2014 Cleanest Peloton Ever

[Benotti69]

vetooo ‏@ammattipyoraily 10m
#FlecheWallonne, Mur de Huy (1 km)
- Valverde fastest time ever
- Martin 2nd fastest time ever
- Kwiatkowski & Mollema 4th fastest time ever

Today Belgium had a high pollen count. Dan Martin cured

 

[the sceptic]

Mur de Huy (last 1 km)

1993 | Maurizio Fondriest - ITA | 3:41
1994 | Moreno Argentin ---- ITA | 3:14
1995 | Laurent Jalabert --- FRA | ?:??
1996 | Lance Armstrong ---- USA | 3:05
1997 | Laurent Jalabert --- FRA | 3:12
1998 | Bo Hamburger ------- DEN | 3:11
1999 | Michele Bartoli ---- ITA | 3:38
2000 | Francesco Casagrande ITA | ?:??
2001 | Rik Verbrugghe ----- BEL | 3:14
2002 | Mario Aerts -------- BEL | 3:12
2003 | Igor Astarloa ------ ESP | 3:21
2004 | Davide Rebellin ---- ITA | 2:47
2005 | Danilo Di Luca ----- ITA | 3:01
2006 | Alejandro Valverde - ESP | 2:52
2007 | Davide Rebellin ---- ITA | 2:45
2008 | Kim Kirchen -------- LUX | 3:02
2009 | Davide Rebellin ---- ITA | 2:46
2010 | Cadel Evans -------- AUS | 2:46
2011 | Philippe Gilbert --- BEL | 2:44
2012 | Joaquim Rodriguez -- ESP | 2:59
2013 | Daniel Moreno ------ ESP | 2:49
2014 | Alejandro Valverde - ESP | 2:41 (record time)

seems legit..

 

[the sceptic]

Jesse Anthony ‏@jessedanthony

Clean dude leading the Giro, freaking awesome.


Greg Henderson ‏@Greghenderson1

@jessedanthony @dwuori Really feel that tweet is necessary? This day and age? Not that cool.

The new clean generation is now so clean, that even mentioning that they are clean is an insult.

I wish someone would ask Henderson what it was like having the greatest cyclist of all time as a domestique..

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I'm just glad to see that a clean older Valverde is so much faster than a younger doped-up Valverde.

Yep, makes sense.

Is Greg Henderson now the Omerta Twitter Police?

 

[Dear Wiggo]

The new clean generation is now so clean, that even mentioning that they are clean is an insult.

I wish someone would ask Henderson what it was like having the greatest cyclist of all time as a domestique..

Henderson read it as sarcasm.

Twitter is sh!t.

 

[the sceptic]

Henderson read it as sarcasm.

Twitter is sh!t.

well that does make more sense!

 

[Digger]

The new clean generation is now so clean, that even mentioning that they are clean is an insult.

I wish someone would ask Henderson what it was like having the greatest cyclist of all time as a domestique..

It really is one to tell the grandkids. I mean it's hilarious in one sense it's so farcical.

And Granddad was he always amazing? No, he was pretty sh** to be honest.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Is it just me, or are the Giro riders getting off their plane and straight onto a waiting team bus at the airport - skipping customs, etc, directly?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pho...ome-soil-with-first-of-three-rest-days/305045

 

[42x16ss]

I'd say that they are expedited through customs and met by sniffer dogs on the tarmac. This isn't the ATOC

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I'd say that they are expedited through customs and met by sniffer dogs on the tarmac. This isn't the ATOC

The shots have them on the tarmac off the plane, and then getting onto buses on the same tarmac. Didn't see any pics of them going through customs.

 

[42x16ss]

You're right, but the photos don't show everything that happened on the tarmac while the riders were there and the luggage would have been screened before boarding at Dublin.

The riders could have had vials on their person no? Unless they were patted down or searched customs officers wouldn't pick them up anyway. You could read into the fact that customs may not have been there (it looks like it's possible) or you can accept that a smart rider could get gear through anyway.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

You're right, but the photos don't show everything that happened on the tarmac while the riders were there and the luggage would have been screened before boarding at Dublin.

The riders could have had vials on their person no? Unless they were patted down or searched customs officers wouldn't pick them up anyway. You could read into the fact that customs may not have been there (it looks like it's possible) or you can accept that a smart rider could get gear through anyway.

