Cleanest GC Rider of the Doping Decade

[Clemson Cycling]

Who, in your guys opinions, was the best of the clean GC riders during the doping era? Maybe Cadel Evans?

 

[CPAvelo]

That may have been true before winning the World Championship. Now that he has become an attacker, suspicion now exists that Evans is clean.

 

[Jan the Man]

David Moncoutie

 

[Epicycle]

I really doubt Evans is clean. If you are talking about the last ten years it's probably David Moncoutie. If you mean the longer EPO era it could be Hampsten. Depending on how you define the era you would able to make a case for Lemond or Mottet also.

 

[ludwig]

Even Moncoutie is suspect to me. And you can't really call him a GC rider. More like a stage hunter. And I seriously doubt he wins all those Vuelta stages clean...sorry...jaded.

To answer the original question....there probably isn't anyone who meets the standards of your query. Maybe in 10 years time it will come out that some contender was doping a lot less and deserves to be considered the strongest of the era, but we will have to wait 10 years for that.

 

[Green Tea]

Depending on how you define the era you would able to make a case for Lemond or Mottet also.

So you think that LeMond didn't take drugs?

Explain then, how in the course of a couple of days, mid 1989, he could go from being shelled out the back at even dropped by the sprinters in the mountains of the Giro to finishing on the podium during the final time trial - and then going onto win the Tour and the Worlds. Seeing Greg go up the final climb in the worlds just made a complete mockery of everyone in the race. An impressive piece of big gear climbing.

A lot of people have suspicions on him as well.

I happen to believe Greg LeMond was a first class doper, just not with EPO.

 

[Von Mises]

Even Moncoutie is suspect to me. And you can't really call him a GC rider. More like a stage hunter. And I seriously doubt he wins all those Vuelta stages clean...sorry...jaded.

To answer the original question....there probably isn't anyone who meets the standards of your query. Maybe in 10 years time it will come out that some contender was doping a lot less and deserves to be considered the strongest of the era, but we will have to wait 10 years for that.

In the light of Landis letter, I would like to point out one little detail. He writes that he started doping in June 2002 aftre Dauphine, first with testosterone patches, during s TdF 2002 he got his first blood transfusion and during preparation for 2003 Vuelta he used EPO first time.

The point what I want to make - Landis came 2nd overall in 2002 Dauphiné Libéré. If his story is true and he was clean at this time, I can say that in 2002 june it was possible to come 2nd in one of the hardest stage races (after GT´s) in the world and be clean at the same time.

I think that in 2002, 2003, 2004 there was more doping than in recent years. If Landis was able to be clean and come 2nd overall in Dauphiné, it is not unplausible that Moncutie or some other rider can win stages clean. And yes, I believe that Moncutie is clean, I believe some GC conteders are alos clean (or at least cleanish) at moment.

 

[djconnel]

I really doubt Evans is clean. If you are talking about the last ten years it's probably David Moncoutie. If you mean the longer EPO era it could be Hampsten. Depending on how you define the era you would able to make a case for Lemond or Mottet also.

Both LeMond and Hampsten faded into obscurity with the onset of the EPO era, which kicked into gear in the early '90's. The culmination was probably 1995, when the worlds were in Col. and the Swiss and Italians were raging despite no specific altitude training.

Doping in the Tour goes back to 1903. Did LeMond dope? I don't know. The story in 1989 was he was low on iron and B12. I have no reason to question that. But he didn't use EPO, that's for sure.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Who, in your guys opinions, was the best of the clean GC riders during the doping era? Maybe Cadel Evans?

You mean the ex T-Mobile and ex-Mapei rider?

Not a chance.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Thomas Voeckler

 

[PCB Free]

Please remember that Jan Ullrich didn't want to have Evans on the Tour team since he didn't have enough "experience"! Since the rest of T-Mobile was reported to be riddled with doping, I find it hard to believe that Ullrich would exclude a rider with as much potential due to lack of "experience".

 

[danjo007]

Please remember that Jan Ullrich didn't want to have Evans on the Tour team since he didn't have enough "experience"! Since the rest of T-Mobile was reported to be riddled with doping, I find it hard to believe that Ullrich would exclude a rider with as much potential due to lack of "experience".

i agree. there are too many bias fools in the forum.

 

[erader]

That may have been true before winning the World Championship. Now that he has become an attacker, suspicion now exists that Evans is clean.

cuddles was sure lashing out with his purse today .

ed rader

 

[Mortirolo]

Cadel is definitely clean. He was Mr boring coz he was not on super charged fuel like everyone else so never stood a chance to attack guys on boosters but now that the Peloton is much cleaner he has the possibility to shine on standard fuel but he has no chance against Contador & his high octane fuel.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Define "The Doping Era"? Doping has been around forever. One could argue there was more doping in the 1970's than 1990's. Just that the doping at the time was much less effective (mostly amphetamines, cortisone, and pain killers).

