Damiano Cunego, the Italian Christophe Bassons

[Race Radio]

The "look someone in the eye" test for doping has been upgraded to "detect 8% weight difference by sight alone". Impressive.

What are you talking about?

 

[Cloxxki]

Being 5kg overweight and keeping up is a sign of doping.
Being overweight in clen class however, is a sign of cleanliness.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

What are you talking about?

Your recently revealed super power.

 

[Race Radio]

Your recently revealed super power.

.....Link?

 

[the sceptic]

This is 5 kg overweight?

 

[Dear Wiggo]

.....link?

.. .

if cunego is going to get back to form he needs to start by losing some weight. the couple times i saw him up close this year he looked like he was carrying at least 5 kilos more then the old days

 

[Race Radio]

This is 5 kg overweight?

Is this from this years Tour? The Embrun TT? If so a few minutes prior to this picture being taken I was standing in the warmup area talking to some friends, One a DS the other a sponsor rep. Cunego rolled by us and the DS turned to me and said "Look at him, has to be carrying 5-7 kilos ".

He certainly looked larger then in the past but I thought 7 kilos was a bit much, maybe 4-5 kilos would be more accurate. Add that we were in the 3rd week of the Tour when you would have thought he should be lean.

Nothing to do with his doping, or lack of, I saw it more indicative of his training. Could be not motivated or having other issues.

 

[Race Radio]

.. .

You are making no sense. What does this have to do with looking "someone in the eye" or even doping? I drew no connection to doping.

Do you have an actual point or are you just trying to clog the toilet?

 

[Dear Wiggo]

You are making no sense. What does this have to do with looking "someone in the eye" or even doping? I drew no connection to doping.

Do you have an actual point or are you just trying to clog the toilet?

If you can look at someone and remember what they looked like years ago, and compare the 2 views and then determine they are 5kg overweight - no doubt fully clothed - ...

Whatever.

It's no different than the claims people have made of being able to look someone in the eye and determine if they are a doper.

You're kidding yourself.

 

[Race Radio]

If you can look at someone and remember what they looked like years ago, and compare the 2 views and then determine they are 5kg overweight - no doubt fully clothed - ...

Whatever.

It's no different than the claims people have made of being able to look someone in the eye and determine if they are a doper.

You're kidding yourself.

You have never been around the Pros have you? Talking about riders appearance is constant. While I have seen him a few times a year for the last 10 years the DS I was talking to had raced with, or driven the car, in hundreds of races with Cunego over the last decade.

You might try to equate assessing appearance with mind reading, and I can see how you can come to that conclusion if all you do is watch the sport on tv, but most can see that is not an equal comparison.

 

[Escarabajo]

The "look someone in the eye" test for doping has been upgraded to "detect 8% weight difference by sight alone". Impressive.

Weight is a very simple measure. Why create a story out of it.

 

[Escarabajo]

If you can look at someone and remember what they looked like years ago, and compare the 2 views and then determine they are 5kg overweight - no doubt fully clothed - ...

Whatever.

It's no different than the claims people have made of being able to look someone in the eye and determine if they are a doper.

You're kidding yourself.

People do it all the time. Sometimes they are wrong but if it is noticeable, then it is very easy to tell. Why the mystery???

 

[Berzin]

Everyone stay on-topic. Play the ball, not the man.

As for the photo of Cunego, if it's not from the particular race in question that Race Radio mentioned, then it cannot be posted for the sake of pursuing a contrary position as to Cunego's current weight.

What race is this photo from?

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Everyone stay on-topic. Play the ball, not the man.

As for the photo of Cunego, if it's not from the particular race in question that Race Radio mentioned, then it cannot be posted for the sake of pursuing a contrary position as to Cunego's current weight.

What race is this photo from?

Hold your horses:
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/n86zW0Ht202/Le+Tour+de+France+Stage+11/Ym62byPMX0J/Damiano+Cunego

In This Photo: Damiano Cunego
Damiano Cunego of Italy and Team Lampre-Merida rides during stage eleven of the 2013 Tour de France, a 33KM Individual Time Trial from Avranches to Mont-Saint-Michel, on July 10, 2013 in Avranches, France.
(July 9, 2013 - Source: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images Europe)

il piccolo b@stardo grasso principe

The "look someone in the eye" test for doping has been upgraded to "detect 8% weight difference by sight alone". Impressive.

Could the reverse also be a marker?

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Could the reverse also be a marker?