It is what LA used to do to get around customs - with his private jet.

 

[Archibald]

unlikely to be any customs for EU passport holders
Anyone see where the Colombians were directed??

 

[Benotti69]

http://romanoroberts.com.mx/full-size-mechano-growth-factor-found-on-eve-of-winter-olympics/

....here we are in 2014, and WADA is just finding out about MGF: nine years after it was first identified as a candidate for illicit sports doping, and eight years after it became available on the black market. Either WADA is very, very stupid, or they’re pretending to be surprised, because otherwise everyone would know that athletes have been beating their tests with this drug for almost a decade.

Now if this is the case, WADA is a decade behind on doping, why expect the peloton to be clean with all those enablers still in the sport?

Cycling is dirty top to bottom and until the anti doping becomes a properly funded independent body the culture of doping will not be eradicated to the minority.

 

[Benotti69]

the difference between 1998 Giro climbing the Montecampione and 2014.

Giro d'Italia 1998

Marco Pantani ----- ITA | 49:26
Pavel Tonkov ------ RUS | 50:23
Giuseppe Guerini -- ITA | 52:42
Francesco Secchiari ITA | 53:30
Daniel Clavero ---- ESP | 53:30
Daniele De Paoli -- ITA | 53:42
Oscar Camenzind --- SUI | 55:09
Nicola Miceli ----- ITA | 55:10
Chepe Gonzalez ---- COL | 55:12
Paolo Bettini ----- ITA | 55:14
Gianni Faresin ---- ITA | 55:42
Herman Buenahora -- COL | 56:51
Paolo Savoldelli -- ITA | 57:15
Roberto Sgambelluri ITA | 57:24
Massimo Podenzana - ITA | 57:24

Giro d'Italia 2014

Fabio Aru --------- ITA | 53:03
Fabio Duarte ------ COL | 53:24
Nairo Quintana ---- COL | 53:25
Pierre Rolland ---- FRA | 53:25
Rigoberto Uran ---- COL | 53:45
Rafal Majka ------- POL | 54:00
Franco Pellizotti - ITA | 54:11
Daniel Moreno ----- ESP | 54:11
Ryder Hesjedal ---- CAN | 54:16
Cadel Evans ------- AUS | 54:16
Wilco Kelderman --- NED | 54:16
Domenico Pozzovivo- ITA | 54:16
Robert Kiserlovski- CRO | 54:16
Philip Deignan ---- IRL | 54:16
Ivan Basso -------- ITA | 54:16

So many now climbing at similar ability.

 

[pmcg76]

the difference between 1998 Giro climbing the Montecampione and 2014.

Giro d'Italia 1998

Marco Pantani ----- ITA | 49:26
Pavel Tonkov ------ RUS | 50:23
Giuseppe Guerini -- ITA | 52:42
Francesco Secchiari ITA | 53:30
Daniel Clavero ---- ESP | 53:30
Daniele De Paoli -- ITA | 53:42
Oscar Camenzind --- SUI | 55:09
Nicola Miceli ----- ITA | 55:10
Chepe Gonzalez ---- COL | 55:12
Paolo Bettini ----- ITA | 55:14
Gianni Faresin ---- ITA | 55:42
Herman Buenahora -- COL | 56:51
Paolo Savoldelli -- ITA | 57:15
Roberto Sgambelluri ITA | 57:24
Massimo Podenzana - ITA | 57:24

Giro d'Italia 2014

Fabio Aru --------- ITA | 53:03
Fabio Duarte ------ COL | 53:24
Nairo Quintana ---- COL | 53:25
Pierre Rolland ---- FRA | 53:25
Rigoberto Uran ---- COL | 53:45
Rafal Majka ------- POL | 54:00
Franco Pellizotti - ITA | 54:11
Daniel Moreno ----- ESP | 54:11
Ryder Hesjedal ---- CAN | 54:16
Cadel Evans ------- AUS | 54:16
Wilco Kelderman --- NED | 54:16
Domenico Pozzovivo- ITA | 54:16
Robert Kiserlovski- CRO | 54:16
Philip Deignan ---- IRL | 54:16
Ivan Basso -------- ITA | 54:16

So many now climbing at similar ability.

