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State of the Peloton 2024

Page 45 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
If people believe Vingegaard could have been at Pog's level without his Itzulia crash, then the implication is even more insane, i.e. we'd be looking at two riders putting almost ten minutes into the rider sitting third... who himself is ten minutes ahead of fourth.

There's an almost 20 minute gap between first & the fourth rider (Almeida who himself is Pog's teammate).

I bet Ineos never imagined Rodriguez would finish 25 minutes down & somehow still be 7th in GC.

The gaps to guys outside top3 are comical. This is like the Coppi era! In this Tour we actually had the battle of three mutants (including one uber-mutant). And yes, it's quite possible that there would be two uber-mutants (and one smaller) if Vingo was prepared perfectly. But it's ridiculous anyway. The next year's edition will be ever scarier, methinks. Teddy vs Skeletor: the ultimate battle!
 
I feel like UAE have been holding back a bit this year, for the sake of appearances. I hope next year they go full out all season, no gifts, no apologies, unleash all the boys, "let it rip".


YLW0skVm_o.jpg
Winning the TDF GC, team title 3 riders in top 10(6!!) And without Covid probably another in top ten!! They better not try any harder!!they rode great all 3 weeks!!
 
If people believe Vingegaard could have been at Pog's level without his Itzulia crash, then the implication is even more insane, i.e. we'd be looking at two riders putting almost ten minutes into the rider sitting third... who himself is ten minutes ahead of fourth.

There's an almost 20 minute gap between first & the fourth rider (Almeida who himself is Pog's teammate).

I bet Ineos never imagined Rodriguez would finish 25 minutes down & somehow still be 7th in GC.

Both Remco and Vingo lacked the base form due to their crashes (and Remco's pie and strudel eating)

Next year should be an absolute cracker
 
  • Haha
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Both Remco and Vingo lacked the base form due to their crashes (and Remco's pie and strudel eating)

Next year should be an absolute cracker

If that's what the future holds, I question the prospective entertainment value of the product.

Imagine 3 riders 20 minutes ahead of everyone else, i.e. with the domestiques of the 3 super mutants in the first non-podium positions & then some hapless Ineos guy half an hour down asking himself why he even became a pro-cyclist in the first place.

I hate to be the guy who says these top teams are killing the sport but seriously, they'll kill the sport if this continues.

It's not cycling.
 
No. It's used as a bronchodilator, so it can expand bronchi that's constricted from asthma, but it won't expand bronchi past a baseline.
The testing of this substance is bad too, with control getting basically impossible results (athletes administered a set amount, and the test gave out results that indicated the test subject took 800% more than was administered.


"This comment is an indirect result of a study by Martineauet al. [9], published in 1992, that demonstrated that 16 mg of long-acting oral salbutamol was distinctly anabolic. That oral salbutamol can improve exercise performance has been confirmed in subsequent publications [10]. In a 2007 review, Kindermann [11] noted that numerous studies had demonstrated that inhaled salbutamol does not enhance sports performance. Subsequent published research has tended to confirm this fact in doses of up to 1600 μg in 24 h [12]."

16mg is a TON of the substance.
This is sort of quirky. I had surgery to repair my oblique muscle and umbilical hernia, I was prescribed a rescue inhaler in both a nebulizer and tablet form. I suffer from seasonal allergies that are really only present early in the morning. Doctor knows that I cough really hard occasionally in the morning for a few minutes. Doctors fearing I would tear surgical repairs from a few strong coughs. During training I have also occasionally used a bronchodilators in nebulizer and tablet forms. I have never ridden at a high level, like Froome or Wiggins, but anecdotally I feel a respiratory benefit.. Not sure if I can separate ( I can't!!) what is happening? Am I getting more oxygen? Unscientific.. Feels like it..
I have raced and trained with dozens of people who used nebulizer versions and they didn't always light me up.
Like I said, no science, but when I use the drugs I feel like I am getting more oxygen, when I use tablet form..I can just breathe and don't feel anything different.
 
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If that's what the future holds, I question the prospective entertainment value of the product.

Imagine 3 riders 20 minutes ahead of everyone else, i.e. with the domestiques of the 3 super mutants in the first non-podium positions & then some hapless Ineos guy half an hour down asking himself why he even became a pro-cyclist in the first place.

I hate to be the guy who says these top teams are killing the sport but seriously, they'll kill the sport if this continues.

