Cannondale getting dropped in the new era of cycling

[hrotha]

I watched the 2006 Tour again recently. I always found Sastre's performances interesting. Many swear that he was clean as he does himself of course, it's also interesting comparing him to Evan's over those few years. Evans usually beat him convincing in the TT's but that last TT in 2008 was a good one for Sastre and a mediocre one for Evans. There was no doubt Evans was tired in the third week. In the mountains though they were pretty similar. Usually in the second best group after Contador, Rasmussen etc. Maybe Sastre 2008 was like Evans 2011 but different circumstances of course. Schleck's obviously did not expect his attack in 2008. Bad blood ever since.

I haven't seen anyone here claiming Sastre was clean for sure. What many people (myself included) say is that there's no reason to dismiss him as a doper only to then praise Evans as the first clean TdF winner since LeMond.

 

[Ferminal]

Sastre 2006 was one of the most impressive Tour climbing displays of that period. He would not have been out of place against the likes of Rasmussen 2007, Basso/Armstrong 2005. Landis of course was even better and if the other stages were any indication would have dropped him again on La Toussuire. 2006 Sastre and Evans would have won the 2008 Tour by minutes.

There would have been a nuclear holocaust at the 2006 race if Puerto didn't happen.

 

[Digger]

Sastre worked with Feuntes - got away with it...still worked with him though.

Aside from that, anyone who thinks Sastre could mix it with the guys he did, whilst clean, is braindead.

 

[Ferminal]

Eh, is that just a wild guess? He certainly didn't lose his BBs... But I still wonder what happened to him in 2007 to be so relatively poor at the Tour. With Contador/Evans/Leipheimer TTing well he probably couldn't have finished any higher, but he was still significantly down on their pace on the climbs.

 

[Digger]

Eh, is that just a wild guess? He certainly didn't lose his BBs... But I still wonder what happened to him in 2007 to be so relatively poor at the Tour. With Contador/Evans/Leipheimer TTing well he probably couldn't have finished any higher, but he was still significantly down on their pace on the climbs.

No........

 

[hrotha]

I think you might be mixing up names here. I don't recall Sastre being involved with Fuentes, or at least being named. Do you have a link?

 

[the sceptic]

2005 vuelta was impressive too. Top 5 in both flat ITTs and the prologue.

climbing with known clean riders like Heras, Menchov, Mancebo.

1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 1.00.54 (47.29 km/h)
2 Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 0.09
3 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne 0.39
4 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 0.41
5 Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 0.59
6 Tom Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel 1.16
7 Victor Hugo Peña (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.36
8 Uwe Peschel (Ger) Gerolsteiner 1.39
9 Santos Gonzalez (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.45
10 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.47

Even taxus will struggle to explain how Sastre could be cleans there.

 

[zlev11]

some of those mid 2000's Vuelta TT results are hilarious. hard to say if it's because nobody gave a sh*t to ride them hard or because of incredible amounts of doping. probably both.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Sastre 2006 was one of the most impressive Tour climbing displays of that period. He would not have been out of place against the likes of Rasmussen 2007, Basso/Armstrong 2005. Landis of course was even better and if the other stages were any indication would have dropped him again on La Toussuire. 2006 Sastre and Evans would have won the 2008 Tour by minutes.

There would have been a nuclear holocaust at the 2006 race if Puerto didn't happen.

The argument I've seen bandied about for Sastre perhaps being clean is

In 2006 he was dropped on the Alpe by several climbers.

In 2008 in that single Tour that had actual controls designed to catch people - for which Clerc was fired shortly afterwards - Sastre climbed the Alpe half a minute slower than 2006.

But this time he beat everyone by over 2 minutes.

 

[roundabout]

All those stricter controls sure did not seem to slow CSC down

 

[jens_attacks]

2005 vuelta was impressive too. Top 5 in both flat ITTs and the prologue..

2000 VAM on covodonga...2009 vesuvio 6,8 w/kg for more than 30 minutes, one of the biggest brutalities of the last 10 years

strong as nails man

 

[roundabout]

Always known to have it in him

 

[GuyIncognito]

All those stricter controls sure did not seem to slow CSC down

Cancellara's pull up the Croix-de-Fer was especially funny

 

[jens_attacks]

There would have been a nuclear holocaust at the 2006 race if Puerto didn't happen.

they say there were 3 times nuclear armaggedon was avoided at the last moment:

1. cuban missiles crisis, grande JFK not giving the ok to the army to bomb the hell out of cuba
2. russian millitary guy watching on the radar hundreds of missiles launched by usa coming big time on mother russia but not buying it, said fucc the radar might be broken or something
3. guardia civil invading the clinic of ufe and taking all the arsenal which was supposed to be massively used in the month of july 2006. even by ivan basso.


so close.

 

[Morbius]

they say there were 3 times nuclear armaggedon was avoided at the last moment:

4. When James Blunt was ordered by a US General to attack a group of Russian troops who at that time were holding an airbase in Kosovo.