No one has yet said Christophe Bassons, nor Gilles Delion. Two good riders who were outspoken against doping during the 90's, and had their potential ruined because of it. Willy Voet backs both as being completely clean, and apologized to both. In a clean world, Delion would have won the Tour in about 1994 or so. Instead, he couldn't even keep up with the autobus and was forced into retirement, at 27.

From the mid-1990's through mid-2000's I'd venture a guess to say few if any riders won any major races during that time clean. We may have not even had a clean rider able to even finish a GT during some of those years.

 

[El Imbatido]

Christophe Le Mevel

France's GC man

 

[craig1985]

Even Moncoutie is suspect to me. And you can't really call him a GC rider. More like a stage hunter. And I seriously doubt he wins all those Vuelta stages clean...sorry...jaded.

To answer the original question....there probably isn't anyone who meets the standards of your query. Maybe in 10 years time it will come out that some contender was doping a lot less and deserves to be considered the strongest of the era, but we will have to wait 10 years for that.

Genuine question, and I may have missed it, what leads you to think Moncoutie is not clean? Or do you believe that is very hard to win clean? And is something from past doping scandals that have led you to be cynical (I don't mean that to be an insult, that is just how your posts read), or have you raced at a fairly high level and you have come to this conclusion?

I don't believe guys like Le Mevel, Casar, di Gregorio, amongst others to dope, for if they were, they got some **** products.

You mean the ex T-Mobile and ex-Mapei rider?

Not a chance.

Bassons is also guilty because he rode for Festina?

 

[auscyclefan94]

You mean the ex T-Mobile and ex-Mapei rider?

Not a chance.

Guilt by association. Can someone explain the stomach virus thing that happened at t-moile. evans did not race much with tmo as he was injured most the time.

 

[craig1985]

Well 2003 is a write-off, and considering how unpopular he was, if he was on a program at T-Mobile, he would of been on his own.

 

[Fester]

Both LeMond and Hampsten faded into obscurity with the onset of the EPO era, which kicked into gear in the early '90's. The culmination was probably 1995, when the worlds were in Col. and the Swiss and Italians were raging despite no specific altitude training.

Doping in the Tour goes back to 1903. Did LeMond dope? I don't know. The story in 1989 was he was low on iron and B12. I have no reason to question that. But he didn't use EPO, that's for sure.

I'm sorry, but you're presuming innocence. The fact is we don't know.

The facts as we know them :
-Won World Champs 1983
-He won the Tour in 1986
-He got shot in the back 1987
-Won the Tour and World Championships in 1989
-Won the Tour in 1990

So, it's not a mad leap of the imagination to think Le Mond came across a wonder drug. In 1987 Epo entered clinical trials, it was licensed in Europe in 1988 and in the us 1989.

However (apart from mechanically doping with aerobars ) this is nothing but an invention. I would not presume guilt or innocence in regards doping.

 

[Jonathan]

Moncoutie might be clean, perhaps Cunego. In the previous decade, Charly Mottet has been named as a clean GC rider. I'm also thinking of Bradley McGee.

What are the chances that Zuelle was clean in the 1999 Tour? If he was, that would have been the most amazing clean performance ever.

 

[Brooks Fahey Baldwin]

Guilt by association. Can someone explain the stomach virus thing that happened at t-moile. evans did not race much with tmo as he was injured most the time.

Was that the 2004 Vuelta? I remember Evans saying that everyone ate tuna salad at dinner and got sick, but he "wouldnt touch that ****".
He was the best ranked rider from T-mobile at that point because Vino had spent a day in the groupetto chucking his guts up. Still no team support for him though....

I have heard of times where the stored blood accidentally overheats a little and when it goes back in, complications obviously arise. Sound possible?

 

[Jonathan]

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that Evans rides clean. In cycling, you don't get these results without help. We have once again seen what it takes to reach the absolute top level, and Evans is indeed breaking into that level.

 

[Ferminal]

Surprised Evans is always mentioned in these debates, but rarely is Carlos "Mr. Clean" Sastre.

Is it because he's Spanish?

 

[Jonathan]

Surprised Evans is always mentioned in these debates, but rarely is Carlos "Mr. Clean" Sastre.

Is it because he's Spanish?

Actually, no rider who currently has a very realistic chance at a GT podium deserves to be mentioned in this thread. It is extremely difficult, if possible, for a very talented clean rider to reach the top 10.