Most Suspicious Performance Of The Last 5 Years

[Norks74]

Re:

Honestly I don't anything is going to beat that Landis performance.

Jeepers, even after he dismounts he's still raging full on. He could probably have done it all again he's that pumped up.

 

[DFA123]

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It can be rationalised all sorts of ways, but watching it live was like watching classic '00's alien GTs, Landis tdf included. The resurrection precedent set by Aru says it all: the whole Astana team in the Giro 2015 is for mine, the most suspicious performance of the last 5 years. Nibali's blood bag + whatever else to win the unwinnable is in the top five though, that's for sure.

Really? is your name David Walsh?
You are aware that the only one who outperformed was Landa? Everyone else did exactly what they had previously managed to achieve.
Most suspicious Team performance is team Sky's last year's TDF, they made Banesto and Postal look clean.

It doesn't follow that by asserting that X is most suspicious, Y is not suspicious.

My reason for giving the 'most' gong to Astana's Giro 2015 was because they were blowing things apart on flat stages as well as mountains. In fact, all the way through, from go to woe. They had the hammer down the whole tour. It was insane. Neither Sky, nor Banesto, nor Postal ever did that.

Yet they still couldn't even beat a well past his best Contador.

Their performance that Giro is nowhere near any of the Tours de France that Froome has podiumed for levels of ridiculousness. It was just the strongest team in the race trying to wreak havoc to cause decisive problems for the favourite, but ultimately failing to do so.

 

[ciranda]

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Urgh, those Astana incredible giro 2015 opinions is like a collective psychosis. Aru was super weak on the Mortirolo compared to guys like Kruiswijk and Hesjedal. Landa was good, the rest were average or as good as they had often been previously as someone stated on the last page. Also the post above.

Nibali doing a Landis 2.0 in 2016. Went into hospital and emerged the Giro winner.

He didn't pull a Landis.

If Kruijswijk didn't crash this would be a non issue. Landis lost a boatload of time when he cracked one day and gained it all plus some back the next day. Completely different set of circumstances.

Although, Nibali is always under suspicion along with the rest of the GC contenders...

No, he clearly outperformed Landis on this feat. Kruijswijk crashing helped hiding the fact he made up more than 6 minutes. That his Astana teamm8s, after the 2nd rest day, were suddenly capable of dropping GC contenders. For 3 days, it was like watching US Postal all over again. The only difference is that they also attacked on the descends, and haevily fatigued GC contenders like Kruijswijk and Zakarin were more prone to crashing because of it.

Well, if SK had not crashed, we wouldn't certainly be discussing this, but one has to wonder how the hell he had the capacity to win 2/3 times to Chaves in the last 2 stages, when he was weaker than him on all the previous ones.

Exactly.

To be fair the two last Astana team mates were monster climbers

Kangert and Scarponi, the two strongest gregarios in the world.

 

[BullsFan22]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rxh-AWyVr4 you're right.

LMAO, 3:00 into that video they show the top-10 but also include at the bottom everyone's favorite OBE Knight, Sir BW, who is down at 127th and 2:34:14 behind. :lol:

Hahaha!!! I don't know what's more ridiculous, Landis's performance that day, the fact that Wiggins was so far back and then dominating years later (quite a miraculous transformation, by any stretch of the imagination) or that both of Landis and Wiggins were in involved in the same race, were in the same shot (one we saw riding, while the other we saw his position).

 

[Djoop]

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Deleted post

 

[meat puppet]

Agreed. It was very blatant as a reversal, but performance wise call it a-fourth-of-a-landis at best or something.

 

[DanielSong39]

Tom Dumoulin just stopped in to say hello.

 

[kingjr]

Not even close

 

[Benotti69]

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Not even close

Domoulin has ridden 7 GTs before this Giro and only finished 3. Not a great record or a showing of potential for GTs.

 

[kingjr]

Re: Re:

Not even close

Domoulin has ridden 7 GTs before this Giro and only finished 3. Not a great record or a showing of potential for GTs.

With the Vuelta in mind, this is not even close.

 

[Gung Ho Gun]

Re: Re:

Nibali's recovery was suspicious, but ignoring the crashed Kruijswijk, he only gained around 2:30 on his rivals over 2 mountain stages. Before the 2 mountain stages:
2. Chaves -1:43
3. Valverde -1:20
4. Nibali

After the 2 stages:
1.Nibali
2.Chaves +52
3.Valverde +1:17

A part of his prior deficit was due to a mechanical in the ITT. Landis, on the other hand, came from 11th place, 5-6 minutes behind the trio of Sastre-Kloden-Evans, and gained 6-8 minutes on them in a single stage, all by himself.

It was pretty suspicious even before Kruijswijk's crash. Nibali had lost time through multiple stages, including the ITT. Day after (stage 16) he lost a minute to Chaves again. His form was deteriorating, Kruijswijk & Chaves were gaining time on him. After the last rest day the roles suddenly reversed. Hence the comparison with Landis.

