Was it more ridiculous than 7 Tour wins in a row, Heras, Landis Tour 06, Basso Giro 06, Astana Vuelta 06, CSF-Navigare Giro 08, Ricco + Piepoli's various performances?
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Duartista said:So he didn't respond to EPO or blood doping, only CERA?
luckyboy said:Was it more ridiculous than 7 Tour wins in a row, Heras, Landis Tour 06, Basso Giro 06, Astana Vuelta 06, CSF-Navigare Giro 08, Ricco + Piepoli's various performances?
El Pistolero said:Blood doping doesn't make you that good in a one week stage race
EPO at that time could only have been micro dosed. Cera= undetectable.
I remember Mads Kaggestad said that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen. While they were going fast uphill and everyone was suffering, Cobo was just sitting there smiling and joking around, even trying to converse with people while climbing (obviously, they were unable to respond). He made the race look like a joke.El Pistolero said:I did mean in cycling though
It's stage 5 of the Vuelta ciclista al Pais Vasco 2007. Or any stage of that stage race really.
luckyboy said:Was CERA even out in early 2007? Mircera was approved for use in the EU in July, and was available in Europe in early 2008. And WADA was working with Roche Pharmaceuticals on testing before it was released.
Don't think I've ever heard of a company apart from Roche manufacturing it either.
happychappy said:The mighty Cobo needs to refill his suitcase of courage, he had to resort to getting motorpaced at the end there!
It's just a response to the 'most doped performance of the decade' comment, which seemed rather arbitrary.roundabout said:I don't know, I haven't retested the samples.
But seriously, I'm not sure where you're going with this. The performances you listed were ridiculous and so was Cobo's. Splitting hairs doesn't matter.
+1 billionDuartista said:Generally, I think riders who put in the odd spectacular performance get more stick, probably undeservedly, than riders who were consistently ridiculous. For example, Perez is remembered as a crazy doper whilst Heras is remembered as a great climber who doped, whilst for all we know, the 2004 Vuelta was the only time Perez had access to the same kind of deluxe programme to which Heras was accustomed.
This is why I've been trying to defend a Cobo a bit. Whilst I don't believe he's clean, I think his inconsistency is more down to what seem to be genuine problems with depression and lack of motivation than anything else. This is what makes his good performances stand out so much.hrotha said:+1 billion
Consider Kohl. In his case, if we believe him, the 2008 TdF *was* the first time he was on a deluxe program. But nearly everywhere he's considered one of the most scandalous dopers out there.
If he had, I imagine he'd be pretty depressed now.Duartista said:Edit: BTW, I don't suppose he's made any more appearances on Foro de ciclismo?
Duartista said:This is why I've been trying to defend a Cobo a bit. Whilst I don't believe he's clean, I think his inconsistency is more down to what seem to be genuine problems with depression and lack of motivation than anything else. This is what makes his good performances stand out so much.
Edit: BTW, I don't suppose he's made any more appearances on Foro de ciclismo?
Looking at that list, and considering what became of Gil, Gomez Marchante, Ricco and Piepoli, I would be rather worried if I was Menchov or De la Fuente! The curse of Cobo...roundabout said:My problem with Cobo's so called good performances is that they sometimes come at the same time as good performances from his team mates.
Castilla y Leon 2007 - Cobo 3rd, Koldo Gil 2nd and climbing as well as Contador on the MTF
Pais Vasco same year - Koldo Gil, Marchante and Cobo were among the strongest.
Urkiola - same story
2008 better in that regard but when he was really flying 2 team mates tested positive who had won 3 stages up to that point
And this year there's a general Geox revival with Menchov and de la Fuente around stages 13-15.
I am not saying that it means he is dirty but it's a bit curious that he usually comes out of depression when the team is doing well.
Animal said:Toeing.
Think soldiers lined up on parade. You get their toes on a line.
Sorry this is just a bugbear of mine.