The holistic powers of Tenerife

[roundabout]

Well, its a shame we don't actually know what the wattage was.

3 riders never put their nose in the wind, and the other took a ride for the first half of the climb. If 6W/Kilo is the result of a simple VAM calculation (which tend to overstate steep climbs in any case) I consider is pretty likely that all 4 rode less than that.

I think he does make a good point about 4 of them riding well (drafting effects included) at the same time.

 

[yourwelcome]

Most obvious difference between USP and Sky seems to be that the US postal services did something useful for society.

 

[Ripper]

Most obvious difference between USP and Sky seems to be that the US postal services did something useful for society.

That was pretty funny, and a good point

 

[Captain Sensible]

Most obvious difference between USP and Sky seems to be that the US postal services did something useful for society.

In what way or do you just mean in the States ?.

 

[Ferminal]

A couple of nice quotes from the coverage today.

Matt Keenan: "Porte looks like he's doing a day of training in Tenerife"

Rupert Guinness: "We haven't see a mountain train like this since US Postal" [...Rupert a bit slow on the UK Postal it seems]

 

[dlwssonic]

Come on guys.
It was a strong showing but I don't think at that level yet.
Riders like weening, kiryienka and zubeldia were still in the group.
Not surprising at all that wiggins and froome were still there.
Porte and Rogers are not great mountain climbers but maybe the sky team are close to peak form.
Where as the rest like liquigas and a few others are far from it and still building up form.
No way will sky have the numbers they had today at le tour.
It will be man for himself by then.
If sky still have those 4 riders in like a 10 or 8 men group at the tour. Then yeah its very suspicious.

 

[simoni]

Hmmm. I'm a brit, a Wiggins fan and nominally a Sky fan too. Winning after training in Tenerife doesn't remotely constitute evidence of wrongdoing.

But I can't help thinking that this is approaching too good to be true right now but I'll reserve judgement until the TDF itself. If we see them smashing everyone in the climbs there as well then even more questions will be asked, and quite rightly. Hopefully Sky can be open about how they achieve it.

 

[DirtyWorks]

That's just ludicrous. Why on earth do you think it's normal to be a world beater for a few weeks and mediocre the rest of the year? It's not.

Most of you jokers doing a wait and see aren't willing to acknowledge this is THE classic doping performance. Pack fill 99% of the year, yet suddenly a 5x train crushes a field. Meanwhile, a guy like Evans rides at the front most of the year.

 

[hrotha]

Things are not that simple. We've had huge dopers like Jalabert winning all year round, and others like Riis who peaked out of nowhere. There are other factors involved, like base form and simple commitment.

 

[goggalor]

Things are not that simple. We've had huge dopers like Jalabert winning all year round, and others like Riis who peaked out of nowhere. There are other factors involved, like base form and simple commitment.

Also whether you are risk-seeking or not. If you dope year round, that's a lot of tests to beat.

Yes.

What do you think - more like USP or Gewiss?

Wiggins himself reckons Banesto.

 

[nevada]

Putting aside Sky for a moment - there have been a lot of seriously underperforming riders and teams this year. Something has changed in the peloton this year , to the good in my mind.

Sky's performance is good but against the backdrop of other poor performances they look great.

 

[Lanark]

Things are not that simple. We've had huge dopers like Jalabert winning all year round, and others like Riis who peaked out of nowhere. There are other factors involved, like base form and simple commitment.

Rebellin and Valverde were good for most of the season as well. Rebellin was a top-pro from march until october, and wasn't caught untill his 16th pro season. There's just no connection.

 

[issoisso]

Urán. Froome. Henao. Rogers. Porte. Wiggins.
Yeah, definitely just better training methods that those guys all improved drastically and suddenly on the same team.

Like Gewiss in 1994, just plain orange juice.

