Kreuziger going down?

[Moose McKnuckles]

It was the least suspicious Kreuziger that got popped though. The 2 years of Kreuziger's career one might say weren't suspicious were 2011-12.

It would be like if Contador got popped in 2010 or one of the Schlecks got popped in 2012 or something.

The timing is indeed somewhat surprising. I can't say I'm crying in my beer over this guy though.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

As long as Froome, Contador, Valverde, Cancellara, Horner etc continues to win the big races, the timing of popping Kreuziger seems irrelevant imo. I would say a minor detail.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

As long as Froome, Contador, Valverde, Cancellara, Horner etc continues to win the big races, the timing of popping Kreuziger seems irrelevant imo. I would say a minor detail.

As long as beetroot juice is legal, Pappy will continue to podium. Talent always shines through, even at 53, or however old he is.

 

[mrhender]

How quaint.

I'm sure you would have been equally understanding and complimentary of the DS's ethics had it been Sky afflicted with a Tour rider with a dodgy passport.

Point beeing?

If you wish to debate potential fanboyism, start your own thread..
No need to demolish this thread, searching for a fight..

My take on it must be this:

1. RK has some problems coming up..
2. Team decides to be proactive and act now
3. No conclusion/decicion yet right?
4. RK may not be in form (like 2013), hence the rush to do something and add Majka..
5. Sky having PR issues regarding doping (not the time to hide, and hope for the best)
6. Making a sacrifice now could be means to an end...
7. If Rk pulls through this innocent the team will have a strong position of ethics, if not the same...
Riis have been undergoing serious invetagation by the ADD and others for several years now, not the tiome to play invincible hero like in the past..
Point beeing: Clever to put it out in the open themselves, before some "clever" journalist gets first..

 

[DirtyWorks]

I get it! The UCI is conspiring to make its premier event boring and non competitive! One more example of nefarious conspiracy and influence.

ASO has an event scheduled for Yorkshire, paid for by the taxpayers. In that light, it seems like a good business decision.

Of course, it could have been someone clearing off the last bit of paperwork before a holiday at the UCI.

It's not like the UCI has ever been consistent about positives, so lots of possibilities.

 

[karlboss]

I just get the feeling too much is being read into this. He had a problem period or 2 which appeared on his passport. He was given the time to explain it, tried and failed, appealed and tried again and apparently failed again and now has been pulled from racing, there may be no more to it than that.

I've no doubt that the UCI suspects as strongly as many of us do which teams/riders are full gas, but i still think it's difficult to catch them dead to rights and ban them, especially when you really aren't trying very hard, but when one falls in your lap you have to do something.

If I was to tip why a leaner years like 2011 or 2012 would flag over 2013 or 2014, I'd say riders and teams weren't so adept at getting around the passport in those years.

I really don't buy any conspiracy theory other than shooting for what we don't know won't hurt us.

 

[MarkvW]

ASO has an event scheduled for Yorkshire, paid for by the taxpayers. In that light, it seems like a good business decision.

Of course, it could have been someone clearing off the last bit of paperwork before a holiday at the UCI.

It's not like the UCI has ever been consistent about positives, so lots of possibilities.

If teams were convinced that the UCI fixed races for a particular team, the pro teams would abandon the UCI post haste.

They can probably tolerate Verbruggen messing with individual dopers, but organized team favoritism? Highly unlikely.

If pro teams believed the weird conspiracy jabber spouted here in the Clinic, there would have been a breakaway league long ago.

 

[thehog]

If teams were convinced that the UCI fixed races for a particular team, the pro teams would abandon the UCI post haste.

They can probably tolerate Verbruggen messing with individual dopers, but organized team favoritism? Highly unlikely.

If pro teams believed the weird conspiracy jabber spouted here in the Clinic, there would have been a breakaway league long ago.

Yes and no.

Not all teams have the same objectives in the same races. French teams hunting for stages and being in the break is just as good sponsorship wise as Sky winning the Tour.

Additionally the UCI is not the sport. The race owners have a good deal of clout and like to see a result that fits the race.

Belgium kermesses are a good example which have been "fixed" since the beginning of time.

 

[BullsFan22]

So is this how pro cycling will function for the next few years? A guy has abnormally high blood values, but it doesn't get mentioned and he isn't suspended or at least tested/question 1-3 years down the road? Really?

 

[RobbieCanuck]

I don't think this has anything to do with Sky, frankly.

Kreuziger has seemed dodgy for awhile now. I'm not surprised to see him get popped.

Well so far he has not been popped. All that is happened is the UCI wrote him a letter saying they disagree with his experts evaluations of the alleged normalities of his BP.

The UCI has not disclosed, nor has Kreuziger told us what those alleged abnormalities are. Since Kreuziger has never been sanctioned, and at this stage we don't have a clue about the abnormalities, how can he have seemed dodgy for a while now. What do you know that we don't.

 

[MarkvW]

Yes and no.

Not all teams have the same objectives in the same races. French teams hunting for stages and being in the break is just as good sponsorship wise as Sky winning the Tour.

