Cobo Talk Only

[Maxiton]

No matter how Wiggins responded, he couldn't win. If he had said Cobo is dodgy, people would have said he's a sore loser and a hypocrite.

True.

That's what I was going to say until I got to the "He deserves to be where he's at" bit. That's like the difference between "Dunno" and "I support him!"

Exactly.

 

[Parrot23]

"Snorting the helium really helped on the Angliru. I could fly.

I just VAM-oosed my way up."

 

[python]

did anyone notice that another brit - wegelius - was less generous than wiggo and far more cryptic with his laconic tweet 'cobo ?'

 

[pastronef]

did anyone notice that another brit - wegelius - was less generous than wiggo and far more cryptic with his laconic tweet 'cobo ?'

did anyone notice that Wegelius stopped his career and called it quits the day Cobo won and took the lead jersey?

 

[thehog]

did anyone notice that Wegelius stopped his career and called it quits the day Cobo won and took the lead jersey?

Wegelius is returning to Italy to work with the RS-Leopard team my well informed souces tell me....

 

[Big Doopie]

Cynical minds would say that they put that first rest day to good use...

bingo.

no doubt at all in my mind that gianetti and cobo are doping like crazy. i hope, for the sake of the cycling i saw in july that he gets caught. when even freakin'-ferrari-nibali is whining you gotta know they all know. and if he gets away with it, they will all want to get on whatever he is on -- basically just how epo started -- riders who had no business winning came out of nowhere and thoroughbreds couldn't even keep up.

in fact cobo is the perfect example of the difference between pre-1991 doping and post-1991 doping. the guy would be nowhere without the dope. and with it, he is winning one of the three major tours. ridiculous. one of the reasons that destroyed watching cycling for me -- something that the tour this year had actually managed to revive. i hope he doesn't get away with it.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Yee have little faith Sir........

And what would his, or ones faith rest on? Considering the history of cycling, or rather the inner movements of the history of cycling?

Just as an example. Some poping winners in the History of the TdF:

1949,52 Fausto Coppi, confessed doper
1957, 1961-1964 Jaques Anquetil, tested positiv
1965 Felice Gimondi, tested positiv
1969,1970-1972,1974 Eddy Merckx, tested positiv
1973 Luis Ocana, tested positiv
1975,1977 Bernard Thevenet, confessed doper
1978,1979,1981,1982,1985 Bernard Hinault, didn't show up to a controll
1980 Joop Zoetemelk, tested positiv
1983,1984 Laurent Fignon, tested positiv
1988 Pedro Delgado, tested positiv
1996 Bjarne Riis, confessed doper
1997 Jan Ullrich, tested positiv
1998 Marco Pantani, tested positiv
1999-2005 Lance Armstrong, most likely do have been using PEDs indeed
2006 Floyd Landis, tested positiv was stripped of the title
2007,2009,2010 Alberto Contador, tested positiv for clenbuterol a+b sample, has been linked to Fuentes

 

[Benotti69]

And what would his, or ones faith rest on? Considering the history of cycling, or rather the inner movements of the history of cycling?

Just as an example. Some poping winners in the History of the TdF:

1949,52 Fausto Coppi, confessed doper
1957, 1961-1964 Jaques Anquetil, tested positiv
1965 Felice Gimondi, tested positiv
1969,1970-1972,1974 Eddy Merckx, tested positiv
1973 Luis Ocana, tested positiv
1975,1977 Bernard Thevenet, confessed doper
1978,1979,1981,1982,1985 Bernard Hinault, didn't show up to a controll
1980 Joop Zoetemelk, tested positiv
1983,1984 Laurent Fignon, tested positiv
1988 Pedro Delgado, tested positiv
1996 Bjarne Riis, confessed doper
1997 Jan Ullrich, tested positiv
1998 Marco Pantani, tested positiv
1999-2005 Lance Armstrong, tested positive but forged a backdate TUE and '99 TdF samples tested positive for EPO in '04
2006 Floyd Landis, tested positiv was stripped of the title
2007,2009,2010 Alberto Contador, tested positiv for clenbuterol a+b sample, has been linked to Fuentes

corrected

 

[Tangled Tango]

If understood correctly 34-32, but I haven't seen that confirmed.

Regards
GJ

34 x 32 is correct, at least it is what his DS said his gearing was. From watching his cadence I believe it.

 

[Fergoose]

bingo.

no doubt at all in my mind that gianetti and cobo are doping like crazy. i hope, for the sake of the cycling i saw in july that he gets caught. when even freakin'-ferrari-nibali is whining you gotta know they all know. and if he gets away with it, they will all want to get on whatever he is on -- basically just how epo started -- riders who had no business winning came out of nowhere and thoroughbreds couldn't even keep up.

in fact cobo is the perfect example of the difference between pre-1991 doping and post-1991 doping. the guy would be nowhere without the dope. and with it, he is winning one of the three major tours. ridiculous. one of the reasons that destroyed watching cycling for me -- something that the tour this year had actually managed to revive. i hope he doesn't get away with it.

