sniper said:
Hiero2, good post. Since this is the chris squared thread: do you think there is more smoke surrounding horner than there is surrounding froome?
My opinion? Absolutely yes, more around Horner than Froome. While I am more suspicious of Froome than Wiggins, both have very plausible reasons for "suddenly appearing out of nowhere" - as in they didn't really. Horner, on the other hand, has been around. And has had a lot of association with the big doper, you know who. His AToC win was in association with known dopers. His team has hired several known dopers. With Horner - while there isn't the smoke of an Emma etc - he still WAS on the team. And he does have the smoke around the passport values. Is it possible he is clean? Sure. But that, to my thinking, would mean that Nibali has been an active doper and stayed clean for the Vuelta. Or missed his chem peak somehow. And I think Nibali is another rider who might actually be trying to stay clean - honestly clean. Also, Horner was there - in the "era".
Horner has always been a lesser level rider - a lieutenant or a water carrier - not quite the top level. Now in the twilight years of his pro cycling he is at the top? Suspicious. Wiggins, on the other hand, was at the very top on the track. He WAS the "pointy end" on the track. So he decided to switch over late. Ok - see that is plausible. And Froome, as Wiggo's looey, was pulling him up the mountains - and remember that ridiculous shouting sideshow performance? So, if Froome is doping - he has been all along - and again - imo - this reduces the likelihood. His risk is just too high - unless you think that Brailsford is an outright liar, like Bruyneel, and I don't believe that.
So, yeah, I find Horner the harder to believe of the two.