Additionally the UCI is not the sport. The race owners have a good deal of clout and like to see a result that fits the race.

Belgium kermesses are a good example which have been "fixed" since the beginning of time.

I totally agree that the UCI is not the sport. That's why I don't think that the pro teams would tolerate a UCI that fixed races for particular teams. They'd just move away. That's why I'm very skeptical of this latest conspiracy theory.

I'd chalk up Kreuziger's somewhat delayed troubles to bureaucratic inefficiency. Seems a lot more logical.

 

[spalco]

Where is your evidence? Even the Cycling News article states, "Currently there has been no statement from the UCI or CADF."

So how can you say "apparently Kreuziger's blood values indicate he was doping" You are just another Clinic speculator who makes specious conclusions based on gossip.

Gossip? Why do you think they took Kreuziger out of the Tour?

If that's gossip then what would you describe the allegations against Sky as?

 

[Pack Fodder]

If teams were convinced that the UCI fixed races for a particular team, the pro teams would abandon the UCI post haste.

They can probably tolerate Verbruggen messing with individual dopers, but organized team favoritism? Highly unlikely.

If pro teams believed the weird conspiracy jabber spouted here in the Clinic, there would have been a breakaway league long ago.

I am somewhat confused by this alleged conspiracy.

The argument appears to be that this was only done now, because Sky are a favoured team, or Britain is a favoured country, or something like that.

Yet the last similarly high profile passport pull I remember was of a British Sky team member - Tiernan-Locke right before the world championships in 2013.

I can't really reconcile these two things into a consistent conspiracy.

Is it not more likely that Roman was simple..well...caught? Like Tiernan Locke before him?

 

[The Hitch]

Gossip? Why do you think they took Kreuziger out of the Tour?

If that's gossip then what would you describe the allegations against Sky as?

Let's not make this thread about sky applies to sky fans with sky avatars as well

 

[Fagniniwins]

It was the least suspicious Kreuziger that got popped though. The 2 years of Kreuziger's career one might say weren't suspicious were 2011-12.

It would be like if Contador got popped in 2010 or one of the Schlecks got popped in 2012 or something.

If I were a doper, the lesson here would be to never come off the sauce. Or secretly clone a fetus whose lifeblood you siphon at regular intervals until said clone reaches puberty and becomes more interested in girls than being a blood bank. Either or.

Anomalies, eh?

 

[spalco]

Let's not make this thread about sky applies to sky fans with sky avatars as well

I'm not a Sky fan (although I like Froome) and the avatar is supposed to be humorous.

 

[SafeBet]

If I was to tip why a leaner years like 2011 or 2012 would flag over 2013 or 2014, I'd say riders and teams weren't so adept at getting around the passport in those years.

How do we know his 2013 or 2014 BP is not suspect though?

 

[DirtyWorks]

If I were a doper, the lesson here would be to never come off the sauce. Or secretly clone a fetus whose lifeblood you siphon at regular intervals until said clone reaches puberty and becomes more interested in girls than being a blood bank. Either or.

Anomalies, eh?

Tyler Hamilton's ephemeral twin says hello.

 

[blackcat]

I'm not a Sky fan (although I like Froome) and the avatar is supposed to be humorous.

it is damn funny

 

[inri2000]

it is damn funny

Not as funny as spalco claiming he's not a Team Sky fan

 

[The Hitch]

How do we know his 2013 or 2014 BP is not suspect though?

True. It's sort of like looking at other galaxies in outerspace. You can see what the Andromeda looked like 2 billion years ago but we can't see what it looks like now.

 

[Franklin]

Yet the last similarly high profile passport pull I remember was of a British Sky team member - Tiernan-Locke right before the world championships in 2013.

A few caveats:

1. RK has more talent in his pinky than JTL in his whole body.
2. RK is more pivotal in his team than JTL
3. JTL wasn't pulled just before the TdF and thus affecting a major competitor. Anyone saying JTL would have stopped Rui Costa needs to get his head checked.

That said, I'm also extremely sceptical about this "conspiracy".

 

[del1962]

A few caveats:

1. RK has more talent in his pinky than JTL in his whole body.
2. RK is more pivotal in his team than JTL
3. JTL wasn't pulled just before the TdF and thus affecting a major competitor. Anyone saying JTL would have stopped Rui Costa needs to get his head checked.

That said, I'm also extremely sceptical about this "conspiracy".

Actually you don't know that RK has that much talent it could all be a total sham, his dad was a cyclist and he seemed to be introduced to Ferrari at a young age, if JTL had that sort of program who knows, JTL was most likely on a program without a doctors help.

 

[I Love To Dope]

It'll be one of the greatest coincidences if Froome wins, but it's nothing more than that.

 

[pastronef]

at home, no racing, no tour because of blood passport problems, but doing his marketing duties

https://www.twitter.com/Roman86_K/status/485416459888492544

Had good short ride this morning on my new #Tarmac @iamspecialized and now #daddytime...