Whose performance will plunge?

[BroDeal]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those with the most extreme blood profiles. If it is taken as a warning by other riders then which riders are likely to suffer a collapse in performance?

Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

A subpar Tour by the Schleck bros would not suprise me.

 

[Hugh Januss]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those with the most extreme blood profiles. If it is taken as a warning by other riders then which riders are likely to suffer a collapse in performance?

Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

A subpar Tour by the Schleck bros would not suprise me.

What if.......everyone but Armstrong (who is secure in his protected status by the UCI) were to heavily curtail their programs before and during the Tour, leaving a (relatively) stronger Armstrong to win his eighth.

 

[peloton]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those with the most extreme blood profiles. If it is taken as a warning by other riders then which riders are likely to suffer a collapse in performance?

Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

A subpar Tour by the Schleck bros would not suprise me.

Joe's recent work might have scared LL of the juice, but who knows.
Wigans and LA had some wacky numbers last year during the Tour, so I'm having no faith in the BP, especially after seeing Horner turning into a TT machine and Cancellara blasting everyone after 200kms, two weeks in a row.

Other than those 4, I'd say Anton has made a big jump on form, but he is young, so it's not that suspicious.

 

[Mambo95]

I don't know about who's form will plunge, but I'm fairly sure that Valverde will continue to have the form of his life. The man has nothing to lose, so he's making hay while the sun shines.

But back to your question, I'll say Pozzato, Menchov, Petacchi and Moreau, purely because I don't like them much and I most people I don't like seem to get busted (Ricco, DiLuca, Rebellin, Schumacher, Landis etc).

This is no way scientific (I liked Hamilton and Millar).

 

[El Oso]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those with the most extreme blood profiles. If it is taken as a warning by other riders then which riders are likely to suffer a collapse in performance?

Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

A subpar Tour by the Schleck bros would not suprise me.

Wouldn't all of RS key riders be protected by LA and JB?

 

[Nick777]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those with the most extreme blood profiles. If it is taken as a warning by other riders then which riders are likely to suffer a collapse in performance?

Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

A subpar Tour by the Schleck bros would not suprise me.

Good call.
This guy has some 'interesting' results. His TT's are a good barometer as to whether he is programmed.

 

[Oldman]

I'd say Valverde as he must have a glowing red light above his head now. Everyone's saying Leipheimer but, unless he was sandbagging at Gila he hasn't shown enough to back down.

 

[Kender]

I'd say Valverde as he must have a glowing red light above his head now. Everyone's saying Leipheimer but, unless he was sandbagging at Gila he hasn't shown enough to back down.

Valverde has nothing to lose any more. implicated in 3 drug rings, he's all but toast

 

[xmoonx]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those with the most extreme blood profiles. If it is taken as a warning by other riders then which riders are likely to suffer a collapse in performance?

Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

Oh you mean 2 years ago...well they didnt pick up anything then and i believe the BP was in effect 2008

 

[BroDeal]

Oh you mean 2 years ago...well they didnt pick up anything then and i believe the BP was in effect 2008

No, I mean eight years ago. He had an astounding leap into the upper echelons of racing. The BP did not pick up anything until today. Pellizotti and the others can be considered the first real results from the BP. It did not catch Pellizotti at the 2008 Giro, nor did it catch him at the 2009 Giro. So Leipheimer not getting flagged so far does not mean anything.

 

[ludwig]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those
Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

That's a good call methinks. LL is a cautious dude. Remember how Leipheimer tanked at the 2006 Tour following the Puerto scandal? I remember a French Tour winner commenting that it was obvious which riders were holding themselves back...sure looked like he was talking about LL.

On the other hand, LL now rides for Shack. Who ever heard of a Shack or CSC rider getting busted by the blood passport, or any kind of UCI initiative?

Sigh...I had a feeling it was going to be Pellizotti.

 

[Fred Thistle]

But wouldn't a rider who stops doping also show irregularities on the passport?

...to maintain consistent values wouldn't one have to maintain a consistent regime?

 

[Fred Thistle]

Sigh...I had a feeling it was going to be Pellizotti.

don't feel bad...only God can judge him

 

[Runitout]

don't feel bad...only God can judge him

That's Pippo. Different bloke. I know they're both Italian, but, you know one's National Champ, rides cobbled classics and monuments, and thinks only God can judge him.

The other is Pellizotti. Please learn the difference.

 

[BikeCentric]

I expect this news coupled with the Lampre affair will result in the Little Prince being way off the back for at least the rest of the season. The only thing I'm curious about is whether or not he'll continue to moan about everyone who drops him being doped.

