Most memorable doped perfomances?

[Libertine Seguros]

When I shut down on the comparisons of Froome to other cinderella stories like Kohl, Mosquera, Pérez, Nozal and Riis, and said his was the most ridiculous rise, I didn't realise this would be read as a challenge.

 

[blackcat]

Jamie Burrow beating Pantani's Plateu de Beille record in Ronde d'Izard circa 99. Still the best climber in Britain imo

 

[the asian]

Surely Papa Horner takes the cake now. at least among GT performances. Even more ridiculous than Santi Perez.

 

[sublimit]

Some of Mosquera's rides were good at the Vuelta. Has to be Christopher Horner though, just a shame he couldn't pull off Heras record on the Angliru - . Maybe next time

 

[darwin553]

The obvious one is Armstrong but the ones I regard to be more memorable are the ones that I was first exposed to and related to swimming mostly - like Michelle Smith, the Irish swimmer, who was found to have doped during the Atlanta Olympics or Chinese women swimmers at the World Championships in Perth in 98 I think who looked like men when they got out of the pool!

 

[Bicycle]

Surely you have to be caught first before being declared a champ in this category? Froome and Horner will have to wait I'm afraid.

Michelle Smith a good shout. Lance, Ben Johson, Marion Jones amongst the best. Perhaps the best single performance though must still go to Floyd's testosterone charge.

 

[SafeBet]

Surely Papa Horner takes the cake now. at least among GT performances. Even more ridiculous than Santi Perez.

Santi is untouchable.

 

[pugdog]

Hmmm. 12 year old Australian swimmers. The east German athletes. Prepubescent 21 year old Romanian gymnasts. No, none of them. Chicken Rasmussens ITT where he brilliantly demonstrated that doping doesn't necessarily make you good.

 

[will10]

Santi is untouchable.

+1

Even the 2013 Vuelta will forever be in the shadow of the 2004 edition.

 

[the sceptic]

Oropa 1999 giro. One of my favourite Pantani moments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg3ua-qw5E8

Gets a mechanical at the bottom of the climb, we see him blow past the splintered peloton like they are riding in a hurricane headwind.

Eventually catches up with the lead group where he chills for a couple of minutes before riding away. After a short while he catches Jalabert who has attacked, and immediately blows past him. Jalabert furiously sprints to try and catch his wheel but can only hang on for a few seconds before Pantani rides off into the sunset and wins the stage comfortably.

Epic climb.

 

[Fausto's Schnauzer]

 

[trevim]

Wow great video @ the sceptic! It's refreshing to see riders climbing on decent gears instead of that endless spinning class we get nowadays.

 

[Tonton]

Hands down, Floyd Landis in his 2006 impersonation of Eddy Merckx. This episode was also nominated for 'the most memorable Phil and Paul part of the problem not the solution' and 'the most memorable justifications by Robbie Ventura'.

 

[VeloFidelis]

Floyd wasn't the only contender packing a fresh fresh bag of blood that day. It's still one of my favorite stages of the TDF in over forty years of watching. Bets were made, tactics played, efforts weighed, alliances frayed, and prices paid. While I had no illusions about what I was watching... it was damned fine entertainment.

 

[ChewbaccaD]

Yea, still love what Floyd did that day regardless.

I'll add this one: Tyler during the 2003 TdF. His ride on Alpe d'Huez was amazing regardless of how many bags of blood he might have had. He rode it with a broken collarbone and more than once got out of the saddle to get back to Armstrong and Beloki after attacks. I just kept thinking "how in the fu*k can you do that?" All the PED's in the world don't make someone tough enough to do that. He's just a natural bada$$.

 

[andy1234]

Oropa 1999 giro. One of my favourite Pantani moments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg3ua-qw5E8

Gets a mechanical at the bottom of the climb, we see him blow past the splintered peloton like they are riding in a hurricane headwind.

Eventually catches up with the lead group where he chills for a couple of minutes before riding away. After a short while he catches Jalabert who has attacked, and immediately blows past him. Jalabert furiously sprints to try and catch his wheel but can only hang on for a few seconds before Pantani rides off into the sunset and wins the stage comfortably.

Epic climb.

He also had the advantage of riding some of the climb as a motor pacing session. I'm surprised the motorbikes didn't have a roller on the back of them. Big ring, and on the drops....Those were the days.....

 

[Tonton]

Yea, still love what Floyd did that day regardless.

That was a great moment indeed. Too bad it was a dream .

 

[will10]

That was a great moment indeed. Too bad it was a dream .

The full stage is on youtube somewhere now, it was quite a show. I was completely glued to the TV that day, something didn't sit right even then but it's easy to convince yourself that he held the gap cos T-Mobile and CSC didn't organise as good a chase as they should etc etc

 

[antonshipulin]

Ole Einar Bjorndalen in Sochi 2014.

 

[jens_attacks]

well if only you had a better focus on that last shot, anton

 

[VeloFidelis]

My personal doping in sport epiphany has to be Fleche Wallonne in 1994. When Gewiss riders Argentin, Furlan, and Berzin, rode away from the peloton on the first climb of the Mur de Huy and held them off until the finish. It was an embarrassingly obvious moment in sport. Everything that has followed, and unfortunately... everyone who has followed: Bugno, Pantani, Museeuw, Riis, Ullrich, Armstrong, Contador et all, have been an extension of the obvious secret.

I will admit to an emotional soft spot for Indurain and Jalabert over those early years, but the truth will out. I don't think that I have ever questioned since, exactly what I am watching. If you consider that "preparation" and "program" are a part of what makes Champion in professional cycling, and remember that like in other sports, a team's budget has more to do with the eventual outcome... it makes it easier to justify watching. Because after all, it's sole reason for being... is entertainment.

 

[The Hitch]

Does anything come close to today? Even come close?

Will anything ever come close?

Pantani and Indurain may have had slightly better performances once in a while, but those were deep in the high mountains, and usually individual performances, not a 1-2 on the first mountain of the race with the team pursuit/ cobbles specialist coming in 6th.

 

[doperhopper]

Re:

Does anything come close to today? Even come close?

Will anything ever come close?

Pantani and Indurain may have had slightly better performances once in a while, but those were deep in the high mountains, and usually individual performances, not a 1-2 on the first mountain of the race with the team pursuit/ cobbles specialist coming in 6th.

Movement For Incredible Cycling - this is Banesto, Gewiss and USPS combined: hit us with W/kg please!

 

[fantomas]

Well, that was som Saunier Duval *** today.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Re:

Well, that was som Saunier Duval **** today.

Lol Ricco came into my mind too. Scandalous stuff.