I can't recall exactly, but I think Henao came very close to Dowsett's time at one of the splits.
But then again Scarponi was also TTing unbelievably well on the flat.
But then again Scarponi was also TTing unbelievably well on the flat.
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Alphabet said:Nobody is saying that the young Colombians are clean, but they must represent one of the most talented generations of athletes to emerge from one nation in recent sporting history. Is it coincidence though, that around the late '00s that a dozen or so young Colombians suddenly showed the potential to be among the best climbers in the world?
I found Uran's and Henao's time-trials to be suspiciously good. I don't know if they have improved their TTing but I used to rate them at Frank Schleck's level of TTing ability and they did a fair bit better than that.
DirtyWorks said:How about some general facts regarding Colombia?
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html
Their UCI cycling federation: http://www.ciclismodecolombia.com/
Which, lists almost 1000(!) riders who have ridden UCI's International calendar events. I don't think there are 1000 pros in the U.S. doing races in the Americas (North, Central, South) and Americans enjoy a higher standard of living.
Per capita, bicycle racing is *very* popular despite a wide disparity in income distribution. Very low obesity ranking, so people live well and are not starving too much.
I would argue, without bringing in doping, that based on the apparent popularity of the sport, it is likely there's quite a bit of talent coming out of Colombia that would shine in a clean(er) European peloton.
Bring doping into the discussion and I still think they can graduate more talent given the popularity of the sport in-country.
Berzin said:I want to ask if anyone on this forum has ever raced in Colombia, or know what those races are like when they roll into a particular town and the local pharmacies have been cleaned out of every product that can be utilized for performance enhancement.
The Colombian Master's Class is almost as fast as some pro races, and it's not because there are so many ex-pros riding the races. There are amateurs using blood transfusions, and the testing at these races is almost non-existent.
This means that samples are collected, but they are rarely tested in a laboratory due to the expense.
The money that is supposed to go for anti-doping winds up in someone's pocket.
Interesting part about the doping. It is to note that even though the Colombians were doping in the national scene, they still had no chance in Europe. It came down to different variables. Speculation has been made about the lack of money for not having the Programs that the Europeans had or the body build of the Colombians not being appropiate for taking the most advantage of the EPO or blood doping. Not to forget about the limts on hematocrit makes it a loss cause to get an advantage if you already have a high red blood cell count for living in the Andes.movingtarget said:http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2011/06/myth-of-laurent-fignon-as-intellectual.html
Colombia related article but very interesting.
movingtarget said:http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2011/06/myth-of-laurent-fignon-as-intellectual.html
Colombia related article but very interesting.
Berzin said:This story is so implausible on so many levels it doesn't make any sense.
Anyone who is looking for PEDs in Colombia would NEVER go to a bike shop. Why pay jacked-up black market prices when there is no black market? Absolutely ludicrous.
A bike shop may be good for for advice on dosages and administration, but ONLY IF you know people there who also dope and feel comfortable enough to talk about it openly with them.
There is absolutely no stigma with talking openly about PED's in Colombia amongst friends in the amateur ranks. I don't know about the pros. I would assume they would not be forthcoming at all for the obvious reasons of discretion.
There is no PED "Mafia" in Colombia. Anything you want you can get at a pharmacy without resorting to black marketeering. More often than not, this alleged "Mafia" consists of a very pretty young lady who works as a counter clerk, who probably won't know what these products are for outside their legitimately prescribed purposes, or why they would be used for performance enhancement.
On the off-hand you're looking for something that requires a doctor's prescription, it can easily be procured. You don't even need a doctor to write the script.
This report is more than likely made up. I don't believe in a million years any of this happened the way it was written, especially the reasons for the attack and the moto driver yelling out "Sapo!!!" to the driver minutes after he leaves the bike shop simply because he went in to ask about PED's.
In fact, I'm convinced the story is complete BS.
Nope.. I live in Colombia and YOU CAN NOT GET EPO, AICAR and GW... on a regular pharmacy, you have to restore to the black market.Berzin said:This story is so implausible on so many levels it doesn't make any sense.
Anyone who is looking for PEDs in Colombia would NEVER go to a bike shop. Why pay jacked-up black market prices when there is no black market? Absolutely ludicrous.
A bike shop may be good for for advice on dosages and administration, but ONLY IF you know people there who also dope and feel comfortable enough to talk about it openly with them.
There is absolutely no stigma with talking openly about PED's in Colombia amongst friends in the amateur ranks. I don't know about the pros. I would assume they would not be forthcoming at all for the obvious reasons of discretion.
There is no PED "Mafia" in Colombia. Anything you want you can get at a pharmacy without resorting to black marketeering. More often than not, this alleged "Mafia" consists of a very pretty young lady who works as a counter clerk, who probably won't know what these products are for outside their legitimately prescribed purposes, or why they would be used for performance enhancement.
On the off-hand you're looking for something that requires a doctor's prescription, it can easily be procured. You don't even need a doctor to write the script.
This report is more than likely made up. I don't believe in a million years any of this happened the way it was written, especially the reasons for the attack and the moto driver yelling out "Sapo!!!" to the driver minutes after he leaves the bike shop simply because he went in to ask about PED's.
In fact, I'm convinced the story is complete BS.