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Now THAT'S how I'd like to follow the Tour. Drugs or not, if I'm out sitting in the sun in the south of France with some nice wine and surrounded by a partying town... yeah, that would be a great time!Quote:
Originally Posted by carly1979
*adds to long list of travel destinations/events he must attend.
Wow @ Cancellara! Tricked out all the sprinters today and won the stage. :p
Fredi
:yikes: :thumbsdow :thumbsdow that's a boring finish... he was already tired before he crossed the line... what a lucky man! I heard the crowd's loud BOOOOO!s That was a nice move though... very slick. Although he's not a sprinter, he used his TT skill in a final quarter mile. QuickStep's and Predictor's sprinter were caught off guard. Better watch out McEwen and Boonen!Quote:
Originally Posted by Subway
Ok, I've just seen a discussion on TV with anti doping experts, riders that made doping confessions and other experts and something was made really, really clear:
Till 1998 (Festina scandal):
- 99% of all riders used doping
- Riders and team officials, team doctors ... all talked openly about it and it was always known who used what and when, there simple was no secret between riders
- It was organized doping by the teams, everything payd, many doctors involved
- First question when you got into a team was "you want to win, so when do we start with the doping procedure?"
After 1998:
- They stopped talking about it
- Riders often did'nt knew anymore what they got so that they were'nt able to confess easely
- Teams were still involved, but not as official as before
- Many riders now had to pay themself for the doping
- Many had to organize the transport of blood and substances on their own, but they always knew were to get it, often from team officials
Now:
- Anybody that wants to win the big races still uses doping
- Many substances used are not detectable
- It's now much harder to get the substances, but still easy enough for most, mainly because there are still the same people (doctors and such) that deliver the drugs as most of them never got caught
- There are a few teams and riders that stopped using doping (sub 20%), but there objective is'nt anymore to win the big races, it's just not possible even with the most talented riders
There you have it. ;)
Fredi
I always wondered how anyone can be expected to ride 3500km +/- in three weeks (inc. Alps and Pyrenees ascents) without having some sort of chemical enhancement.
It's good that all this is now starting to be revealed by different sources. Only public knowledge can save this sport. If they go on with the lies, nothing will change and new scandals will pop-up every couple of years.
A German doctor and hobby cyclist recently made a self-experiment with EPO and other substances. He first climbed the Alpe D'huez without and a few weeks later with doping preparation. It was like day and night. Not only was he sprinting up there compared to his first ride, the most impressive thing was that he was'nt exhausted at all when he was up there and would have been able to do another 1000hm like that.
This really shows that doping works way too good for endurance sports. If someone else takes it, you simple don't have a chance against that guy if you don't take it as well.
Fredi
Subway: I think that there are some riders who use doping, but many who don't.
Hushovd finally won a stage:D Cancellara has done 2 great stages so far (including the prologue). I hope Klöden will compete in the top 5 this year by the way.
I don't share this illusion anymore, sorry. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by MagnusVS
Fredi
This is freaking amazing: http://www.ubilabs.net/tourdefrance/ :)
Fredi
Really cool!:)
Yeah, neither do I. And has taken a huge amount of the interest out of the Tour de France for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Subway
That is cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by Subway
Almost makes up for not being able to find any web-based video coverage.
(Listening to commentated coverage - Eurosport - is OK for five minutes, then it starts to drive you... freakin... NUTS!)
Robbie McEwen is out of this year's Tour. He didn't finish before the time limit passed yesterday.
Did you guys see the Columbian guy take the first big mountain stage today?
First tour, new team and he wins arguably the hardest (physically) stage.
Talk about advantage gained from living at high altitude.
I'm currently cheering for Contador, for his amazing uphill sprints, but overall I still don't have a real fav. Maybe Iban Mayo, for all the bad luck he had in previous tours.
Fredi
It was fun to see the Columbian win today's stage. I'm looking forward to see how Michael Rasmussen will perform the next couple of days. He said that his goal is to wear the yellow jersey at Champ-Elysées! Mayo seems strong to, as does Valverde.
German rider Patrik Sinkewitz from the T-Mobile team used doping previously to the tour in a training control. Now suspended for two years and has to pay about half a million. He had a big crash yesterday, currently in hospital. German TV decided to boycott the tour!
Fredi
Ok, Michael Rasmussen should be excluded from the tour. If you train in Mexico and you're not reachable, multiple times, for doping controles, and not even your team knows where you are, than you're basically doped even without positive tests. The reglement clearly tells you, that your location at all times has to be known, three months in advance, exactly for the reason that you can't just disappear, train your body with doping, wait till that doping is'nt testable anymore to come back for the tour.
Fredi
Go Robbie Hunter go!!
It's just the danish cycling association (or whatever their name is) who's being a**holes in this case. Michael Rasmussen has been unreachable 2 times. The rules say that you may get a punishment if it happens 3 times. The danish cycling association let him compete in the danish national championship after these 2 incidents (the last one happened 29th of june, I think). To come and say this now, when he's leading the tour is in the worst case, extremely bad timing. Probably somebody there doesn't like him.
He's been tested several times before and during the Tour and he hasn't tested positive so far.