Laurent Jalabert

[Lexman]

I always wondered if Laurent Jalabert ever used doping is his cycling career.

He started out as a sprinter and after his crash with Nelissen in the TDF he started to win classics and stage races and even the Vuelta.

The main thing which makes me doubt about him was of course the fact he rode for ONCE the team of Manolo Saiz and with Bruyneel at his side...

 

[poupou]

Of course, Jalabert doped.

BTW, Jaja was a good climber as young rider before being a sprinter or classic rider.

 

[hrotha]

Jalabert was always the Sean Kelly type, although obviously not half as good a climber, even before 1995. Even as late as 1994 it was a shocker that he won that Vuelta stage at the Lagos de Covadonga. He was also a semi-decent time-trialer before his transformation but you still wouldn't have expected him to win the ITT WC or anything (although to be fair he mostly performed in tough time-trials).

But in 1995 there was a definite transformation. Up to 1994 his focus was sprinting; that horrific crash put an end to it for the most part and he started training other skills more, but that can only go so far in explaining his transformation. Did he change his program and get on the heavy gear for 1995? He had been riding for ONCE since 1992, but maybe he didn't feel he needed to go all out on the program as a sprinter/classics rider, so when he changed his focus, so did his program. This is pure speculation, though.

 

[roundabout]

One of the shortest threads ever?

 

[nevada]

I always wondered if Laurent Jalabert ever used doping is his cycling career.

He started out as a sprinter and after his crash with Nelissen in the TDF he started to win classics and stage races and even the Vuelta.

The main thing which makes me doubt about him was of course the fact he rode for ONCE the team of Manolo Saiz and with Bruyneel at his side...

Is he a pro ? Then I think you know the answer.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

First word... ONCE.
Second word... RIIS, the admitted doper who transfored not only JaJa after his final ONCE days were not getting many results, but also really transformed Hamilton.

If he was clean, that would have been some hellish peer pressure to overcome to remain clean.

 

[BotanyBay]

EPO is/was not only as safe as OJ, but almost as common.

 

[djconnel]

I always wondered if Laurent Jalabert ever used doping is his cycling career.

I read a quote from him in which was close to an admission as could be without an admission. If you wanted to be successful in the age of Armstrong, that's what you did.

 

[THISISIT]

If he was clean, that would have been some hellish peer pressure to overcome to remain clean.

Not to mention the temptation to do what everyone else was doing and given the performance boost he would have gotten if he was actually clean, won even more than he actually did.

 

[GJB123]

The fact that Jalabert stayed with charged riders like Bartoli and Zülle during LBL for example and his performances since app. 2004 would lead me to believe he was on EPO during that period.

Regards
GJ

 

[hrotha]

Duh, of course. There can't be any debate about that. Personally I'm more interested in discussing what changed between 1994 and 1995, because I'd wager he had plenty of opportunity to use EPO before 1995, and he probably did.

 

[roundabout]

Something happened in 1995, yes. And to some extent in 1999 which was probably his second best year.

It's interesting that he never put together a solid Tour after 1995 for Once.

 

[pelodee]

I always wondered if Laurent Jalabert ever used doping is his cycling career.

He started out as a sprinter and after his crash with Nelissen in the TDF he started to win classics and stage races and even the Vuelta.

The main thing which makes me doubt about him was of course the fact he rode for ONCE the team of Manolo Saiz and with Bruyneel at his side...

http://www.cyclisme-dopage.com/portraits/jalabert.htm

 

[Cloxxki]

His career reads a bit familiar. Did he happen to take up marathons and triathlons after cycling?

 

[Willy_Voet]

The fact that Jalabert stayed with charged riders like Bartoli and Zülle during LBL

LBL was the first thing I thought of when I read the original post.

I always wondered what the scene was on the ONCE bus afterwards...knowing looks exchanged with mutterings of "What the #*&% was he on?!"

 

[JRTinMA]

His career reads a bit familiar. Did he happen to take up marathons and triathlons after cycling?

He was in Kona a few years ago for Ironman.

 

[hrotha]

Something happened in 1995, yes. And to some extent in 1999 which was probably his second best year.

It's interesting that he never put together a solid Tour after 1995 for Once.

