Random Rider/Team Thread

[Zam_Olyas]

Suspect performances thread.

First up Mauro Santambrogio..have a go lads.

 

[hrotha]

Santambrogio is absolutely ridiculous this year. This is a guy who was involved in the Lampre shenanigans, despite which never achieved much. A good (but not great or anything) hilly rider who could sort of be of some help in the mountains for his leader every now and then. At almost 29 years old, riding for a small Italian team (probably getting some traditional turf advantage in terms of antidoping controls: you animate the race and get some victories here and there, we'll look the other way as long as you don't get too greedy), suddenly he's everywhere from January to May and climbing like he's never climbed before, having become an actual climber overnight.

It stinks so much it's actually pretty funny.

At Parlamento Ciclista they call him Bomberogio and his team is Vini Bomberini ("bombero" being cycling slang for "over the top doper").

 

[Ferminal]

What about riders in their mid-30s having GT win hangovers?

 

[the sceptic]

Scarponi had an amazing ITT the other day so i was a bit surprised to see him lose time today.

Whats up with the Ag2r guys? I thought Betancor was only good on the short steep stuff but he seems to be able to climb with the best now. Pozzovivo was good last year but is he even better now? maybe too early to tell.

 

[Miburo]

Can we bring up di luca?

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Read the op and the title of the thread.

 

[hrotha]

I don't think this should become a thread where every single rider is brought up. There's suitable threads on Garmin already, there's a thread on Pozzovivo, there's a thread on Colombians (and Betancur didn't do anything he hadn't done before - the few times he's had the chance of tackling real mountains, he's done just as well as in the hills).

There should be some discussion, not just tossing names around.

 

[frenchfry]

Can we bring up di luca?

If you mean "bring up" as in "regurgitate/barf/be sick/gag/heave/pray to the porcelain god/puke/ralph/retch/spew/toss one's cookies/upchuck/vomit" then I am in total agreement.

 

[blackcat]

titi voeckler

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Sylvain Georges positive for Heptaminol

News

Press release: Adverse Analytical Finding for Sylvain Georges

15.05.2013

Earlier today the UCI notified French rider Sylvain Georges of an Adverse Analytical Finding (presence of the stimulant Heptaminol based on the analysis report from the WADA accredited laboratory in Roma) in his urine sample collected at the Giro d’Italia on 10 May 2013.

Mr Georges has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample.

The UCI Anti-Doping Rules do not impose a provisional suspension given the nature of the substance, which is a specified substance.


Under the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the UCI is unable to provide any additional information at this time.


UCI Communication Service

http://www.uci.ch/Modules/ENews/ENe...s/UCI/UCI7/layout.asp?MenuId=MTI2Mjc&LangId=1

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't think this should become a thread where every single rider is brought up. There's suitable threads on Garmin already, there's a thread on Pozzovivo, there's a thread on Colombians (and Betancur didn't do anything he hadn't done before - the few times he's had the chance of tackling real mountains, he's done just as well as in the hills).

There should be some discussion, not just tossing names around.

Yup, Betancur was great as a neo-pro in the 2011 Giro, being only dropped by the heads of state partway up Fedaia, and of course that breakout show in the Sestrière stage.

 

[Ferminal]

In any case, a small improvement is expected under the top shelf training regime of Bartoli. He probably didn't even have a coach before then.

 

[Lanark]

I like what Santambrogio is doing here. He single handedly destroys any argument that because of the blood pasport the doping has been relegated to the fringe so much that you can barely get any competitive advantage from it. He is living and riding proof that the gains to be had from doping are still huge.

 

[Ferminal]

Where does Santambrogio sit on the Perez/Kohl/Froome scale?

 

[Netserk]

I wonder how well he'd do outside of Italy.

 

[whittashau]

As crazy well as Santa is riding it still pales in comparison when you think about how much Froome and Wiggins improved from their earlier days. At least Santa has always been a pretty good climber.

 

[Miburo]

Where does Santambrogio sit on the Perez/Kohl/Froome scale?

Kohl scale.

Not as bad as Froome though.

 

[classicomano]

His face looks really bloated.

 

[Ferminal]

His face looks really bloated.

Guess it's not GW9021318721498 then?

 

[Netserk]

What is his best mountain performance outside of Italy? San Luis?

 

[Ferminal]

Before this year, Austria.

 

[classicomano]

Guess it's not GW9021318721498 then?

Guess not, though it did remind me of this passage in Hamilton's book.

"He told me about bloatface, a reaction that happens when you take too much cortisone, and he reminded me of Ullrich in the final time trial of the '97 Tour. His face had been the size of a ****ing pumpkin."

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

As crazy well as Santa is riding it still pales in comparison we you think about how much Froome and Wiggins improved from their earlier days. At least Santa has always been a pretty good climber.

No. Santa has been blood doped in the past, which makes his current level much more ludicrous.

 

[Ferminal]

No. Santa has been blood doped in the past, which makes his current level much more ludicrous.

Not if you buy into the theory that people who won blood doped in 2009 are now able to win "clean". Santambrogio's improvement could be explained by everyone else going clean but him continuing to dope.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Not if you buy into the theory that people who won blood doped in 2009 are now able to win "clean". Santambrogio's improvement could be explained by everyone else going clean but him continuing to dope.

No one pushes that hypothesis, nor can it be backed up by facts.