I think so. I think I am struggling with the relevance of how someone looks - can you tell if it's lean muscle or fat? Can you race a TdF fat and finish 55th overall? I am still serioulsy doubtful that you can look at someone and pick a gain or loss in weight of 4-7kg (7-12%) but hey, some people are beyond reproach. In clothes I look much lighter than most people my weight or heavier. If it was indeed 7kg, that's roughly 5+12 = 17% body fat. Amazeballs.

Given Cunego's complete and utter lack of GC focus (for some years now), it's somewhat strange to me that someone - anyone really - would be looking and commenting about his weight. Maybe it is this attention to detail that wins grand tours? Now that I think about it, I am wondering if it was Brailsford? He likes to pay attention to lots of irrelevant detail.

 

[SundayRider]

Is this from this years Tour? The Embrun TT? If so a few minutes prior to this picture being taken I was standing in the warmup area talking to some friends, One a DS the other a sponsor rep. Cunego rolled by us and the DS turned to me and said "Look at him, has to be carrying 5-7 kilos ".

He certainly looked larger then in the past but I thought 7 kilos was a bit much, maybe 4-5 kilos would be more accurate. Add that we were in the 3rd week of the Tour when you would have thought he should be lean.

Nothing to do with his doping, or lack of, I saw it more indicative of his training. Could be not motivated or having other issues.

Weight is affected more by diet than training. In the last few years Cunego has never looked particularly lightweight at least by cycling/climber standards. Although maybe that might mean that the other GT contenders have got leaner and leaner and that makes it a skewed comparison. I think he could probably still podium at a GT most likely the Vuelta if the route suited him and the field was not massively strong.

 

[SundayRider]

This is 5 kg overweight?

To me it seems he has more 'blocky' heavier legs than other climbers so makes him look heavier.

 

[Berzin]

To me it seems he has more 'blocky' heavier legs than other climbers so makes him look heavier.

Doesn't matter, because the photo you and everyone else are referring to was taken from the 2013 Tour, not during any race this year.

 

[jens_attacks]

i would bet that he wasn't that light in 2004 either. he always had bigger legs than most of the gc guys

again, the so called massacre of 2004 giro is overrated. a fight with a simoni who began training even later than usual, cioni, time trialist honchar, come on.
2007 giro i think it was the best cunego ever


that's some brutal competition, 2004 was nothing compared:

1 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 92.59.39
2 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 1.55
3 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Astana 2.25
4 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 3.15
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - Fondital 3.49
6 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 7.00

 

[del1962]

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/jun04/jun01news
And 7.25w/kg threshold?

Why do they say a resting heart rate of 44 in the article, surely that is quite high for an elite athlete, mine is below 50 and I am a long way off an elite athlete

 

[Granville57]

This is 5 kg overweight?

Is this from this years Tour? The Embrun TT? If so a few minutes prior to this picture being taken I was standing in the warmup area talking to some friends, One a DS the other a sponsor rep. Cunego rolled by us and the DS turned to me and said "Look at him, has to be carrying 5-7 kilos ".

As for the photo of Cunego, if it's not from the particular race in question that Race Radio mentioned, then it cannot be posted for the sake of pursuing a contrary position as to Cunego's current weight.

What race is this photo from?

Hold your horses:
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/n86zW0Ht202/Le+Tour+de+France+Stage+11/Ym62byPMX0J/Damiano+Cunego

the photo you and everyone else are referring to was taken from the 2013 Tour, not during any race this year.

I can't be the only one left totally confused by the above exchange.
To recap:

Cunego's weight was brought into question.

Race Radio suggested that Cunego appeared to be approximately 5kg overweight.

"the sceptic" posted a pic (without details) of Cunego from Stage 11 TT of the 2013 TdF.

Race Radio asked if the pic was from the Stage 17 TT (from Embrun) of the 2013 TdF (because that was where he had personally observed Cunego).

FGL offered a link to clarify that the pic was from the Stage 11 TT (from Avranches) of the 2013 TdF.

Berzin then stated that the pic was "not during any race this year."

This year is 2014.

The discussion was referring to 2013 (which is precisely what Race Radio meant when he said "this year").

I am confused.

 

[red_flanders]

You're not alone.

 

[Race Radio]

The discussion was referring to 2013 (which is precisely what Race Radio meant when he said "this year").

I am confused.

Sorry, I meant 2013.....I forgot it was already 2014.

 

[Granville57]

Sorry, I meant 2013.....I forgot it was already 2014.

I realize that. It was Berzin's post that left me confused.

 

[red_flanders]

I realize that. It was Berzin's post that left me confused.

Same here.