 

[Fred Thistle]

I expect this news coupled with the Lampre affair will result in the Little Prince being way off the back for at least the rest of the season. The only thing I'm curious about is whether or not he'll continue to moan about everyone who drops him being doped.

I read a while back that due to generations of his family living at altitude- above 900metres, the Little Prince has a certificate for his high haematocrit- his and his dads is always over %50

anyone else heard anything on that?

 

[wattage]

If other riders need to start slowing down with their medical programs it would give Armstrong a very good shot at being at the podium in Paris. Ferrari will be jacking Lance up like there's no tomorrow.

 

[Hugh Januss]

What if.......everyone but Armstrong (who is secure in his protected status by the UCI) were to heavily curtail their programs before and during the Tour, leaving a (relatively) stronger Armstrong to win his eighth.

If other riders need to start slowing down with their medical programs it would give Armstrong a very good shot at being at the podium in Paris. Ferrari will be jacking Lance up like there's no tomorrow.

I beat you to that by a page and a half.

 

[craig1985]

Joe's recent work might have scared LL of the juice, but who knows.
Wigans and LA had some wacky numbers last year during the Tour, so I'm having no faith in the BP, especially after seeing Horner turning into a TT machine and Cancellara blasting everyone after 200kms, two weeks in a row.

Other than those 4, I'd say Anton has made a big jump on form, but he is young, so it's not that suspicious.

TBF he has won a stage at the Vuelta before, so he is not a complete hack. Plus a stage at the Tour of Switzerland as well.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

In the 2008 Vuelta he was the only rider who could answer Contador and Valverde's accelerations in the mountains. His 2010 form seems like a logical progression of his 2008 form. It's just that he took a long time to recover from the crash that put him out of the 2008 Vuelta and he therefore spent most of 2009 domestiquing, so it feels like he's suddenly made an insane step up again.

 

[Inner Peace]

The riders fingered by the passport are likely those with the most extreme blood profiles. If it is taken as a warning by other riders then which riders are likely to suffer a collapse in performance?

Leipheimer is my choice. People who raced against him were flaberghasted when he went to Europe and challenged for the Vuelta's podium. Riders who appear to have had largest increases should have the most extreme blood values.

A subpar Tour by the Schleck bros would not suprise me.

Interesting also to see who's performance remains at their consistent level... Evans and Vande Velde are often portrayed as the yardstick of clean performance (yes i know some people disagree with this, don't shoot the messenger please) and if this is true then a slump by the scared dopers should equate with an improvement in results for those guys.

Maybe then it could be proven that a clean rider CAN win a grand tour...

 

[Anonymous]

always been a cynic and distruster of authority

IMHO: The Passport thingy is not about fighting the war against doping. It is about taking the chaos out of the "anti-doping" system. Remember the bad old days, not knowing IF anyone would be caught, or WHEN, or WHO? Unpredictible, chaotic system and not good for Image, PR, or anything related to business. Enter "The Passport"!

Now they can study everyone (remember they are all guilty of something) decide WHO to bust and WHEN to bust them. Its managable, sustainable.

Lets see.... if we bust a Big Name Italian, we really need an Spaniard, and I think a Slovack would round things out. What about "rider X"? Too big, would hurt business. And "rider Y"?, too small, no press value, but next year? Under the bus!.

If you allow some French Anti- Doping Guys to do their own thing, stability is gone, chaos returns, and business does not thrive.

 

[eljimberino]

What if.......everyone but Armstrong (who is secure in his protected status by the UCI) were to heavily curtail their programs before and during the Tour, leaving a (relatively) stronger Armstrong to win his eighth.

How is he protected?

 

[nvpacchi]

TBF he has won a stage at the Vuelta before, so he is not a complete hack. Plus a stage at the Tour of Switzerland as well.

And the fact that he was 8th in 2007 Vuelta, and would have finished at least Top 5 in the 2008 Vuelta if he did not crash out. Only thing that (pleasantly) surprised me was the fact that he was still motoring strong at the end of LBL, but with age comes increased stamina, so he is simply continuing his maturation nicely.

If he were to get caught it would have been last year right when he was coming off of injury. Not 18 months after the fact.

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

How is he protected?

Because the UCI is desperate to keep people who know little about cycling but admire the Armstrong myth following the sport - everyone makes money: sponsors, riders, media, UCI....

if he gets exposed as the cheat and liar that he is, then cycling will be not so much a laughing stock as a steaming turd in the waterpipe of international sport. Anyone whose income depends on it is in real trouble.

It's also important that he does well....this doesn't only mean he can get away with dodgy blood values and evading/delaying tests, but also means the other riders can only "race" with his permission - hence the hours of soft pedalling in the mountains last year.