Right

In 1998, the Montecampione stage was the last mountain stage in the race and the third mountain stage in a row after two killer stages. There were also two cols on the route in 98 before the final climb, today there were none. Throw that all into the mix and it reflects more how ridiculous the EPO era was. Pantani almost 4 mins faster than todays winner

 

[del1962]

Right

In 1998, the Montecampione stage was the last mountain stage in the race and the third mountain stage in a row after two killer stages. There were also two cols on the route in 98 before the final climb, today there were none. Throw that all into the mix and it reflects more how ridiculous the EPO era was. Pantani almost 4 mins faster than todays winner

Was this when Pantani switched his sample with a teamates because of his HCT levels so he couldn't be withdrawn?

 

[roundabout]

It may have been after the ITT, but that's just a rumor, I think

Edit: I would not really say that 1998 was a very hard route

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/ciclopedale/Giri/Giro98/index.htm

But whichever way you look at it, the ultra-mythical climber of the 20th century Francesco Secchiari doing the climb almost in the same time as Quintana is flat out funny

 

[Benotti69]

Right

why the "right"?

In 1998, the Montecampione stage was the last mountain stage in the race and the third mountain stage in a row after two killer stages. There were also two cols on the route in 98 before the final climb, today there were none. Throw that all into the mix and it reflects more how ridiculous the EPO era was. Pantani almost 4 mins faster than todays winner

To me the times prove that BP has meant that doping has to be more considered and the doping is more controlled( 4 docs per team points to this), which was the point of it with its wide parameters. Keep your doping between these 2 points and we'll say nothing.

Problem is guys like Horner still can go wild and beat the BP!

The peloton, IMO, is still doping as part of the sport's culture but teams have kept it within set parameters for the moment as they no doubt try to find newer methods to beat it. It also my opinion that better responders to certain methods can still benefit hugely over others.

 

[The Hitch]

To me that shows the peloton at this Giro is way cleaner now than it was in the late 1990's.

Both Oropa and Montecampione significantly slower.

 

[Nathan12]

To me that shows the peloton at this Giro is way cleaner now than it was in the late 1990's.

Both Oropa and Montecampione significantly slower.

Yup. If only the Tour were the same.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Canolo after his stage win interview esp @ bennoti



http://blog.cyclingpro.it/2014/05/2...-di-canola-il-giorno-perfetto-della-bardiani/

 

[SeriousSam]

Perhaps I'm missing the context as I don't know what the stage in 98 looked like and how it was ridden, but those numbers say the (top15 of the) 2014 peloton is quicker (mean 24s, median 43s)). Pantani, Tonkov and to a lesser extent Guerini are much quicker but the rest isn't.

 

[Benotti69]

To me that shows the peloton at this Giro is way cleaner now than it was in the late 1990's.

Both Oropa and Montecampione significantly slower.

To me it shows the doping is more regulated across the peloton.

They all put pineapple juice in their bidons now........

But if we look at Froome, he could well be taking huge amounts of PEDs that are undetectable similar to Pantani and Riis.

 

[pmcg76]

Perhaps I'm missing the context as I don't know what the stage in 98 looked like and how it was ridden, but those numbers say the (top15 of the) 2014 peloton is quicker (mean 24s, median 43s)). Pantani, Tonkov and to a lesser extent Guerini are much quicker but the rest isn't.

Of course there is no context, the only people who compare single day climbing times without context are trying to push a certain agenda as always.

As I pointed out already, the 98 stage was the last mountain stage of the Giro and was the third of 3 tough mountain stages in a row. The day before they finished at Alpe Di Pampeago and the day before was the queen mountain stage. Roundabout tried to make a comparison by saying they had a TT a few days before this year but didn't mention that they also had a TT just before those mountain stages started in 98 so in the 4 days preceding the 98 Montecampione stage, they had a TT, two mountain stages and an intermediate stage as well as another TT 2 days later.

Also in 98, there was two cols before the final climb, a minor one but then a major one just before the final ascent. So what do you think, are we comparing like with like and Pantani still smashed current times by almost 4 minutes. Also as pointed out by Roundabout, you had an absolute nobody Secchiari riding the same time as the rider currently rated as the best modern day climber even if he is not on top form.

Just to add more context, the ascent times for Alpe d'Huez in 1991 are still plentiful in the top 100 times for that climb. Why is this? Were they all on EPO? Was it a tailwind or was it the fact that particular stage only included one climb before reaching the Alpe and that was the relatively minor Col d'Ornon.

Context is everything when comparing one stage to another, looking at overall trends is however different.