Say what? Pantani was very different from most others of his era. He clearly was a very good responder to doping & willing to push the envelope as evident by his alien climbing ability. Did you know that the top 3 all-time fastest times up Alpe d'Huez is still held by Pantani (if that's not alien, IDK what is then. Lol).
Doping doesn't level the playing field - on the contrary it unlevels it significantly. You have good responders & not so good responders, you have athletes willing to push the envelope with high doses and/or multiple compounds, athletes willing to push their Hct into the stratosphere, etc. IMO, Pantani wouldn't have been a top climber in anything without PEDs.
Look at LA - excellent responder to PEDs. And an organized doped team with also some pretty good responders (e.g. Hamilton, Heras, Landis, etc). Factor in LA's uncanny luck of never crashing out of a Tour & you have your best placed doper for 7 straight years. Lol.
I said he was a super doper, you answered me as if I said he wanst.
The good he was really or not we didnt now. His alliens climbing performances doent mean he doped more than others. That his responde was better, maybe, but when someone respond that way is becouse he had sopme good natural strenth.
I talked that with spanish doper Dario Hadeo. He almost recognize me in another forum that he was good, but with bad hematocric, and when he dope he fly. He is now 47 year old ans still riding. I usually broke lot of KOM of strava all over Spain and last year managed to start Spanish championship (I dont not how) but he rode without team and he was close to win the title to ayuso and Lazcano, with 46...without the resources a pro rider of the world Tour has today. That was the most amazing performing and supect of doping in the last years in cycling, al least in Europe, by far.
Finaly Carlos Verona reacted at time, but otherway an horrendous surprise could have happend.
And of course I believe he was worse cyclist than Pantani, In fact he started when Pantani was still riding , both doping, and no way.
But as well he is a good argument there is no doping today at the World Tour, or at least far from the past. becouse he was even better at 46 than when he doped at 25. Vey bad riders should be Ayuso or Lazcano if they dope today and a rider who is semipro at 46 is at their level.