ONCE, and Liberty afterwards, had a thing for botching up the preparation for the Tour. In 1995 everything was perfect. After that, Jalabert was never a factor at the Tour. Zülle was usually very unlucky, admittedly, but still. It wasn't until the days of Beloki that they got it right again, and after that, with Heras, they screwed up again.

I'm sure some sense could be made out of all of this by looking closely at the medical staff, contacts with Fuentes (who Heras insisted on getting on board *again*, after he had had a falling out with Saiz), extra attention from the French, etc, but it's a mess of data and dates.

 

[JRTinMA]

I read a quote from him in which was close to an admission as could be without an admission. If you wanted to be successful in the age of Armstrong, that's what you did.

No where in French or English can I find that quote attributed to Jalabert. I'm curious to read the context, any idea where it was said? Since Jalabert was Armstrong's elder by a few years he was probably doping first or at least contemporary to LA. It just doesn't seem very Jaja to pass on personal responsibility and say something like that.

 

[Oldman]

ONCE, ONCE....quack!

 

[roundabout]

ONCE, and Liberty afterwards, had a thing for botching up the preparation for the Tour. In 1995 everything was perfect. After that, Jalabert was never a factor at the Tour. Zülle was usually very unlucky, admittedly, but still. It wasn't until the days of Beloki that they got it right again, and after that, with Heras, they screwed up again.

I'm sure some sense could be made out of all of this by looking closely at the medical staff, contacts with Fuentes (who Heras insisted on getting on board *again*, after he had had a falling out with Saiz), extra attention from the French, etc, but it's a mess of data and dates.

Olano did decently in 1999. Of course circumstances helped, but 6th place is still a 6th place even if it was less than a minute ahead of 9th. Peron and especially Etxebarria also did well and I see that ONCE were second on the team GC.

Maybe it truly was a cleaner Tour or more of the same stuff that allowed Jalabert to finish top 5 on GC in every race he started from March to June in 1999.

 

[THISISIT]

I also seem to recall that when the French cracked down on doping and instituted more intense testing than the UCI he moved out of the country and took out a Swiss (?) license so as not to be subject to the stricter testing. Virenque did the same.

 

[blackcat]

threw ripping parties with lines of coke I hear http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...ycling+party+cocaine&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

 

[Cloxxki]

threw ripping parties with lines of coke I hear http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...ycling+party+cocaine&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

Sounding more familiar by the minute.

 

[Lexman]

No where in French or English can I find that quote attributed to Jalabert. I'm curious to read the context, any idea where it was said? Since Jalabert was Armstrong's elder by a few years he was probably doping first or at least contemporary to LA. It just doesn't seem very Jaja to pass on personal responsibility and say something like that.

He said simply "he rode in the 90's" and he also said he "never will admit he doped because of his children"

Claude Droussent, journaliste à L'Equipe : "Jalabert n'a jamais avoué, il ne l'a jamais fait (...). La seule formule qu'il a utilisée auprès de moi comme en public c'est : "J'ai été coureur cycliste dans les années quatre-vingt-dix." On lui a demandé de faire son coming out dans nos colonnes, mais il n'a jamais voulu." (La face cachée de l'Equipe, David Garcia, 2008, page 481)
Fabrice Lhomme, ancien rédacteur adjoint de L'Equipe : "Jalabert a dit à des journalistes de la rubrique cyclisme [de L'Equipe] : "Je ne reconnaitrai jamais que je me suis dopé à cause de mes enfants"." (La face cachée de l'Equipe, David Garcia, 2008, page 481)

 

[JRTinMA]

He said simply "he rode in the 90's" and he also said he "never will admit he doped because of his children"

Claude Droussent, journaliste à L'Equipe : "Jalabert n'a jamais avoué, il ne l'a jamais fait (...). La seule formule qu'il a utilisée auprès de moi comme en public c'est : "J'ai été coureur cycliste dans les années quatre-vingt-dix." On lui a demandé de faire son coming out dans nos colonnes, mais il n'a jamais voulu." (La face cachée de l'Equipe, David Garcia, 2008, page 481)
Fabrice Lhomme, ancien rédacteur adjoint de L'Equipe : "Jalabert a dit à des journalistes de la rubrique cyclisme [de L'Equipe] : "Je ne reconnaitrai jamais que je me suis dopé à cause de mes enfants"." (La face cachée de l'Equipe, David Garcia, 2008, page 481)

Thank you, I always liked Jaja and it kind of sucked thinking he had said such a punk statement..