2017 Men's Pro Season - one for the ages?

[Buddfox]

Whilst we've still got Il Lombardia to go, I was thinking after Sunday that we've been treated to one of the most enjoyable season's of men's pro racing for some time.

- Dumoulin delivered an exciting, much deserved victory in the Giro, and then followed up late in the season with a phenomenal, dominant ITT win in Bergen
- Froome did the double, not an unprecedented feat but remarkable
- MSR, Paris-Roubaix and RVV as exciting as ever (I'll skip LBL...)
- and watching Sagan three-peat on Sunday

It's really been some great racing this year. And no major doping scandals that I can recall?

 

[mjr]

And no major doping scandals that I can recall?

You might want to see a doctor about that memory loss: the "doping git thread" highlights of the year so far include 2008 Olympic Champion Samuel Sanchez banned just before what was likely his last Vuelta, Ruffoni & Pirazzi banned on the eve of the Giro, the entire Soul Brasil team and the national champions of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan all banned, the doping-related death of Linas Rumsas (and subsequent charging of his ex-pro dad), ex-pro Jack Bobridge (ecstasy dealing), plus the Puerto, Ferrari, Dekker and JTL affairs rumbling on, with previously-banned Contador being fetishised at the Vuelta. Or maybe none of that is major enough for you.

It seems like it's been a good season's racing but let's not put the blinkers on - there's probably still some dopers to catch.

 

[Buddfox]

You might want to see a doctor about that memory loss: the "doping git thread" highlights of the year so far include 2008 Olympic Champion Samuel Sanchez banned just before what was likely his last Vuelta, Ruffoni & Pirazzi banned on the eve of the Giro, the entire Soul Brasil team and the national champions of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan all banned, the doping-related death of Linas Rumsas (and subsequent charging of his ex-pro dad), ex-pro Jack Bobridge (ecstasy dealing), plus the Puerto, Ferrari, Dekker and JTL affairs rumbling on, with previously-banned Contador being fetishised at the Vuelta. Or maybe none of that is major enough for you.

It seems like it's been a good season's racing but let's not put the blinkers on - there's probably still some dopers to catch.

By comparison to past indiscretions, none of those are major, surely?

 

[mjr]

By comparison to past indiscretions, none of those are major, surely?

Well, I don't remember a doping-related death resulting in charges of a ex-pro doper father before. Whole-team bans and olympic champion bans aren't exactly common either. I think those are fairly major... and the continuing tragedies of Puerto and Ferrari definitely are, although they lack novelty.

I've enjoyed this season's racing and I doubt any of the big race winners were dopey so it probably ranks as a good season nevertheless.