While I understand the “He got 10 minutes in a break” argument regarding Chiappucci, I don’t find it as compelling as others might. Chiappucci rode an incredibly strong race the entire way. He placed highly in the stage 7 time trial, finishing top 15 if I recall correctly. Close to that anyway. He finished top 10 in the MTT the day after the stage to Alpe d’Huez to take yellow.
I don’t know if y’all are old enough to have watched that race as adults, but I was in Belgium that summer. Chiappucci was absolutely shocking holding on to that lead as long as he did. In the Alps, he rode with the favorites, sprinted for KOM points, and even led chases, dropping Bauer who was a much more highly regarded rider. Remember Bauer was in yellow and was in the same break as Chiappucci, but he couldn’t hold on. When Chiappucci did lose time, he didn’t lose much. He was riding so strongly in the mountains he attacked the leaders in the Pyrenees before he finally cracked, and even when he did, he still only lost a minute or two, and remained in yellow going into the final TT. He didn’t ride with aero bars in the last TT. You also have to recall that he had no team, and when he did get in trouble he was totally isolated, a big factor on stages where he lost chunks of that lead. The biggest chunk he lost was on a transitional stage where he got isolated.
I‘m not sure I can adequately characterize how stunning his ride was at the time. Every day the news reports were asking how this guy was doing it, how could he be hanging on. People in the sport were incredulous.
None of that proves he was on EPO at the time, maybe we just saw the emergence of an outstanding rider. Personally I don’t buy it for a second, but it’s possible. Regardless, dismissing his performance in ‘90 because of the 10 minute lead is in my view a mischaracterization of a tremendous and shocking performance.
I don’t know if y’all are old enough to have watched that race as adults, but I was in Belgium that summer. Chiappucci was absolutely shocking holding on to that lead as long as he did. In the Alps, he rode with the favorites, sprinted for KOM points, and even led chases, dropping Bauer who was a much more highly regarded rider. Remember Bauer was in yellow and was in the same break as Chiappucci, but he couldn’t hold on. When Chiappucci did lose time, he didn’t lose much. He was riding so strongly in the mountains he attacked the leaders in the Pyrenees before he finally cracked, and even when he did, he still only lost a minute or two, and remained in yellow going into the final TT. He didn’t ride with aero bars in the last TT. You also have to recall that he had no team, and when he did get in trouble he was totally isolated, a big factor on stages where he lost chunks of that lead. The biggest chunk he lost was on a transitional stage where he got isolated.
I‘m not sure I can adequately characterize how stunning his ride was at the time. Every day the news reports were asking how this guy was doing it, how could he be hanging on. People in the sport were incredulous.
None of that proves he was on EPO at the time, maybe we just saw the emergence of an outstanding rider. Personally I don’t buy it for a second, but it’s possible. Regardless, dismissing his performance in ‘90 because of the 10 minute lead is in my view a mischaracterization of a tremendous and shocking performance.