Movistar

[Libertine Seguros]

On the signing criteria issue, here's your Abarcá Sports name 'n' shame list since Puerto. I have limited it to riders who've had a +ve/ban or who have been expressly named in a doping investigation. This has not included those where some initial names have come out and then everything's died down and nothing is ever mentioned again (eg Daniel Moreno) but has included those where names have been released in more formal ways eg Tino Zaballa in Puerto. Also, I am only looking at riders where this happened either at Abarcá or before they moved there (so not the likes of Antonio Colóm or Marlon Pérez who were long gone from Egüés before they tested positive):

POSITIVES OR BANS
Rui Costa* (2009-13) - methylhexamine, June 2010 - ban overturned after contamination proven
Marco Fertonani (2006-7) - testosterone, February 2007 - last upheld positive for an Abarcá rider
Christophe Moreau (2010) - anabolic steroids, March 1998, EPO, July 1998 - 6 month ban
Óscar Pereiro* (2006-9) - salbutamol, July 2006 - TUE applied
Alejandro Valverde (2005-10, 2012-13) - Puerto (ban 2010-11) - evidence predates time at Abarcá although unlikely no Fuentes link 2005-6.
Francisco Ventoso (2011-13) - furosemide May 2008 (with Andalucía-CajaSur) - 9 month ban
Giovanni Visconti (2012-13) - Ferrari contacts, banned Oct 2012-Jan 2013.

RIDERS NAMED BUT NOT BANNED
Rubén Plaza (2001-3, 2007, 2010-13) - Puerto (rode for Abarcá post-Puerto)
Constantino Zaballa (2006-7) - Puerto (rode for Abarcá post-Puerto)

*though positives, no ban applied/ban quashed. This could also be applied to the first Moreau positive, however the second for EPO was upheld and therefore no asterisk appears by his name.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Maybe. It still reflects okay on Movistar that he is so poor there.

What doesn't reflect well is why they signed him for a second time. And for 2 years no less!!

A reigning GT winner appeared on the market startlingly cheap due to the Geox late folding and the points being no use to the UCI. While Cobo had been utterly awful with Caisse in 2010, much of that was personal/psychological. Perhaps they felt that post-GT win his confidence would be higher and he'd be unlikely to underperform like that again (and he hasn't, he has been far better with Movistar than he ever was with Caisse). Also, now being seen as a de facto Spanish team, there was a bit of press pressure to ensure the Spanish Vuelta winner had a decent ride for 2012. Maybe a bit of marketing propaganda too, with Valverde returning, market the GT winners on the team (just like Astana doing the publicity stuff with Vino, Contador and Pereiro in 2010 even as it was plainly obvious to anybody with eyes in their head that Pereiro was done as a top level rider).

 

[Ferminal]

Dekker is more likely to be clean than Valverde though on before and after basis.

Edit: although with 3 minutes of thinking, that's a bit of a silly argument

Why? I would almost say I'm convinced that TD is clean. Valverde, well that depends on your view of "clean cycling".

 

[del1962]

Please spare me for the doped up clowns who sends out $10 press releases expressing their regrets along with "I did it all by myself" stuff.

Better that than the attitude of Valverde though.

Valverde's attitude was (and perhaps still is) that the winner is the one who finishes first and doesn't get caught, so he proclaims his innocence because he did not get caught by a drug test, but by the DNA linkage to Fuentes, his attitude was he doped but did fail the test so was therefore innocent, much like Armstrongs arguments.

 

[EnacheV]

2014 and the new mojo comes from Movistar

How many Movistar riders will test positive this year?

I can bet Valverde is caught until TdF or, if not, he will not participate due to a mysterious injury.

 

[Lanark]

Nobody will get caught, just like at Sky, they are too smart for that.

 

[Netserk]

2014 and the new mojo comes from Movistar

How many Movistar riders will test positive this year?

I can bet Valverde is caught until TdF or, if not, he will not participate due to a mysterious injury.

What is the difference between today and last year?

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=23924

 

[del1962]

What is the difference between today and last year?

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=23924

1.3Km

10 Char

 

[EnacheV]

What is the difference between today and last year?

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=23924

if you cant spot the difference i really can't help you. hit : opposition and time intervals.

also, the 3rd place from someone that is not quite a solid TT'er it's pretty lol, but that could be because of some natural progress, looking at the guy past 10-20 TT stages placements.

p.s. please state it so i can put it in my signature : Movistar are cleans.

 

[Netserk]

if you cant spot the difference i really can't help you. hit : opposition and time intervals.

also, the 3rd place from someone that has no business with TT it's pretty lol.

p.s. please state it so i can put it in my signature : Movistar are cleans.

Do you think the Movistar team is dirty?

edit: And just for the record: I certainly do think that Movistar have a team doping program.

