The "I can't believe" Mikel Landa thread

[sir fly]

Well, I guess there wasn't enough time to study his response to the rest day.

 

[SafeBet]

So what's the theory here? Can't be a bad blood bag right?

 

[thehog]

Re:

So what's the theory here? Can't be a bad blood bag right?

Or might have been blood tested before the stage and with his RBCs that high they had to feign a sickness.

 

[carolina]

Re: Re:

Gotta say, this is grade-A conspiracy material. Very strong in Trentino, showed puzzling weakness in the first week, did a great and very much out-of-character ITT and, next thing you know, he's "ill" right after the rest day. It's some vintage stuff, as others have noted.

The mistery deepens as he told just before the stage to a Danish reporter that he looks to attack. Clearly somewhere diwn the road something happened.

If he had told the journalist that he was feeling sick, what do you think the other teams would do?! He was just bluffing.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Re:

So what's the theory here? Can't be a bad blood bag right?

I have little doubt that will be the main thought.

Bad BBQ is a good contender though.

 

[Sorped]

This doesn't make sense at all.
We know what Landa is like uphill. Even with a cold or whatever he should be able to go over a cat 3 climb without too much agony, but losing several minutes, wtf? And the pre-stage interview; "I will try to make time if I feel good." If he is too ill to even get over a cat 3 climb I doubt very much he and we wouldn't notice in the interview pre-race.

 

[thehog]

In Boswell's diary all was well with Landa:

Mikel Landa is a fantastic guy – he’s incredibly funny. That evening we were on the bus for a long transfer and he was on some sort of app, sending us funny videos on our team Snapchat with his eyes getting big. He’s really mellow, and relaxed but also friendly. I’ve ridden with a few team leaders in my career who aren’t necessarily very personable with everyone and are just there to get the job done, but Landa comes to each of us and thanks us for our efforts.

http://pages.rapha.cc/team-sky/prepare-execute-diaries-part-3

 

[thehog]

The funny thing about Sky riders, even when they fail they are suspicious!

 

[vedrafjord]

Re: Re:

Landa down 3 minutes over the first climb, the day after a rest day, bad blood bag?

Remember back in the Fuentes days with people dropping like stone after the rest day?

If this wasn't 2016 i would say he got a wrong BB...[/quote]

So - blood bags in GTs:

• I don't think there's any question riders are still doing bags on rest day - the plasticiser test etc. still doesn't have WADA approval, and people like Aru, Kreuziger etc have had very suspicious improvements at certain times.
• As discussed in Ashenden's analysis of Contador's test results a couple of years ago, you can transfuse a bag of regular blood and your blood parameters won't change immediately - you'll just have more of it. Your body will start removing plasma within 24 hours, increasing your HcT, and it will stop making new cells, reducing your retic %. You can cover up the first by transfusing plasma, and the second by microdosing EPO.
• That said, supposedly the rumours are that they're doing smaller top-ups these days - a full bag is too risky.
• It's entirely possible that Landa and his people did a transfusion and handled the mechanics of it himself without Sky's help. Could have everything from qualified nurses to doing a Ricco on his own and messing up.

Of course everything that can go wrong with non dopers can go wrong with dopers too, so flu, stomach bug, etc. are still likely.

People dropping like stones after the rest day is as old as Grand Tour racing itself.

Yes but the physiology of rest days should be pretty much worked out by this stage, and if Sky really are "attention to detail", they should have it more figured out than most. They did get it absolutely perfect in the Tour last year. Remember that Garmin film a couple of years ago? JV warning Vande Velde to do 50km on the rest day, which he didn't do, then was woeful the next day.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

The official Team Sky response:

Mikel Landa has abandoned the Giro d'Italia on stage 10 after suffering from illness.

Landa, who started the day in eighth place overall, fell ill overnight but was able to start Tuesday's 219km stage from Campi Bisenzio to Sestola. However, despite the support of the team, he was quickly distanced by the peloton and the decision was made for him to abandon the race.

Landa was one minute 18 seconds behind overall leader Gianluca Brambilla after a strong performance in Sunday's Individual Time Trial.

Sir Dave Brailsford said: "Mikel was ill overnight but we spoke this morning and he started today's stage with the hope of being able to pull through.

"It was pretty clear that the illness had badly affected him and that he wasn't going to be able to continue.

"We are really disappointed for Mikel, who was riding well and looking forward to attacking in the mountains and animating the race.

"However, we came here as a team and we'll continue as a team. There is a long way still to go, and although our focus was on Mikel, there's plenty of time for us to still make an impact at this Giro"

Commenting on Mikel Landa's illness, Team Doctor Inigo Sarriegui said: "Mikel woke up early this morning feeling unwell with abdominal pains. It appears as though he has a viral gastroenteritis.

"We will assess him at the team hotel and then determine the best course of treatment to ensure he recovers as quickly as possible."

