Is Philippe Gilbert Doping?

[roundabout]

He won the TT nationals.

No, it's not a of anything, but rather to disprove any suggestions that he is slowing down.

 

[Willy_Voet]

He won the TT nationals.

No, it's not a of anything, but rather to disprove any suggestions that he is slowing down.

I came in here to make a joke about how EBH "must" be doping because he beat Gilbert, but then realized Gilbert won the national TT. Amazing.

 

[Slipstream]

Yea. Judging by this photo there is no way Gilbert is clean.

All joking asides though. His exploits in the classics especially this Year has raised an eyebrow of suspicion. Given the nature of the difficulty of these one day races. His recovery ? rate in such a short space if time between victories, and the manner in which he won is undoubtedly very questionable.

 

[The Hitch]

could a mod maybe change the title to "Gilbert doping thread" or some such.

I dont want to explain to every new poster that this was mainly a response to "No way Cancellara is clean".

I certainatly didnt expect when I created it back before LBL that Gilbert and this thread would still be going.

 

[Slipstream]

I certainatly didnt expect when I created it back before LBL that Gilbert and this thread would still be going.

I'm sure it will be going for quite a while Yet. There is always next Years Spring classics !!

 

[djerkson]

No way Bo Hagen is clean. I mean, he was outstanding in the Tour of Bayern in june, won 2 stages in the Tour De France, won the Eneco tour (UCI World Tour) against thé super-TB500-doped Philippe Gilbert and won the Vattenfall Cyclassics (UCI World Tour) today. That is a peak of 2 months where he's only becoming stronger so it seems, even after an exhausting Tour de France...Yep, there is your proof!

 

[djerkson]

All joking asides though. His exploits in the classics especially this Year has raised an eyebrow of suspicion. Given the nature of the difficulty of these one day races. His recovery ? rate in such a short space if time between victories, and the manner in which he won is undoubtedly very questionable.

He has his own line of clothing, where they are experimenting in clothing to faster improve recuperation. There was a newspaper article about this item a few weeks ago. He's being helped by scientists and clothing specialists in this matter. Maybe there's a revolution going on here (compare the revolution in swimming, merely by changing clothes)?

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

He has his own line of clothing, where they are experimenting in clothing to faster improve recuperation. There was a newspaper article about this item a few weeks ago. He's being helped by scientists and clothing specialists in this matter. Maybe there's a revolution going on here (compare the revolution in swimming, merely by changing clothes)?

That is a new one. It is not the high cadence or the weight loss or training harder than everyone else. It is super duper stealth clothing.

It is sure is a coincidence that he moves from one team with a soigneur just caught for importing experimental horse drugs to a team with a soigneur just caught with 195 does of EPO. Some clean riders just cannot catch a break.

 

[The Hitch]

Thanks to mod(s) for changing thread title

No way Bo Hagen is clean. I mean, he was outstanding in the Tour of Bayern in june, won 2 stages in the Tour De France, won the Eneco tour (UCI World Tour) against thé super-TB500-doped Philippe Gilbert and won the Vattenfall Cyclassics (UCI World Tour) today. That is a peak of 2 months where he's only becoming stronger so it seems, even after an exhausting Tour de France...Yep, there is your proof!

Eneco Tour doesnt exactly have the same winners list. Schumacher has won Eneco and Vattenfall winner Ballan may have some controversy but that hardly compares to the Ardennes.

7 of the 8 previous LBLS were won by riders who have been caught doping.

The one that wasnt was 2009 - Andy Schleck, whose brother has been caught doping instead.

Of course FW has a similar history as does the FW LBL double and the only previous person to complete the Ardennes tripple was Davide Rebbelin.

And thats just his first third of the season.

So if Cancellara gets this thread for a far less historically tainted RVV PR double, Gilbert gets it too.

 

[maltiv]

No way Bo Hagen is clean. I mean, he was outstanding in the Tour of Bayern in june, won 2 stages in the Tour De France, won the Eneco tour (UCI World Tour) against thé super-TB500-doped Philippe Gilbert and won the Vattenfall Cyclassics (UCI World Tour) today. That is a peak of 2 months where he's only becoming stronger so it seems, even after an exhausting Tour de France...Yep, there is your proof!

Those days both being consistent and being inconsistent seems to be a proof for doping. Tough life! (personally I find roller-coaster form faaaaaar more suspicious).