Oh, I agree with the reversal being suspicious. But if you'd said before the Giro that Nibali would gain 2 minutes on Valverde and Chaves in the last 2 mountain stages, it wouldn't even be improbable. The thought of Landis destroying the field in a single stage, gaining more than 6 minutes on everyone, was always insane.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Well, the Giro is only partway through, and he could still tank and lose 20 minutes. But if Domoulin holds on to win however that will put him up there with Horner, and some of Froome's recent "achievements".

 

[DanielSong39]

Landis' performance is quite possibly the best single day performance in the history of professional bicycle racing. Given the era and circumstances, absolutely mind-boggling.

Honorable mention goes to is Cancellara's sprint up the cobblestones in the 2010 Tour of Flanders.

In the last 5 years, I'd vote for Froome motoring up Ventoux in 2013.

Wiggins in the 2012 Tour de France is my runner-up choice...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Yes, Froome on Ventoux on 2013 was almost laughable if it weren't so insulting. He dropped Contador like he was a sprinter, then caught and toyed with Quintana just the same, spinning big gears away from him, racing to the top. I believe he equaled Armstrong's heavily doped 2002 time up the climb, while riding into a headwind. Oh, it was also 40 degrees at the base of the climb. All while his heart rate sat around 160bpm.

Right.

Domoulin has a long way to go to reach that level.

 

[lenric]

Just wait to see what Van Garderen can do if he'll go to Sky.

 

[Põhja Konn]

Froome's TT in last Vuelta. Completely out of line with his general form curve. Specially obvious when looking how much more time he put into Quintana when compared to the TT in the Tour, where the latter was clearly in worse shape, wind very strong and TT itself longer. Obvious case of a blood bag well utilised.

 

[DanielSong39]

Where did this Gaviria guy come from?

 

[DanielSong39]

Re:

Froome's TT in last Vuelta. Completely out of line with his general form curve. Specially obvious when looking how much more time he put into Quintana when compared to the TT in the Tour, where the latter was clearly in worse shape, wind very strong and TT itself longer. Obvious case of a blood bag well utilised.

I'm thinking electricity. Maybe he borrowed Cancellara's bike from the Olympics?

 

[BullsFan22]

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Well, the Giro is only partway through, and he could still tank and lose 20 minutes. But if Domoulin holds on to win however that will put him up there with Horner, and some of Froome's recent "achievements".

Yeah, but Horner was a month shy of his 42nd birthday when he clinched the Vuelta in 2013. Dumoulin is 26, 27 towards the end of the year. Where was Horner at 26, 27? Wasn't he a journeyman, racing domestically, primarily? And Dumoulin has had good to excellent results since he became a pro.

 

[Cookster15]

Re: Re:

Well, the Giro is only partway through, and he could still tank and lose 20 minutes. But if Domoulin holds on to win however that will put him up there with Horner, and some of Froome's recent "achievements".

Yeah, but Horner was a month shy of his 42nd birthday when he clinched the Vuelta in 2013. Dumoulin is 26, 27 towards the end of the year. Where was Horner at 26, 27? Wasn't he a journeyman, racing domestically, primarily? And Dumoulin has had good to excellent results since he became a pro.

Agreed. Horner winning the Vuelta at nearly 42 was ridiculous. Dumoulin does not stand out at just 26. Miguel Indurain didn't win a Tour until 27 and didn't raise any eyebrows until the year before at 26 - same age as Dumoulin now. Incidentally Dumoulin reminds me of Big Mig except we need to remind ourselves Tom is still 10 Kg lighter. Different era, different "preparation".

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I stand corrected. If Dumoulin goes on to win this Giro it will be surprising, but nothing like Horner's Vuelta, or Froome's transformation.

Horner was a US domestic racer until the age of 34, when he signed with Saunier-Duval. While a very good climber for the first 15 years or so of his career, he was never considered in the same category as Tom Danielson, or Scott Moninger even, let alone someone who could contribute to a team for a full 3 week GT.

Froome was slightly better, but almost a nobody, with no notable results, until he joined Sky in 2010.

 

[Sorped]

Where did this Gaviria guy come from?

Umm, Columbia? J/K

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Gaviria

He's 22 yo, wouldn't say he's come from nowhere.

 

[Bolder]

Re: Re:

Well, the Giro is only partway through, and he could still tank and lose 20 minutes. But if Domoulin holds on to win however that will put him up there with Horner, and some of Froome's recent "achievements".

Yeah, but Horner was a month shy of his 42nd birthday when he clinched the Vuelta in 2013. Dumoulin is 26, 27 towards the end of the year. Where was Horner at 26, 27? Wasn't he a journeyman, racing domestically, primarily? And Dumoulin has had good to excellent results since he became a pro.

Dumoulin is a physically gifted GT rider in the same mold as Indurain -- essentially a rouleur who can climb, dominates TT, can hold his own in the mountains, and with the right combination of circumstances (course, crashes, team tactics) can win a GT. I would say that his performances aren't all that suspicious. Nowhere near Landis/Horner level.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Where did this Gaviria guy come from?

Serious question, you don't watch much cycling, do you?

 

[Saint Unix]

Where did this Gaviria guy come from?

Have I woken up in 2015 without realizing?