How well will Basso do...

[rhubroma]

For those who have followed Ivan Basso's career over the years, from his battles with Armstrong in the mountains at the Tour, to his crushing Giro win and downfall: will Ivan be able to win the Vuelta (or any Grand Tour in the future)?

Was it all Fuentes or is he real?

 

[blackcat]

it was for real, if you accept he was only on what most others are, and have the opportunity to be.

If Basso was still on his program, he would have beaten Contador.

 

[elapid]

He definitely has talent, and he was one of my favourite riders pre-2006. So I would like him to be at the pointy end of a GT, but I do not think he has the natural talent to beat doped riders. Maybe the peloton is cleaner and other contenders like Valverde are truly clean now and competing against other clean GT riders like Evans. If it was based on natural talent alone, then I think Basso can be competitive. But Basso v Armstrong was more than just attempted doping and I don't think we'll see that level of competition out of Basso again.