Sylvain Chavanel

[Willy_Voet]

Has he worked on improving his cadence, too? Wind tunnel testing? Reconnoitered all the stages? Will he bring his own chef along?

Training at altitude is only part of the program, the greats control every aspect which is Monsieur Chavanel must learn to do.

 

[python]

Umm.....did I miss something? Seriously, is there another article that I missed? Where did he say he never did altitude training before, and why are people thinking he's planning on doing anything different in the Tour than he's done over last year? Just because he's 'targeting' the Tour, doesn't mean he's going for the overall. A yellow jersey, a stage win or two and his entire season is a success.

If he lands on the podium in Paris I'll be the first to start asking questions, but the whole premise seems a bit off to me.

As far as altitude, he very well may not have figured out the best option for incorporating altitude into his training, because it's not an easy thing to do. The research is certainly equivocal, and my own first hand experience is that response to altitude is variable, even just in my own training from year to year. So, it's certainly not an easy thing to understand. I know the credo of 'train low live high', but different athletes have difference responses to it, and the same athlete can have different responses to it.

So, I guess I just don't understand your question.

a reasonable post indeed !

there are poor responders with false hopes and there are excellent responders poorly advised.

all professional riders are paid to achieve results. if they stop exploring the ways to improve their performance , within the allowed framework of course, they aren't worth much.

that said, it's a well known fact (to anti-doping scientists anyway) - besides a direct injections of epo microdose straight into the vein, a properly scheduled session at altitude (or in the altitude simulating tent) is an excellent masking technique for a blood transfusion.

chavanel's statements did not sound to me like a one-time masking operation....

as to the language discussion, hey let's just go back to the topic...

 

[Red Lobster]

Classy posts by laziali and Parrulo . . . what's next, comments about Brits' teeth or French body odor? Brilliant contributions, thanks so much.

 

[Parrulo]

Classy posts by laziali and Parrulo . . . what's next, comments about Brits' teeth or French body odor? Brilliant contributions, thanks so much.

just as brilliant as yours. in fact i address the subject earlier which is something you can't say for yourself.

btw when do i mention some sort of national stereotype?

oh well but who i am i to talk i bet your previous 67 interventions on this forum were nothing phenomenal.

 

[Red Lobster]

btw when do i mention some sort of national stereotype?

I'll admit my English may be weaker than yours, but I would tend to interpret your statement "its pathetic how they expect every1 to know/speak/want to speak English yet laugh at the thought of knowing another language themselves" in response to the prior post about Americans as constituting "some sort of national stereotype".

 

[Parrulo]

I'll admit my English may be weaker than yours, but I would tend to interpret your statement "its pathetic how they expect every1 to know/speak/want to speak English yet laugh at the thought of knowing another language themselves" in response to the prior post about Americans as constituting "some sort of national stereotype".

i was actually including all anglo saxon countries. so is far from national. and its just the truth.

you may not agree but you see that doesn't mean i am wrong nor will make me change my mind.

also since you were so selective about quoting my post i will just assume that i was right about everything else i said on my post for the simple reason that i can.

oh and ofc mr. i will enter a thread and point out how a couple of people went off-topic while completely derailing the thread, how do you feel about your own contribution to the topic now?

 

[Red Lobster]

i was actually including all anglo saxon countries. so is far from national. and its just the truth.

you may not agree but you see that doesn't mean i am wrong nor will make me change my mind.

Ah, how could I have failed to realize that "they" in response to "Americans" meant "all anglo saxon countries". A grevious and inexcusable error on my part. And I have no interest in changing your mind; you may feel free to cling to whatever ignorant beliefs you wish. If you could refrain from inflicting them upon the rest of us, however, that would be lovely.

 

[JPM London]

I like how every reported illness and every reported training camp gets turned into must be a synonym for doping. What the blimey hot place are they supposed to say whenever they do suffer from something or are actually just trainin in the mountains? Keep quiet? Wouldn't that be even more suspect?

Ooh, so-and-so was sick - but didn't say anything - must be because of bad dope!

or

I saw so-and-so in the dolomites, but he wasn't even supposed to be there (ok, that might not be the best example, but you get it)

And if you were doping why on earth would you want to speak code to make the whole world aware of when you were doing it? Wouldn't it just be easier to keep quiet and then after winning the Tour instead it explain your recent string of good form by concluding that it seems the peloton has gone cleaner? That cycling is no longer a sport of two speeds (which would - I guess - be correct as far as you're concerned) or that you too changed to beetroot juice?