So, a cleaner Levi, 51 minutes back, in 29th on GC

[blackcat]

29 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:51:0


Levi riding cleaner. Radioshack Nissan on less Dr Marti

no doubt Levi pulled the testo days during the lead up, but this is basically a clean ride for Levi. No blood bags, a minimum of preparation O@ vector pump priming.

Basically, most of the riders above him, if they were on nothing, subtract a good half hour.

thats doping folks
thats cycling folks
thats sport folks

 

[Froome19]

Or maybe it is because he should have retired a long time ago

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Or maybe because he still hasn't recovered properly from the injury
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/news/leipheimer-i-could-be-dead-for-sure_211934

 

[ericthesportsman6]

He's also 38....

 

[taiwan]

So Sky are protected now and the rest of the Bigs aren't, it's something along those lines, right? What we're seeing is he end of the old order IMO - noone can live with Wiggins, that's Wiggins, in the mountains, Frank Schleck can't hang out and gets popped, etc... Curious stuff.

 

[Oldman]

So Sky are protected now and the rest of the Bigs aren't, it's something along those lines, right? What we're seeing is he end of the old order IMO - noone can live with Wiggins, that's Wiggins, in the mountains, Frank Schleck can't hang out and gets popped, etc... Curious stuff.

I can live with Wiggans in the mountains because he still climbs like a reformed pursuit/power rider. News flash purists-it can happen. While the peleton is relatively cleaner we shouldn't get too giddy about the Old Order completely going away as there is still evidence that the amateur to tainted DS network is still intact. Young riders learn from people that are still in the business.

 

[mastersracer]

How ironic that just a short while ago people were predicting the rise of new stars and the decline of the older generation as the sport got cleaner. It is getting cleaner in the sense that the physiologically unrealistic performances of the 90s and a chunk of the last decade are gone. Now the generation that rose to prominence during that era (Menchov. Levi, etc) are fading and new riders are emerging. Funny that's now being twisted around to mean the new riders must be doping. Circular logic.

 

[montagna lunga]

How ironic that just a short while ago people were predicting the rise of new stars and the decline of the older generation as the sport got cleaner. It is getting cleaner in the sense that the physiologically unrealistic performances of the 90s and a chunk of the last decade are gone. Now the generation that rose to prominence during that era (Menchov. Levi, etc) are fading and new riders are emerging. Funny that's now being twisted around to mean the new riders must be doping. Circular logic.

x2 ... or is it "+1"?

 

[Cerberus]

He's also 38....

That might have something to do with it. Really this thread is ridiculous, riders getting slower as they age past their early/middle thirties is proof of old age, nothing else.

 

[Oldman]

That might have something to do with it. Really this thread is ridiculous, riders getting slower as they age past their early/middle thirties is proof of old age, nothing else.

having seen all of the older Americans as they came up the placement of Horner and the others is in keeping with their abilities. The One missing would follow in between at best. Horner was the best of that generation.

 

[Ozzie2]

How ironic that just a short while ago people were predicting the rise of new stars and the decline of the older generation as the sport got cleaner. It is getting cleaner in the sense that the physiologically unrealistic performances of the 90s and a chunk of the last decade are gone. Now the generation that rose to prominence during that era (Menchov. Levi, etc) are fading and new riders are emerging. Funny that's now being twisted around to mean the new riders must be doping. Circular logic.

Thats a valid point

My only comment to that is that as i understand (and i don't know much), aren't the trains and riders going_faster_and pushing_more_wattage than during those glory days of PEDs?

As part of that, I find it curious that sure wiggins is now a mountain goat. thats believable in and of itself. unusual but possible

but we also have Sagan being unusually fantastic

and we have Teamn Sky being seriously fast. I mean so many going over the mountains like that...wow

And Porte really has stepped up

And who would have thought Rodgers still had it in him

And my Froome is just outstanding. If it weren't for Wiggins he'd win this tour. Can you believe that!

And voekler

Oh, Jens too

 

[Paco_P]

That might have something to do with it. Really this thread is ridiculous, riders getting slower as they age past their early/middle thirties is proof of old age, nothing else.

Don't agree. Riders in their late 30's placing in the top 50 of a premier endurance event seems to me suspicious in its own right.

 

[wannab]

My only comment to that is that as i understand (and i don't know much), aren't the trains and riders going_faster_and pushing_more_wattage than during those glory days of PEDs?

No that's the point, they aren't pushing more watts, it's all becoming more reasonable/acceptable ..

interesting article here on that subject.