 

[the sceptic]

Talansky, Ryder?

What's going on with these guys?

I thought JV had the team in check for the new era and the speeds are down?

Speeds are down. Talansky only lost 10 minutes today. Would have been 20 in the old era.

 

[thehog]

Speeds are down. Talansky only lost 10 minutes today. Would have been 20 in the old era.

The pitbull ran out of people to blame for his crashes so he dropped back to the grupetto to see if he could find anyone new to point the finger at.

 

[Athame]

Speeds are down. Talansky only lost 10 minutes today. Would have been 20 in the old era.

__________________ Relevant ... digg'n it [kind of].
__________________ Now, how about less sarcasm and,
__________________ more science'isms'.

 

[Athame]

4. When James Blunt was ordered by a US General to attack a group of Russian troops who at that time were holding an airbase in Kosovo.

i'm liking where you COULD have gone with this thing given the whole Astana part + the pecko italiano.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

__________________ Relevant ... digg'n it [kind of].
__________________ Now, how about less sarcasm and,
__________________ more science'isms'.

is __ the new ...

and what the heck is the point of them?

 

[Red Lobster]

So far in this cleanest of Tours in the cleanest of eras Garmin unable to hold the wheel. Here's to hoping they can stay ahead of the mighty Bretagne - Seche Environnement.

1 AG2R La Mondiale 141:05:43
2 Astana Pro Team 0:03:19
3 Belkin Pro Cycling 0:04:25
4 Team Sky 0:04:56
5 BMC Racing Team 0:21:20
6 Movistar Team 0:22:34
7 Lampre - Merida 0:27:16
8 Team Europcar 0:29:23
9 Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:30:07
10 Trek Factory Racing 0:43:31
11 Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:47:29
12 Team Katusha 0:49:53
13 Lotto-Belisol 0:52:03
14 Fdj.Fr 0:54:13
15 Team Netapp-Endura 1:00:11
16 IAM Cycling 1:11:01
17 Tinkoff-Saxo 1:37:52
18 Orica Greenedge 1:42:47
19 Garmin - Sharp 1:48:07
20 Team Giant-Shimano 2:13:09
21 Cannondale 2:13:23
22 Bretagne - Seche Environnement 2:22:49

 

[buckle]

So far in this cleanest of Tours in the cleanest of eras Garmin unable to hold the wheel. Here's to hoping they can stay ahead of the mighty Bretagne - Seche Environnement.

1 AG2R La Mondiale 141:05:43
2 Astana Pro Team 0:03:19
3 Belkin Pro Cycling 0:04:25
4 Team Sky 0:04:56

22 Bretagne - Seche Environnement 2:22:49

Do Seche constitute some sort of government funded joke? A couple of years back, I recall Rolan Garros invited Bolt to present Nadal with the cup on finals day which I guess was a state sponsored gag of sorts. Only funny in so much as Rafa didn't get the significance of it at all and stood on the podium talking to Bolt in all earnest. Perhaps the plan is to freeze Seche pipi and award them the yellow jersey in about ten years time or when they deem it appropriate. They could combine the presentation with Rolan Garros finals day 2024. The victorious Seche team, their leader resplendent in yellow, presenting the cup to Agassi junior who has finally ended thirty eight year old Nadal's unbeaten run in the tournament.

 

[Benotti69]

So far in this cleanest of Tours in the cleanest of eras Garmin unable to hold the wheel. Here's to hoping they can stay ahead of the mighty Bretagne - Seche Environnement.

1 AG2R La Mondiale 141:05:43
2 Astana Pro Team 0:03:19
3 Belkin Pro Cycling 0:04:25
4 Team Sky 0:04:56
5 BMC Racing Team 0:21:20
6 Movistar Team 0:22:34
7 Lampre - Merida 0:27:16
8 Team Europcar 0:29:23
9 Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:30:07
10 Trek Factory Racing 0:43:31
11 Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:47:29
12 Team Katusha 0:49:53
13 Lotto-Belisol 0:52:03
14 Fdj.Fr 0:54:13
15 Team Netapp-Endura 1:00:11
16 IAM Cycling 1:11:01
17 Tinkoff-Saxo 1:37:52
18 Orica Greenedge 1:42:47
19 Garmin - Sharp 1:48:07
20 Team Giant-Shimano 2:13:09
21 Cannondale 2:13:23
22 Bretagne - Seche Environnement 2:22:49

Plenty of teams who have no one for GC ride in the grupetto every hard day, Giant, Orica, Cannondale to name 3. Now that Talanksy is out of GC Garmin wont be busting their guts every day so are not high on team GC.

 

[movingtarget]

Garmin stop crashing they will do better.

 

[Warhawk]

Garmin stop crashing they will do better.

This. It's not like the other teams are using special anti-crash drugs.

Besides, if they were, we'd still have Froome and Contador.