 

[hrotha]

For what it's worth, I haven't seen the non-Anglos pulling anything extraordinary. Urán, Henao, Lövkvist, EBH, Flecha, Knees, even Nordhaug, they're all at or even below their supposed level. It's them Anglos. Not because they're Anglos in itself, I mean, but because they're the core of the team. The A-team. The Tour squad in US Postal terms.

 

[thehog]

Rebellin and Valverde were good for most of the season as well. Rebellin was a top-pro from march until october, and wasn't caught untill his 16th pro season. There's just no connection.

Not true. Rebellin was caught on camera buying dope back in 97. He served a 3 month ban.

 

[pot belge]

So Wiggans is head and shoulders better than a supposedly cleaner Peloton? Makes me more suspicious...

 

[Lanark]

Not true. Rebellin was caught on camera buying dope back in 97. He served a 3 month ban.

Really? I disctinctly remember him being acquitted.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Most of you jokers doing a wait and see aren't willing to acknowledge this is THE classic doping performance. Pack fill 99% of the year, yet suddenly a 5x train crushes a field. Meanwhile, a guy like Evans rides at the front most of the year.

Pack fillers who won PN, Romandie, Bayern and some joke race in Portugal.

Meanwhile Cadel rode on the front most of the year, winning a single 3 day race.

I presume this is some sort of fishing exercise. Not even dumb and dumber on the pro cycling board are special enough to suggest Team Sky are practicing a peak and valley method to the season.

 

[red_flanders]

Come on guys.
It was a strong showing but I don't think at that level yet.
Riders like weening, kiryienka and zubeldia were still in the group.
Not surprising at all that wiggins and froome were still there.
Porte and Rogers are not great mountain climbers but maybe the sky team are close to peak form.
Where as the rest like liquigas and a few others are far from it and still building up form.
No way will sky have the numbers they had today at le tour.
It will be man for himself by then.
If sky still have those 4 riders in like a 10 or 8 men group at the tour. Then yeah its very suspicious.

It's already very suspicious. If they perform like that at the Tour it will be downright sad. Or laughable. Depending on your mood.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Team Sky may be suspicious, but it's not because they're in pure peaking mode (except Chris Froome, who has been very quiet until this week this year, but has been ill...) but more because they've not dropped form once all season. So yes, the performance may be considered suspicious, but for the exact opposite reason than you're suggesting.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Most obvious difference between USP and Sky seems to be that the US postal services did something useful for society.

Help fund the FBI?

Today's stage was raced in near perfect conditions at the slowest predicted race schedule.
Super Sky caught an uncooperative break, Brice Feillu and dropped Nibali on a bad day and Menchov on a bad year.

Not exactly conclusive proof of the dark arts.
OK, what next.............uuumm, criticise them for being consistently good and winning throughout the season.

It's enough to drive Andy Schleck to drink.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Rebellin and Valverde were good for most of the season as well. Rebellin was a top-pro from march until october, and wasn't caught untill his 16th pro season. There's just no connection.

Of course there's a conncection. Massive peaking was certainly less common without blood manipulation. That doesn't mean that not being a massive peaker disproves doping.

 

[cineteq]

A couple of nice quotes from the coverage today.

Matt Keenan: "Porte looks like he's doing a day of training in Tenerife"

Rupert Guinness: "We haven't see a mountain train like this since US Postal" [...Rupert a bit slow on the UK Postal it seems]

I'm surprised @TheRaceRadio hasn't posted it himself:
Porte today on Col de Joux Plane 35:36. Pantani 1997 32:55 Ullrich 97 33:50

 

[webvan]

Yep, not a very impressive time, eh!

Finally found this thread...I for one would have a hard time getting over a positive from Wiggo. A positive from a banned product that is because I think that they take a lot of stuff that a normal person wouldn't take. They clearly have to be on the "edge" but all that training is so extreme too...and I won't even talk about the way Wiggo's legs look like. Sky seem to have this "formula 1" approach to getting their riders in shape and as long as they're not breaking any rules it's probably ok but it does take some "romance" out of the sport when it was a lot more empirical, in the days of the Badger for instance.