Is UAE Over the Top?

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Jan 31, 2021
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Should Vine and Narvaez riding away really be all that surprising given the sad sack start list at TDU?
 
May 9, 2025
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Should Vine and Narvaez riding away really be all that surprising given the sad sack start list at TDU?

A Ben O’Connor who had targeted the race being dropped off the wheel easily on a climb by Narvaez…?

We are in for a very long season.
 
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Apr 3, 2009
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Still can remember Jan Ullrich and others carrying extra kilos and setting up spring schedule to race themselves into shape for later races. Everyone sort of acknowledged that coming in overweight, out of shape was how it was done.
Not sure one of the most extreme examples of arriving unfit is convincing if one seeks to make the case that the entire peloton acted a certain way. Ullrich was notable for how different (and frustrating) his approach was, not for being the standard bearer for how an entire era trained.

Hardly the behavior of "everyone".
 
Apr 21, 2025
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Ah this must be what they were previewing on Friday's podcast for the After Dark segment. I can't afford the subscription, so I wondered what it was going to be about (they mentioned doping). I can't decide how bad of a look I think this is for Marc Soler, given that his father seems to be an amateur athlete himself. I'm inclined to think that if UAE have a doping program, it's a bit more centralised than Marc Soler's dad being the link. Not to say that this means they don't have a doping program, just that this probably isn't it.
 
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Feb 20, 2012
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Ah this must be what they were previewing on Friday's podcast for the After Dark segment. I can't afford the subscription, so I wondered what it was going to be about (they mentioned doping). I can't decide how bad of a look I think this is for Marc Soler, given that his father seems to be an amateur athlete himself. I'm inclined to think that if UAE have a doping program, it's a bit more centralised than Marc Soler's dad being the link. Not to say that this means they don't have a doping program, just that this probably isn't it.
It doesn't.

But it shows how absolutely deeply imbedded doping is that an amateur athlete couldn't be *** not to use doping while his son was the top team and it could cause some serious PR issues to get busted.

For athletes, doping isn't this big decision, it's completely casual.
 
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Jul 4, 2010
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Rob Hatch yesterday in commentary said that Soler's father is being questioned for being associated with a known doping coach apparently associated wth Armstrong.

Not a zero mention about Soler & Gianetti though. No sirrrrreeeeeee
 
Jun 20, 2015
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Rob Hatch yesterday in commentary said that Soler's father is being questioned for being associated with a known doping coach apparently associated wth Armstrong.

Not a zero mention about Soler & Gianetti though. No sirrrrreeeeeee
Because as far as we know Matxin and Gianetti are not involved in the case.
 
May 6, 2021
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It is a strange case, how do the police know who a random banned cycling doctor is, being pulled over at a 'checkpoint' speaking to someone who as far as they know is just a civilian.

CELAD are stonewalling apparently, I would think part of a larger case, nobody is going to all this trouble to try and stop little old Marc Soler winning a couple of Vuelta stages.
 
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Apr 8, 2023
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Sounds like USADA have been following Marti for a while -
https://www.domestiquecycling.com/e...nded-18-month-ban-for-prohibited-association/
The report says Martí had largely disappeared from view but remained under scrutiny. USADA and Spain’s Guardia Civil are described as having shared information, and in August 2023 Martí and Soler Serrano were stopped in Catalonia. No banned substances were found in the search, but investigators reportedly uncovered indications of an ongoing sporting relationship.
Martí is said to have claimed he was conducting academic research, though any coaching or structured preparation of licensed athletes would breach the terms of his sanction.
The matter remains primarily in USADA’s hands, as the organisation that initiated the original case against Martí, and further disciplinary steps are not ruled out. The same reporting suggests additional sanctions could follow for other athletes linked to Martí, though no high profile names are thought to be involved at this stage according to AS.
AS in Spanish at https://as.com/ciclismo/el-preparador-de-lance-armstrong-sigue-activo-en-espana-f202602-n/