Cleanest GC Rider of the Doping Decade

[Cerberus]

We know now that Armstrong tested positive for EPO in 2002, so riders must have been careful in that period. It's possible that a clean rider could do relatively well then.

We don't actually know that, we just know that Landis is alleging that. His accusations against Armstrong can be trusted because of strong pre-existing evidence that Armstrong was and is doped. His allegations of a cover-up of a positive doping test is not backed by similar evidence. It could be true, but it's only backed by Landis' word. That certainly doesn't make it an established fact.

 

[delbified]

Armstrong's relationship with Michele Ferrari speaks far greater volumes than the rantings of Floyd Landis. it's ironic that Landis' latest spat has arguably lended Armstrong credibility (that he doesn't deserve).

 

[locker]

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".

exactly finally someone with sense

 

[sportzchick]

where is the none of them option

 

[User Guide]

Does the Tour de l'Aude/womens giro count if so Emma Pooley anyday now

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's very simple. I have nothing against Moncoutie. I hope I am wrong and he is clean.

The problem is he wins big mountain stages against prominent climbers from prominent doping teams. Yes, many of these stages are wins via break, but riding in a break and defeating excellent pro riders also takes stamina and power, which are greatly enhanced by PEDs. The whistle blowers have indicated it is not possible to win Vuetla stages clean, and I give more credence to them than anyone else.

Generally, I don't think it's possible for clean riders to win any significant professional race, and that's mostly because oxygen-vector drugs convey a decisive advantage. It's the same in any sport where endurance and power are factors.

So, if you win, you must be doped... even if your team doctors are on record as being exasperated with you because you won't even take vitamins because they're "not natural". Perhaps he wins those stages because he's not a GC threat (ergo not really relevant to the question in the thread) and so isn't marked. Because he rides them from breaks, he's usually on his own and can ride tempo, whereas the GC candidates are watching one another which slows them down and plays into his hands. His good GC results have been due, like Christophe le Mevel's top 10 last year, to getting into a good break that gains him some time and puts him in a strong position, then riding like billy-o to protect it.

If there's anybody in the current péloton I have complete faith and trust in, it's David Moncoutié.

 

[eljimberino]

Any evidence against McEwen?

 

[bridgeman]

The first thing I thought when Armstrong announced going for #8 is that he will be openning a can of worms, and that this will be when it comes all crashing down. Everyone I talked to felt the same way, that this was just asking for it.

Also, didn't the Radio Shack Company wonder about the risks? Did they really think about what they were getting into?

Would this Landis thing have materialized if Armstrong would have just laid low from #7 on?

And all this talk about cleaning up the sport. That will never happening. Ever. There will always be cheats. It will take intelligence to calm things down in our sport, and it's not looking like that is going to happen any time soon.

 

[petesam]

Well, I found a comment on the RadioShack Website following their statement:

Amen. Lance is the most tested athelete in history and has never had a positive test. He's clean, been clean, raced clean, won clean. He is a true American hero and deserving of the respect and admiration he earned. He should have won Athelete of the Decade (that Tiger Woods won). Always a fan of Lance Armstrong.

I guess that seals the deal, LA must be the cleanest GC rider...ever...fact!

 

[bridgeman]

No one on the Radio Shack Board is into cycling.

 

[petesam]

Ha ha, don't worry. The comment doesn't exactly match my opinions on this - i just thought it was priceless in its cliche and fanboy-ness!

I'm backing Cadel as well on this. He's been uber-boring in the past, but has always been there-or-thereabouts (plus being a MTB champ). Now he seems to still be the same guy, and ride the same way - grinding along behind attacks and bringing them back, except that more seems to come of it now than a couple of years ago.

If he is doping now, then he must only be doing it a tiny little bit...

 

[Jonathan]

Ha ha, don't worry. The comment doesn't exactly match my opinions on this - i just thought it was priceless in its cliche and fanboy-ness!

I'm backing Cadel as well on this. He's been uber-boring in the past, but has always been there-or-thereabouts (plus being a MTB champ). Now he seems to still be the same guy, and ride the same way - grinding along behind attacks and bringing them back, except that more seems to come of it now than a couple of years ago.

If he is doping now, then he must only be doing it a tiny little bit...

Just like that boring Rumsas guy. He never attacked, so he probably was only doping a little bit.

 

[markene2]

Mads Kaggestad.....

 

[LastRide]

I work with a guy who used to race with Tom Danielson. He says that he is the real deal. This comes from a guy who believes pretty much every pro cyclist dopes.

Yeah right! although he is probably clean now judging by his results.

 

[theyoungest]

i'm inclined to look at riders like O'Grady or Voight...

Voigt? Think again.

 

[Bala Verde]

Given the logistics of doping across the Atlantic, combined with the status of the ToC, I think A Schleck was as clean as they get in Cali...

 

[sublimit]

I wont be nominating any Liquigas riders any time soon.

I still go with Mick Rogers as I cant think of anybody else at the moment.. but perhaps Tony Martin. He can TT and climb so a possible GC rider.

 

[Escarabajo]

I wont be nominating any Liquigas riders any time soon.

I still go with Mick Rogers as I cant think of anybody else at the moment.. but perhaps Tony Martin. He can TT and climb so a possible GC rider.

Mick Rogers?

Based on his response on the Floyd Landis affair after he won the TOC I highly doubt it.

 

[blackcat]

I wont be nominating any Liquigas riders any time soon.

I still go with Mick Rogers as I cant think of anybody else at the moment.. but perhaps Tony Martin. He can TT and climb so a possible GC rider.

Mick Rogers is a Ferrari disciple, and went to Frieburg in 2006 after the prologue for another transfusion.

Tony Martin I believe works with Kloeden and Burghardt's trainer/preparatore.

Came thru Thuringer Energie.

Think again

 

[Hillavoider]

i am australian so i should be biased but Cadel is definately on the juice, the way he so diplomatically answers questions about doping, he just tows the line like all the others. He has been on all the dodgy teams too.

Mick Rogers is juiced to his eyeballs

O'Grady has a dubius team history and performance history

The australian track cycling team were discovered injecting horse steroids for god sake.

australia just has a clean image for some unkown reason.

for successful clean riders you may have to look back to the post ww2 years, i think they only took amphetamines then.

 

[iwannabeabiker]

The ones that came last. They'll be easy to name.

 

[Red Lobster]

Michael Rogers, he seems to have a ridiculous amount of natural talent so i dont see him doping.

I guess, as long as you can convince yourself that he only used Ferrari for training plans.

 

[HelmutRoole]

Gilberto Simoni, if he hasn't been mentioned yet.

Also, Armschlong since he never tested positive.

Ah ha ha ha, it's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under.

 

[Runitout]

Gilberto Simoni, if he hasn't been mentioned yet.

Also, Armschlong since he never tested positive.

Ah ha ha ha, it's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under.

"Rats in the front room, roaches in the back; Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat..."

Sounds like pro cycling to me.

 

[HelmutRoole]

"Rats in the front room, roaches in the back; Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat..."

Sounds like pro cycling to me.

Ah yeah, boyeee.... wait, that came much later.