That's pretty much exactly where I am on all points (working on the not unreasonable assumption that Cobo is on something). If there is no positive test, then it will give many other riders the courage next season to start pushing the limits of the testing regime (or what remains of it, nobody appears to be able to specify what testing is ongoing at this time, which is hardly reassuring). Since 2007/08 it seems riders and their "training advisors" have been on the back foot and very conservative. It's been a relatively good couple of years for the sport as a result.

 

[B_Ugli]

That's pretty much exactly where I am on all points (working on the not unreasonable assumption that Cobo is on something). If there is no positive test, then it will give many other riders the courage next season to start pushing the limits of the testing regime (or what remains of it, nobody appears to be able to specify what testing is ongoing at this time, which is hardly reassuring). Since 2007/08 it seems riders and their "training advisors" have been on the back foot and very conservative. It's been a relatively good couple of years for the sport as a result.

Agreed

You also need to throw into this equation that despite the efforts in France & Italy to crack down, Spain is still "business as usual". You only have to look at the whole way Contador has been handled to see that. The whole Spanish stance simply undermines every effort elsewhere in Europe to promote clean cycling. What powers to the UCI, IOC and WADA have though to get Spain towing the line?

 

[Fergoose]

There are a few articles here from late last year about McQuaid wagging a finger at some of the Spanish authorities, but in fairness, I doubt he can do much else. If the very Prime Minister of Spain is going to vocally wade into an ongoing doping investigation with ill informed populist remarks on a Twitter page then its clearly going to be an uphill battle.

One thing worth remembering at all times however, is that on the evidence of this Vuelta, if Cobo is doping, he is cheating seemingly brilliant Spanish atheletes like Rodriguez & Anton just as much as anybody else.

 

[Animal]

Toeing.

Think soldiers lined up on parade. You get their toes on a line.

Sorry this is just a bugbear of mine. Similar to when people use "queue" when they mean "cue".

Cue cries of "Pedant!"

 

[Fergoose]

Toeing? Did not know that, and being a bit of a pedant myself, I thank you.

 

[Parrot23]

One thing worth remembering at all times however, is that on the evidence of this Vuelta, if Cobo is doping, he is cheating seemingly brilliant Spanish atheletes like Rodriguez & Anton just as much as anybody else.

Re Cobo and culture of doping in Spanish sport

+1 That is a good point, but easy to lose sight of. Thanks.

 

[Benotti69]

One thing worth remembering at all times however, is that on the evidence of this Vuelta, if Cobo is doping, he is cheating seemingly brilliant Spanish atheletes like Rodriguez & Anton just as much as anybody else.

yeah i suppose one could have said that in 1999 during the TdF about a rider who barely finished a GT before beating the likes of Ullrich, Zulle and Escartin

 

[luckyboy]

Wow Cobo looked exhausted. He must be clean

 

[Anonymous]

Wow Cobo looked exhausted. He must be clean

it seems that these days the pro's also take acting lessons

 

[djerkson]

I must admit, when Cobo couldn't follow Froome, I thought it was over. I think it was quite good in the way Cobo came back in the climb. Froome or Cobo, I don't believe in either, but still, it was a good and exciting show.

 

[webvan]

wow, what a finish, another 500 meters and Cobo was dead!

 

[Mellow Velo]

Wow Cobo looked exhausted. He must be clean

Well, that is the logic that is often applied for others, isn't it?
David Harmon was not very guarded in his barely disguise accusations, during today's commentary.
Yet, they guy got well and truly beaten.

 

[roundabout]

Wow Cobo looked exhausted. He must be clean

Must be as doped as Kohl, surely?

 

[THISISIT]

Wow Cobo looked exhausted. He must be clean

Yeah I just don't understand that logic. Cobo and Froome were wasted by their efforts today, and they only finished a handful of seconds in front of the other top riders.

They might all be doping for all we know but the idea that riders looking easy is indicative of doping is indicative of one rider doping vs. another is silly.

Even the year Basso won the Giro with the utmost immodesty so that even Simoni called him out, we know there were plenty of other top riders doping as well, probably including Simoni

 

[Fergoose]

As I've said, looking at a man being tired is irrelevant (because of the possibility of acting etc). What is relevant is if they give an exceptional performance and showing no fatigue (like Cobo on the Angliru and the stage preceding it).

On todays stage Cobo cracked after being challenged for the first time by a rider with the same "ability", it wasn't Cobo slowing down to pace himself and limit his losses. Then a minute or two later he is out of the saddle and sprinting back across to Chris "Broom Broom" Froome!*

Has anyone ever witnessed such a recovery?

Horrifically entertaining, and for all the wrong reasons. I hurt my belly laughing in between my bouts of swearing! Totally unrecognisable from the sport I've watched at the TdF in the past couple of years.

Overall though I don't have the words, so I'll go with an emoticon

*apologies for mentioning Froome, but as he was riding side by side with Cobo its kind of hard not to.

 

[palmerq]

David Harmon was not very guarded in his barely disguise accusations, during today's commentary.

I am surprised he lasted this long, he wasnt saying much on the angrilu stage, I dont like harmon anymore, I think he has become very arrogant over the last few years, or he is just showing it more...

Anyway just due to past history I think cobo is up to no good, but he doesnt look like he is on some superdrug so I think his cheating is just minor so I am fine with him winning the vuelta if he holds on.