 

[EnacheV]

Do you think the Movistar team is dirty?

edit: And just for the record: I certainly do think that Movistar have a team doping program.

I don't know if they are cleans or dirty.

I believe they are clean except Valverde who is on a individual doping program after 2013 semi-failures.

He want's to win something big and he didn't liked 2013. So now he is doped to the grills.

 

[Netserk]

I don't know if they are cleans or dirty.

I believe they are clean except Valverde who is on a individual doping program after 2013 semi-failures.

He want's to win something big and he didn't liked 2013. So now he is doped to the grills.

Then why did you react the way you did to the performance of Ion?

edit: And I *didn't* ask you whether you know they are dirty or not, but if you *think* they are.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

What is the difference between today and last year?

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=23924

Sky are dominating the top 10 - that's the biggest difference I can see.

Also: Valverde is ESP, no? Where the race is being held? Where the motorbike in front of him can aid with some motor pacing? Too obvious, apparently, as he nearly hit said motorbike before the finish of the course. Oops.

 

[EnacheV]

Then why did you react the way you did to the performance of Ion?

edit: And I *didn't* ask you whether you know they are dirty or not, but if you *think* they are.

Because i confused him with the same name rider, looking at his past TT performances they are not that bad so it's possible to have his breakthrough now.

 

[Netserk]

Also: Valverde is ESP, no? Where the race is being held? Where the motorbike in front of him can aid with some motor pacing? Too obvious, apparently, as he nearly hit said motorbike before the finish of the course. Oops.

Yeah same thing happened in the Vuelta ITT last year.

If he gets help from the organizers that way, does he get any other help too?

 

[Rollthedice]

I don't know if they are cleans or dirty.

I believe they are clean except Valverde who is on a individual doping program after 2013 semi-failures.

He want's to win something big and he didn't liked 2013. So now he is doped to the grills.

Because he beat Dumoulin with a few seconds in a 7km prologue?

 

[Netserk]

Because i confused him with the same name rider, looking at his past TT performances they are not that bad so it's possible to have his breakthrough now.

But if you think the only suspicious performance was that of Valverde, and you also believe the Movistar team is clean, why did you bump this thread (the Movistar thread) and not a Valverde thread?

 

[the sceptic]

the arms race is on, its going to be great.

Im already laughing at all the skybots getting mad because their dopers lost to another doper.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Yeah same thing happened in the Vuelta ITT last year.

If he gets help from the organizers that way, does he get any other help too?

<Org> holds <sporting event> in <country>.
<Athlete> from <country> does well in <sporting event>.
==> <Sport> becomes popular in <country>.
==> Government funds <sport> and <Orgs> via <sporting event> contributions (police assistance, etc) in <country> the more popular it is.
<Athlete> not being disgraced at <sporting event> makes a lot of $en$e.

If there were no roundabouts, I am sure the Sky guys would have turned the results upside down but from the sounds of things, it was techinical. The lack of handling skills for Wiggo (cf Giro 2013) vs Valverde would also make a difference I think. Tailor made course?

 

[EnacheV]

But if you think the only suspicious performance was that of Valverde, and you also believe the Movistar team is clean, why did you bump this thread (the Movistar thread) and not a Valverde thread?

Because its to suspicious

Valverde demolishing everything

Movistar rider no2 also demolishing everything

Movistar rider no3 on same level or beating 4 people that made the no3 TTT WC team, and got no2 and no4 in WC ITT

@the sceptic : "mad" ? lol, you have no clue. i'm happy to see how some sky haters will have to deal with the new situation.

 

[The Hitch]

Valverde has always owned these smaller Spanish races. Take a look at his palmares. This is a guy who even with a 2 year gap has amassed more cq points or uci points than any other active rider and iirc more cq points than anyone since records began.

Nothing new.

 

[SundayRider]

I don't think a 7k prologue this early in this season is a good indicator of doping/not doping in all honesty.

 

[Lanark]

I don't think a 7k prologue this early in this season is a good indicator of doping/not doping in all honesty.

No. Luckily we have plenty of other results that prove Movistar is a complete joke. The 2012 Tour had the effect that many of us feared.

 

[Netserk]

Because its to suspicious

Valverde demolishing everything

Movistar rider no2 also demolishing everything

Movistar rider no3 on same level or beating 4 people that made the no3 TTT WC team, and got no2 and no4 in WC ITT

@the sceptic : "mad" ? lol, you have no clue. i'm happy to see how some sky haters will have to deal with the new situation.

Didn't you just say that it only was Valverde, who was suspicious? And that you believe the Movistar team is cleans?

 

[EnacheV]

Didn't you just say that it only was Valverde, who was suspicious? And that you believe the Movistar team is cleans?

I believe they are cleans. But my belief is starting to be shaken

Waiting for Nairo to demolish Giro ITT for the final chapter.