Digger said:Yes exactly.......
Yep I agree it is one possible answer, and one of the more possible ones. Another is he lost weight off his upper body where it is useful in a pursuit, particularly a team pursuit, but not so much use on a 20km climb at 8% avg.
I extend Brad McGee the same courtesy, and Cuddles. Sastre too.
For me, this is not a nationalistic or anglophone thing, which is the usual sledge chucked out it's just about clinging onto a little bit of hope that someone can do well in a plausible way.
I would in no way be surprised if any of the 4 mentioned got busted, disappointed yes, but this is bike racing, my eyes are open and I know the score. Doesn't mean I can't have dreams...
The only certainty there is in bike racing to me, is everyone clean, or everyone dopes, Contador wins either way.
(If Cancellara carefully dropped 5kg I would expect him to be less dominant in the TT, but not by much, and he would still win a lot of races, but I think his ability in the mountains would shoot up. In fact I am really looking forward to when he does it.)
(Ps the Gruppeto argument really doesnt work either, if you are riding as lead out man, or saving energy for the final TT in a 3 week GT, then you SHOULD be in the gruppeto, saving as much energy as possible. The contrast people need to focus on is not Wiggo's performance in the bus when he has another job to do, but his 20 minute threshold power as a TT or pursuit rider compared to his threshold power when it counts when he he is a protected rider. If you think about the latter then his position last year is less of a surprise. He put the power down in the TTs, was well protected by some super domestiques for most of the rest of the time. Then when it mattered, he did OK on Andorra, Verbier, hung in on Ventoux and got nailed on the Queen Stage. He did nothing that exceptional, but rode a smart race.)
(Why am I bothering?)