Cadel Evans, a winner we can trust.

[Hont]

I recently watched a video of that tour and it was interesting to compare the facial expressions of a lot of the mountain stage winners from that year with what followed once EPO abuse was widespread.

Also note the way they climbed. Grinding the gears, swaying from side to side in the saddle. I've seen a little of that style returning which is reassuring after years of watching Pantani and Armstrong sprinting up mountains out of the saddle for almost the whole climb.

 

[rich p]

I agree largely with your list Hont but not entirely. It's idle speculation as none of us can know unless they get nabbed. Even then, Pelizotti and his ilk will say that they never tested positive.


I have many doubts about Menchov, some about Sastre and Cunego has said that he can't 'understand' how these modern riders can go so fast. I believe that he is now clean and will never replicate his past doped GT performances.

 

[Renard]

Its just professional sport innit? Only the naive think its confined to cycling.

 

[Hont]

I agree largely with your list Hont but not entirely. It's idle speculation as none of us can know unless they get nabbed.

Indeed. It's just MHO.

Couple of big players I forgot - Luis Leon Sanchez, Stijn Devolder, Igor Anton (none of whom make the "believe" list).

 

[Dave_1]

Cunego's career progress trajectory looks the opposite of what nature and maturity give...2004 Giro winner and then never able to repeat it. Evans progress looked steady..he was heard of as a grand tour GC climber/TTist before he got good. I think Evans gave warning in 2002 that was pretty decent at grand tour GC racing. But Cunego? He appears as a dominant winner of the Giro as a 21 year old...never gave notice he could do it and never got near it since, so there we go. Who would you bet on being real? I think Evans

 

[ColinJ]

Cunego's career progress trajectory looks the opposite of what nature and maturity give...2004 Giro winner and then never able to repeat it. Evans progress looked steady..he was heard of as a grand tour GC climber/TTist before he got good. I think Evans gave warning in 2002 that was pretty decent at grand tour GC racing. But Cunego? He appears as a dominant winner of the Giro as a 21 year old...never gave notice he could do it and never got near it since, so there we go. Who would you bet on being real? I think Evans

If you look at what Cunego did early in his career and what he has done since, and also what he says now on the subject of doping, I wonder if he was doping then but decided to stop?

 

[rich p]

If you look at what Cunego did early in his career and what he has done since, and also what he says now on the subject of doping, I wonder if he was doping then but decided to stop?

as I said above!

 

[ColinJ]

as I said above!

Oops - so you did! I was guilty of not reading all the posts because I was in a hurry.

 

[Hont]

Just noticed I missed out Ballan. Recent events make him easy to call.

 

[BJH]

Really good stuff in this debate.

I think the Le Mond as the last undoped winner is also a good call.

Two things cry out to me - judge the riders on their comments towards cheats, it tells a very interesting story. Le Mond was always outspoken on the subject, others are, at best, creating the climate for it to continue by holding their silence.

Not a big fan of Cadel Evans, but thats to do with his whingeing voice. But the performance variation suggests he's clean. Some fantastic stages at the Tour and the Giro tend to be followed by what you would expect to see - knackered and clinging on the next day!

I would just like to ask Andy Schleck, how can he tolerate the thought of the title that he was beaten to sitting with someone else who has been found to have banned substances in their body. Would that not make him go apesh%t ????

 

[mr_s81]

I would just like to ask Andy Schleck, how can he tolerate the thought of the title that he was beaten to sitting with someone else who has been found to have banned substances in their body. Would that not make him go apesh%t ????

+1

If I was Andy Schleck and riding clean, and realised that over a 3 week tour I was beaten by only 39 seconds by someone who tested positive for banned substances - I think it would be pretty hard not to go daft. The fact he's not (publicly at least) said much on the subject would for me create more questions than answers regarding his own position.

 

[ColinJ]

I would just like to ask Andy Schleck, how can he tolerate the thought of the title that he was beaten to sitting with someone else who has been found to have banned substances in their body. Would that not make him go apesh%t ????

It's a wee bit revealing that, isn't it!

The friendship between Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck ended on the Port de Balès today at the Tour de France. Contador flew by Schleck in his yellow jersey, who was struggling to get his bicycle to go after losing his chain.

Luxembourg's Schleck said last Monday he had no enemies in the peloton and that he was friends with Contador, but today that changed.

"We are only here to bike race, let's leave it at that," said Schleck. "I asked him in there [behind podium], how can you do that?"

A cynic would argue Andy Schleck, the 2010 Tour de France runner-up, could be the one with the most to gain if Alberto Contador is finally suspended for his clenbuterol positive, but the Luxemburg-born star doesn't see it that way at all.

"I don't think he's done anything wrong," Andy Schleck told Spanish sports daily MARCA after a criterium in Mexico.

"I hope he's innocent, and that he can show it. I'm no doctor nor am I an expert in this area and the authorities are the ones who make the final decision."

"But I don't want to win the Tour by default, I want to win it by reaching Paris with the yellow jersey on my shoulders. I don't know what will happen now, but this year I finished second."

Hmm ...!

 

[Hont]

Shades of what Pineiro said after Landis was disqualified. Hmm indeed.

 

[PaulB]

How come one branch of medicine (pharmacology) is not allowed yet another branch of medicine (psychology) is allowed when sportsmen can receive hypnotism?

 

[Hont]

Doping kills.