes by which professional cyclists confront and manage stigma in everyday settings. Riders employed management techniques of distancing, educating, and normalization in attempts to repair a spoiled identity. Riders concurrently attempted to promote a positive new image of the sport, coalescing around the term Clean Cycling. In doing so, Clean Cycling functioned much like a commercial “brand” wherein riders position themselves as ambassadors of the Clean Cycling brand, building positive brand recognition among the public, while linking the brand to their own identity. Although not contesting the label of PED use as deviant, riders resisted the application of the “doper” label to themselves while attempting to redefine the procycling occupation as positive and worthwhile.
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