El Pistolero said:
Like I said, Tony Martin is a better time trial specialist than Cancellara yet he never pulls ridiculous stunts like that.
Where exactly am I saying that Phil's 2011 isn't ridiculous? I said it was equally ridiculous as Cancellara in 2010/2013 and his climbing in 2008/2009. Learn to read. It's in this very thread for crying out loud. I also said Boonen's Roubaix in 2012 is similar to Cancellara's in 2010. But his Ronde wins for me are much less suspicious because he didn't overpower everyone with apparent ease.
No crazy transformation in his skills? Man, did you watch any of the Flemish classics before 2010 or were you too busy looking for Euskaltel?
Besides, Cancellara was doping from early on. I think Phil was cleaner than Cancellara for most of his career yes. Don't you? Mapei, Cecchini, Riis, Fuentes, accusations of Hamilton, etc
Same goes for your little friend Valverde who was doping the moment he touched a bike. Perhaps the Sky boys just started doping later and that's why you see a bigger transformation. But there's still an obvious transformation with Cancellara in the Flemish classics in 2010.
I don't move goalposts by the way.
Ayayayay....you're all over the place basically.
Transformation of Cancellara vs Boonen?
Boonen was a Flanders guy from the beginning. Cancellara wasn't. Cancellara was an "everything is possible". Including GT rider. So.... not surprising it took Cancellara some years to "find" his true calling. You could even make an argument that because of that he's cleaner than others... everybody thought he had the motor to go for GTs, he never did. And actually a "Wiggins" by Cancellara would have been less surprising than the original "Wiggins".
The most ridiculous solo was MSR according to you, you wrote somewhere... Please. He goes, nobody on his wheel, he keeps going til the end. Just rewatched it... even Pozzato says, could have been caught, but no collaboration.. .maybe even with difficult, but you can see that there wasn't much... Ballan in front, sitting up at one point... etc. That's not a ridiculous solo at all. If anything MSR 11, almost beating Goss in the sprint was more ridiculous. MSR 12, alone with 2 guys in his wheel keeping away a group that from the top of the Poggio to the end away was more ridiculous. 13 almost beating Ciolek and Sagan in the sprint was more ridiculous. His MSR win is the most "normal" almost... But ok, if you only look at the result.. oh he won solo, nobody has done that for ages, instead of looking at how, or remembering how... well.... you end up with ridiculous arguments.
Then, doping for most of his career...? Maybe, who cares. Ah ok, the whole center of the internet, the CN clinic forums... And then as proof you put in.. Mapei. Ehm... do some research? Squinzi was actually a pretty hardline anti-doper... and that Mapei youth squad was mostly created to keep the young guys away from the wild, uncontrolled ultradoped amateur ranks. Yes, the reality then probably was different, but to "mark" Mapei as an overdoped team compared to the rest? Squinzi actually left cycling after one doping scandal too many. I'm pretty convinced he didn't condone doping, didn't encourage it. And that Mapei youth squad trained by Sassi... very possible it was clean or cleaner than other teams at the time.
He was at Mapei would rather be a point in his favor. Cecchini? Mmh, didn't Hamilton specifically state that Cecchini wasn't doping him? Ok, not interested enough to check...
But anyway.... on the one hand you claim that his "sudden" improvement was the most shocking thing, but then you say he was very likely doped the whole time? Maybe chose one argument.... you're basically throwing everything you can think of at Cancellara, hoping something sticks, claiming that with all you throw the evidence is so overwhelming....
But let's compare some riders
Boonen: Starts at US Postal
Cancellara: Mapei
Gilbert: FdJ
Weeeelll, I guess the doping suspicion in the case of Boonen must be the hightest. If one of the three was doped to the gills for his whole career, probably Boonen the best bet? Agree?
Boonen: Pavéspecialist from the start. And that's what he did his whole career from day one as a pro
Cancellara: ? Huge talent, can be anything... steadily improved, really "exploding" at 29. but the rise til there was gradual
Gilbert: ? Huge talent, in his case too a GT rider career seemed very possible, his first Giro at least looked fairly promising as well. steadily improved, first "explosion" with 27... Lombardia etc, then a further explosion in 2011 at 29.
Sorry... Cancellaras way and Gilberts way look pretty similar. Huge talents, that after a slow build up became very very good riders, that then suddenly completely exploded. Cancellara 2010, x km with Boonen then drop him on the Muur and never to seen again... Roubaix, "sneak" away from Boonen, never to be seen again. In both cases though the chase in the back wasn't really all that organized.... Flanders x small groups, Roubaix all scared of Boonen. Cancellaras limit then were shown in 11, when Chavanel didn't collaborate, the group behind did work and he realized he wouldn't drop Chavanel and couldn't stay away in Flanders. Similar thing in Roubaix with Hushovd refusing to work with him. Basically since then Cancellara has been the same, 2010-2013, too confindent, cocky in 11, unlucky in 12, worked well so far in 13.
Gilberts second explosion.... 2011. Basically winning every race he participates in. Before the TdF he had some ridiculous statistic of having one... moment, I'll check that one... ok, he had 8 wins in the last 10 non ITT races he started... .made that 9 of 11 with the first stage of the TT. Gilbert's progression until his first "explosion" 09-10 is very similar and comparable to Cancellaras progression. His second explosion beats anything Cancellara did. And... he never confirmed that finally, actually he seems to have regressed to a pre 09 level almost. Soo, of all the explosions I'd say:
Gilbert 11 nr 1.
Cancellara 10 nr 2.
Boonen 12 nr 3... yep, he had a "re-explosion"... after years of stagnation, regression, all of the sudden 12 he was back at his very best. Maybe with Cancellara there it wouldn't have worked, but he was clearly back in his top shape, that we hadn't seen for a while.
Which proves: Exactly nothing, right. All three very likely have been doped at one or the other time in their careers, even today for all I know, don't really care. But "Cancellara clearly the most suspicions because he doped his whole career, he was at MAPEI! And then he completely exploded in 08/09 which proves that he was doping" not only doesn't prove anything either, but is even illogical and kind of stupid to boot.