Read more at http://www.teamsky.com/teamsky/home/article/79719#mWyLu2fM6GbpGYA6.99

http://www.teamsky.com/teamsky/home/article/79719#goq1eoxVXuz4rZRq.97

 

[thehog]

Sir Dave clearing up matters...

 

[simoni]

Obviously its difficult to avoid being extemely suspicious here.

But in the past I've gone from feeling great one day to bedridden the next through a stomach bug so its not completely out of the question that this has an innocent explanation.

 

[Jakub]

for me he was grimacing too much. there are two possibilities, either he pretended it (and unfortunately for him, his ITT and the rest day, that all makes sense suddenly ) or was feeling really bad.
I personally hope for the latter, not that I think he doesn't dope, he does, but it would have to be very scary to pretend illness in front of the cameras, one can get depressions

 

[King Of Molehill]

Ahh, the old 'stomach virus' strikes again.

 

[DFA123]

Anyone else on Sky showing symptoms of illness? Or was it just Landa's txistorra that was dodgy?

Shame his legendary motivation couldn't see him through today.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Sir DB said

"Mikel woke up early this morning feeling unwell with abdominal pains. It appears as though he has a viral gastroenteritis.

If only he had a cleanroom motor home like LRP
he could have avoided this bug.

 

[Pippo_San]

I almost never visit the clinic but this is a classic throwback to the good old days.
Back to early 2000s with the Sky wagon!

It all of a sudden reminded me of RoboBasso 2005 and his epic Stelvio crisis.

 

[thehog]

Re:

I almost never visit the clinic but this is a classic throwback to the good old days.
Back to early 2000s with the Sky wagon!

It all of a sudden reminded me of RoboBasso 2005 and his epic Stelvio crisis.

So true! Siberia strikes again!

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

Sir DB said

"Mikel woke up early this morning feeling unwell with abdominal pains. It appears as though he has a viral gastroenteritis.

If only he had a cleanroom motor home like LRP
he could have avoided this bug.

Lol.Motorhomes.Great post

 

[Irondan]

This is a general announcement to the members posting comments in this thread.

It would be appreciated if you attempt to add commentary to any post that has a disparaging sarcastic remarks about the topic of this thread.

If all you want to do is make sarcastic remarks that add no value to the discussion I will delete it without warning, and possibly initiate action to repeat offenders.

Thank you for understanding.

Cheers

 

[Random Direction]

Re:

Sir DB said

"Mikel woke up early this morning feeling unwell with abdominal pains. It appears as though he has a viral gastroenteritis.

If only he had a cleanroom motor home like LRP
he could have avoided this bug.

Well, if it is viral gastroenteritis, the viral portion of the equation should ensure that other sky riders or staff will come down with the same. As the say, the proof will be in the pudding.

 

[Ramon Koran]

Hardly a surprise, landa has been weekend all giro by allergies. The rest day made him lose his rythme and made him hugely vulnerable. BB's are outdated with the biological passport what's more on a team with such a stellar anti doping policy as sky. People shouting conspiracy need to move on.

 

[Benotti69]

Re:

Hardly a surprise, landa has been weekend all giro by allergies. The rest day made him lose his rythme and made him hugely vulnerable. BB's are outdated with the biological passport what's more on a team with such a stellar anti doping policy as sky. People shouting conspiracy need to move on.

Allergies??WTF? Where were these allergies last year?

No one is shouting conspiracy. This has all the hallmarks of doping. He rode for Astana or did you forget, the team that had a doping program? The conspiracy would be he was not doping!

Rest day made him lose his rhythm? According to sky his rhythm is ok. He DNF's because of viral gastro and as someone pointed out others in the team will be leaving soon as it was viral, but of course we know that is unlikely!

 

[Digger]

Re:

Hardly a surprise, landa has been weekend all giro by allergies. The rest day made him lose his rythme and made him hugely vulnerable. BB's are outdated with the biological passport what's more on a team with such a stellar anti doping policy as sky. People shouting conspiracy need to move on.

BB's aren't outdated I know for a fact they are very much in use

 

[Zypherov]

Re:

Hardly a surprise, landa has been weekend all giro by allergies. The rest day made him lose his rythme and made him hugely vulnerable. BB's are outdated with the biological passport what's more on a team with such a stellar anti doping policy as sky. People shouting conspiracy need to move on.

Blood bags on rest days are as you have put it a thing of the past. You can't boost your hematocrit level to 50 % any longer with the biological passport in place. It would need to be a pretty small amount of blood transfused in order for there to be no irregularities shown in the passport. If there were any doping I think that it would be micro doses of a synthetic oxygen booster. But with the stringent anti-doping policy of Team Sky added with the above it's highly unlikely that he is doping. You would be reasonably certain that it is stomach problems which have ruled him out of this Giro.