It's not cycling.

Just look at who the 3 super teams are

Lampre-Sanuer-Duval
Robberbank
Mapei

They were among the biggest nuke throwers. Surprised they are using anti matter or stronger now?
 
I am very curious to see what will happen to cycling in next 5/10 years. How this will end?

It will be normal for top riders doing close to 8 w/kg in 40 minutes in 5/10 years?

Ever since Remco did well over 7 w/kg in CSS 2 years ago and then basically did a 45km ITT 2 minutes faster than the peloton, the arms race has been on. That race seems to be the delineation point between the usual cycling stuff and the all out arms race we have seen
 
  • Wow
Reactions: noob
This is sort of quirky. I had surgery to repair my oblique muscle and umbilical hernia, I was prescribed a rescue inhaler in both a nebulizer and tablet form. I suffer from seasonal allergies that are really only present early in the morning. Doctor knows that I cough really hard occasionally in the morning for a few minutes. Doctors fearing I would tear surgical repairs from a few strong coughs. During training I have also occasionally used a bronchodilators in nebulizer and tablet forms. I have never ridden at a high level, like Froome or Wiggins, but anecdotally I feel a respiratory benefit.. Not sure if I can separate ( I can't!!) what is happening? Am I getting more oxygen? Unscientific.. Feels like it..
I have raced and trained with dozens of people who used nebulizer versions and they didn't always light me up.
Like I said, no science, but when I use the drugs I feel like I am getting more oxygen, when I use tablet form..I can just breathe and don't feel anything different.
Your bronchii are being inflamed from intense cardiovascular activity. This is exercise induced asthma, if you were competing in sanctioned races you'd be able to get a TUE for this. Tons of athletes use these bronchodialators for that, it's legal.
 
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If that's what the future holds, I question the prospective entertainment value of the product.

Imagine 3 riders 20 minutes ahead of everyone else, i.e. with the domestiques of the 3 super mutants in the first non-podium positions & then some hapless Ineos guy half an hour down asking himself why he even became a pro-cyclist in the first place.

I hate to be the guy who says these top teams are killing the sport but seriously, they'll kill the sport if this continues.

It's not cycling.
I've been watching cycling for about 20/25 years, and yeah.. this doesn't really feel right.
My doubts were raised a couple of years ago but they were only that, doubts. That ITT from Vingo last year really made my alarmbells go off. This Tour? Fuggedaboudit.
I really hope it's nutrition, science and all of that, but my gut tells me something different.
 
What if it's morals that keeps some teams behind? Not like anti doping morals but possibly doctors who refuses to use the new stuff as they deem it to unsafe? Maybe Ineos is there right now? One DS wanting a new less scrupulous doc while the other wants it etc?

There should be extra splits between, but also within teams and more bad blood than usual in times like this, no?

For all I care the QS Visma merger, Cummins kicked out etc?

There will be a Betsy Andrew somewhere.
 
I put this in the wrong thread yesterday.

Re. Maurten's Bicarb system. I know it was discussed on here last year. I've just been chatting with someone who is involved with the 800m at the olympics this year. I asked if he knew what was behind ths recent improvement in times ... (ie, several athletes inside 1:42 in one race last week). He said that it could largely be down to the more widespread use of Maurtens Bicarb system. He said it takes a while to dial in the dosage, but that it reall does seem to have a substantial benefit.... even in such a short race. Keely H has been on it for 2 years.
Clearly I don't believe the improvements in cycling can be solely down to that ... or bicarb plus ketones and improved nutrition etc.

But interesting to me that it is kind of accepted practice in certain T&F events now.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: noob
I want to know if the doctors and nurses in the Basque hospital Jonas went to saw a bunch of abnormal values when he showed up. It seems it would take a HCT of 70 for WADA to be able to do anything at this point. Is all this stuff really undetectable or just covered up by huge tolerance thresholds?
 
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Reactions: SHAD0W93
I want to know if the doctors and nurses in the Basque hospital Jonas went to saw a bunch of abnormal values when he showed up. It seems it would take a HCT of 70 for WADA to be able to do anything at this point. Is all this stuff really undetectable or just covered up by huge tolerance thresholds?
Outside of ridiculous blood values, I'd say it's undetectable, and I can't bring myself to believe the UCI haven't seen a lot dodgy results there, which they then haven't penalised.