Refill Day winners and losers

[D-Queued]

I am sure all that limping on the pedals, the loss of time, the gradual improvement in his pedaling was a ruse. It was all a cunning plan to explain his third week performance. If he was a little smarter then maybe he could have come up with a ploy that did not involve losing time, but Contador is not very bright. Bob Roll told me so.

You have definitely struck my funny bone.

I am only surprised that Lance did not try this technique.

Higher cadence, harder training, more focus.... and crashing in the first week to assure himself the yellow.

See. If you say it like that, then it becomes believable! People will buy twice as many yellow bracelets.

Dave.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

You have definitely struck my funny bone.

I am only surprised that Lance did not try this technique.

Higher cadence, harder training, more focus.... and crashing in the first week to assure himself the yellow.

See. If you say it like that, then it becomes believable! People will buy twice as many yellow bracelets.

Dave.

Think a little before posting.

 

[Apollonius]

Looks like Andy saved his refill for today!

 

[happychappy]

Ridiculous, the chasers are taking turns all gurning it trying to chase them down but Andrew is still putting time into them with a serene look over his face.

 

[Benotti69]

Looks like Andy saved his refill for today!

Sure looked like it.

 

[cymbop]

Oh, no.

Anybody else think that Andy's post-stage eyes showed a little bit of guilt?

I just went from literally weeping at Voeckler's defense -- to pure cynicism, in a moment.

 

[hrotha]

Oh, no.

Anybody else think that Andy's post-stage eyes showed a little bit of guilt?

That's because he made much of his gap in the false flat, which isn't sportsmanlike.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

fyi to all those who were too stupid to understand my simple initial post (or too full of their own jingoistic bias, nudge nudge wink wink...say no more!). just because i mention contadope and schleck is because based on the first stage after refill day: fact -- contadope had the biggest leap in performance and andy the least. it all seemed funny, yes funny, since some here appear to have lost their sense of humor, to note how that meshed -- again, humorously -- with their individual tweets which were -- since they are both huge dopers -- hysterical.

I will wait with bated breath for your next brilliant analysis.

But perhaps you were right. Contador might have been so scared that the likes of you had figured him out that he decided to take the rest day blood out before the queen stage.

 

[luckyboy]

Andy was Landis-esque today.

 

[SarahDane]

I see a new 2006 Flandis/Oscar Pereiro Sio situation. If only Contador could (eat some beef and) make second, we could see a Spaniard taking the win when the winner is busted.

Have a feeling Contador wont dope though.

 

[bigloco]

Andy was Landis-esque today.

Not even close! Landis was freakin out of this world...something like 130km with 4 climbs and he rode everyone off his wheel with reckless abandon.

Andy was no where near that extra-terrestrial level.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Not even close! Landis was freakin out of this world...something like 130km with 4 climbs and he rode everyone off his wheel with reckless abandon.

Hardly. Floyd's power file tells the real story. If was not extraterrestrial at all. The other teams messed up in not chasing him soon enough. The whole route was up and down, and none of them were going to gain time on him going down hill. So the chasers had to match his power to weight ratio going up hill.

 

[hrotha]

Hardly. Floyd's power file tells the real story. If was not extraterrestrial at all. The other teams messed up in not chasing him soon enough. The whole route was up and down, and none of them were going to gain time on him going down hill. So the chasers had to match his power to weight ratio going up hill.

Wasn't Sastre unable to make up any time to time in the final climb, though?

 

[bigloco]

Hardly. Floyd's power file tells the real story. If was not extraterrestrial at all. The other teams messed up in not chasing him soon enough. The whole route was up and down, and none of them were going to gain time on him going down hill. So the chasers had to match his power to weight ratio going up hill.

and Schleck's power profile on the last climb will certainly show a rider that was paying for his efforts...how much time did Voeckler gain on him on that last climb?

I never got a sense watching Landis on that fateful day that he did anything but accelerate away from the others until the very end.

I guess if Andy tests positive for testosterone at the end of the tour, I'll stand corrected.

 

[Lanark]

Wasn't Sastre unable to make up any time to time in the final climb, though?

No, I think Sastre was the only GC-man capable of making up time, the rest lost time, despite the fact that there was a 25km flat run to the final climb, where Landis had to do all the work himself.

 

[bigloco]

Wasn't Sastre unable to make up any time to time in the final climb, though?

this.

I'm just going by memory, of course.

I loved Landis after that stage and his positive was the end of my faith in clean cycling.

edit to add some Andy: I will admit, however, that I did think of Landis when I saw his attack from so far out

 

[luckyboy]

and Schleck's power profile on the last climb will certainly show a rider that was paying for his efforts...how much time did Voeckler gain on him on that last climb?

I never got a sense watching Landis on that fateful day that he did anything but accelerate away from the others until the very end.

I guess if Andy tests positive for testosterone at the end of the tour, I'll stand corrected.

Evn before this performance, there's no doubt that Andy is a doper.

 

[BYOP88]

Evn before this performance, there's no doubt that Andy is a doper.

Yeap, Andy just like his brother is on the sauce. I'd say Leotard's refill day was the best by far.

 

[bigloco]

Evn before this performance, there's no doubt that Andy is a doper.

I don't doubt that.

There's dopers and then there's Landis in 2006 with a ride so over the top that even the powers that be couldn't sweep it under the rug.

Performances like Landis' are very special and deserve a more "sacred" spot in top doping performances of the tour.

To me, Schleck's ride today isn't close to that. It seemed more normal, I guess.

Just my opinion. Hell, I'm kind of rooting for Voeckler.

 

[luckyboy]

Yeah it was more of a scaled down version.

Anyone but Schleck.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I don't doubt that.

There's dopers and then there's Landis in 2006 with a ride so over the top that even the powers that be couldn't sweep it under the rug.

Performances like Landis' are very special and deserve a more "sacred" spot in top doping performances of the tour.

Again, look at the power data. It was not other worldly. Floyd was did a couple of units of blood during the Tour. Pereiro did blood and artificial hemoglobin. Kloden did a blood transfusion at Freiberg. It was not like Floyd was doing more or something different than anyone else.

Andy's performance may very well be more impressive (dope wise) because he rode away from people who were trying to not to get dropped.

 

[bigloco]

Again, look at the power data. It was not other worldly. Floyd was did a couple of units of blood during the Tour. Pereiro did blood and artificial hemoglobin. Kloden did a blood transfusion at Freiberg. It was not like Floyd was doing more or something different than anyone else.

Andy's performance may very well be more impressive (dope wise) because he rode away from people who were trying to not to get dropped.

Umm...He was busted for testosterone?

edit to add....Power data is fine for a singular climb, but the guy did 127k with 5 climbs....I'm not sure you can compare the 2 rides with just power/weight.

 

[luckyboy]

Andy's performance may very well be more impressive (dope wise) because he rode away from people who were trying to not to get dropped.

They pretty much all let him go, and then they put on a ****ty chase until Evans took over on the Galibier.

 

[MacRoadie]

They pretty much all let him go, and then they put on a ****ty chase until Evans took over on the Galibier.

A point which seems to be sorely lost in the Voeckler thread.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Umm...He was busted for testosterone?

So what? Testosterone does not give a rider an extra fifty Watts. The real benefits come from blood vector doping and everyone else was doing that. The whole T-Mobile team save one rider went to Freiberg for a refill during the Tour.

Again, look at the frakin power data.