 

[mountainbiker]

All the proof you need in the background of this Sporza interview http://t.co/di0pWdn

 

[greatking88]

No way Bo Hagen is clean. I mean, he was outstanding in the Tour of Bayern in june, won 2 stages in the Tour De France, won the Eneco tour (UCI World Tour) against thé super-TB500-doped Philippe Gilbert and won the Vattenfall Cyclassics (UCI World Tour) today. That is a peak of 2 months where he's only becoming stronger so it seems, even after an exhausting Tour de France...Yep, there is your proof!

I heard just in the last few days that TB500 is the drug of choice in the peloton these days, certain riders making unbelievable improvements, just wondering does anyone know if its detectable in the tests? I presume not because of the incompetence of the testing.

 

[ChrisE]

Looks like BMC has a better internal testing program than Lotto.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

He may not be doping right now. "MAY"

 

[LaFlorecita]

He may not be doping right now. "MAY"

I think you might be right. "MIGHT"

 

[delbified]

so in summary no one here has any real idea if gilbert is on the juice

 

[Fatclimber]

so in summary no one here has any real idea if gilbert is on the juice

You are correct. But if there ever was a time to do it, it would be during a contract year.

 

[zigmeister]

so in summary no one here has any real idea if gilbert is on the juice

No. I think the question is raised though, why is his form so poor from last year to this year where he was the #1 rider after many classic successes.

It was quite remarkable last year how on a slight incline he would just ride away from the bunch and win.

It has many people inquiring how one can go from such good performance, with no apparent injuries or other excuses others have (or had) in the past like Boonen.

We could say the same with Hushovd also. Mysteriously how their "form" has been so poor from one year to the next.

 

[maltiv]

We could say the same with Hushovd also. Mysteriously how their "form" has been so poor from one year to the next.

Not really no, Hushovd's form has been exactly like this the past two seasons. He was just as bad last year. His problem is that he always gets sick in March or so and loses two weeks. Usually he just manages to find his form for P-R, but he always sucks in RVV so nothing new there.

Also Hushovd hasn't been nearly as bad as Gilbert. He looked good in Omloop, and his 14th place in the P-N prologue wasn't half-bad either (+ a 5th place on the stage De Gendt won, even if he were sick at the time).

 

[hrotha]

Hushovd wasn't bad last year. He didn't get early results, but he impressed in Tirreno and did alright in RVV.

 

[maltiv]

Hushovd wasn't bad last year. He didn't get early results, but he impressed in Tirreno and did alright in RVV.

Well, perhaps 2010 is a better example. Still, it's nothing out of the ordinary. Just a common case of the flu. He was clearly finding his form before he got ill.

 

[delbified]

It was quite remarkable last year how on a slight incline he would just ride away from the bunch and win.

It has many people inquiring how one can go from such good performance, with no apparent injuries or other excuses others have (or had) in the past like Boonen.

but this is the case for so many riders. form is such a nebulous quality, no one really knows precisely what influences it. if they did, racing would be boring.

if gilbert's dominance was as simple as taking juice, then everyone would (try to) do it. i don't think it's that simple. i'm not saying he's definitely clean, but there seem to be a range of other factors that influence form, that a lot of people overlook in favour of settling on the easy (and juiciest) explanation.

burnout would be an equally obvious explanation, for my money.

 

[danjo007]

of course he is. anyone mentioned here in the "clinic" is automatically a horrible person in life and sport!

 

[Caruut]

of course he is. anyone mentioned here in the "clinic" is automatically a horrible person in life and sport!

You could at least try to add some controversy or opinion if you're going to be like that. You're wasting perfectly good obnoxiousness on saying nothing.

 

[meat puppet]

but this is the case for so many riders. form is such a nebulous quality, no one really knows precisely what influences it. if they did, racing would be boring.

if gilbert's dominance was as simple as taking juice, then everyone would (try to) do it. i don't think it's that simple. i'm not saying he's definitely clean, but there seem to be a range of other factors that influence form, that a lot of people overlook in favour of settling on the easy (and juiciest) explanation.

burnout would be an equally obvious explanation, for my money.

With Gilbert I think the key is taking into account the different qualities lumped under his "form". The ability to produce insane accelerations up grades is probably largely genetic. Yet he has to be up there with the select group in a relatively fresh state to utilise it. Curiously, to me it seemed that precisely his endurance improved last year.

Also he recovered really well. I think no one can hold a peak that long so to me it seemed as though he won races when not even in top form. (Quebec for instance, maybe San Sebastian too). If you can cream the field at, say, 90% condition then you're rather good.

No comment as to the reasons how he attained the form of his life. But the point is not everyone has an asset like the Gilbert snap to begin working with.

And yes, burnout still very possible.