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sorry for not including the quotes from flicker in your post .
The issue isnt whether or not , the people that commented on what flicker had posted , were or were not convicted dopers . Its a racers opinion that Jan would of been better off if he could of geared down at least one gear . Which when i watched some of the footage and saw Jan riding a monster gear vs. Lances light zippy style seem quite plausible .
But when i saw more of Jan's time trial footage , i saw him use more monster gears when he was by himself . It is what it is , there are pro's and cons to both . IN my days , shifting was a different affair , we didnt have that type of quick shift on the break lever . YOu had to plan your gear in advance . So if you shifted and made a boo boo , it cost you lots of time . So like wise a good strong time trialer sometimes doesnt want to shift and reset his body to the new speed and cadance . The theory being valuable seconds saved if you can maintain the speed not just on the climb but also on top and on the upcomming flat or decent . Ommiting 3 shifts , but 2 for sure .
The problem comes when in a peloton and the diesel cant adapt , big gears become a way of life .