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Romain Bardet (AG2R)

I wish people would stop repeating that. The French peloton in general WAS much cleaner than the rest for a long while, and it certainly looked like they were doing things right. Since 2011 or thereabouts, it's clear that trend has changed.

But even in the cleanest years of French cycling, I don't think AG2R was in the vanguard of cleanliness. More like they were dragged along.
 
Well, "good" that someone made the thread, maybe I can find my post from last week.

Specifically though I wouldn't throw the book at Bardet just yet. Training with a 2012-onwards Pellizotti isn't quite as bad as say, training with Nibali.
 
Ferminal said:
Training with a 2012-onwards Pellizotti isn't quite as bad as say, training with Nibali.
Yes, but in 2014 deleting a tweet may be suspect ;)


I would add that not many french teams train in altitude in Spain, I've never heard of Cofidis or EUropcar on Mount Teide... Why would they, there is enough mountain roads in France and actually AG2R is based in the french alps (chambery). Weird.
 
Aug 16, 2011
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More Strides than Rides said:
Could some please post the tweet? Twitter is banned on my work's network :(

Eufemiano
‏@oufeh
Hey, @romainbardet why did you delete your tweet about you training with Pelizotti in altitude in Spain ? pic.twitter.com/TOlNPJAC6K


BksgTdPIIAAD7QC.jpg
 
Romain Bardet doesn't really have much to worry about if all we have is a picture of him next to a guy who used to be a doper...

This seems to be hard to comprehend for some people, but it's possible to know and even be friendly to a cheater without being a cheater oneself.
 
maltiv said:
Romain Bardet doesn't really have much to worry about if all we have is a picture of him next to a guy who used to be a doper...

This seems to be hard to comprehend for some people, but it's possible to know and even be friendly to a cheater without being a cheater oneself.

the way we see the relations of riders in the peloton and between teams is waaay different from how they really are. I think riders do not think in a "good and evil" way. they share the races and training all year long, they know much more about each other than we know. just see Talansky training with Levi this spring, or other examples
 
Aug 16, 2011
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I don't read much into the actual picture, Pellizotti hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire after returning from his ban after all. The more telling thing here is that he went and deleted the tweet. Which could mean that he believed a picture of him training with Pellizotti made him look suspicious. Or it could mean nothing and he just deleted it to be on the safe side.

Kinda backfired on him though, tweeting and then deleting probably casts more suspicion then if he tweeted and let it stand.
 
May 26, 2010
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maltiv said:
Romain Bardet doesn't really have much to worry about if all we have is a picture of him next to a guy who used to be a doper...

This seems to be hard to comprehend for some people, but it's possible to know and even be friendly to a cheater without being a cheater oneself.

When did Pelizotti stop doping?
 
The Hitch said:
16 post in a thread about whether AG2R and French cyclists and teams were clean, without a mention of this?

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=20322

Good one. Seems AG2R is one of the french teams (with Europcar IMO) whose riders are quite well "prepared". The team DS Vincent Lavenu doesn't care much about rider's history, as Pozzovivo, Valjavec, Mancebo or even De la Cuevas (client of Ferrari) in the nineties.

Back to Gadret, was such a performance possible without blood doping in 2011 ?
 
May 26, 2010
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More Strides than Rides said:
We don't have to agree that he stopped doping, but he is definitely on low octane brand, since his ban.

For sure he is on low octane but then he is on a pro conti team at present.
 
Phil - These allegations are heinous. The Anglos are obviously jealous because their riders can't handle a bike, keep falling, quitting (surrender monkeys ahaha). Lance, huh, Romain is one of the most tested athletes in the world.

Paul - Indeed. Obviously the Americans are bitter because they haven't won a TdF since Greg LeMond in 1990.
 

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