Will Contador Be Juiced Up Again Upon His Return

[Parrot23]

The most laughable of course is Valverde.

Rodriguez must be ****ed off

Yes, definitely agree. It's not Bertie so much here.

I pity Purito always playing second fiddle, even if he's at the game too.

 

[Parrot23]

...he's the best, everyone knows this....

Does anyone think this year's TDF would have been the same if Contadaor and A Schleck were involved?

Absolutely, I think you're right on both counts.

Like you, not a Contador hater at all. He's my favourite rider. Ha! Heart of a lion. But that doesn't mean he quite passes the smell test as pure as the driven snow. He's a "player" like quite a few of the top guys still, it seems.

Would be very interesting to see the Spanish riders all at their peak at the Tour (which only Bertie seems to be able to do in France ) attacking the Sky train.

We'd have a very different result, at least in the mountains, esp. with Bradley.

 

[Kender]

Absolutely, I think you're right on both counts.

Would be very interesting to see the Spanish riders all at their peak at the Tour (which only Bertie seems to be able to do in France ) attacking the Sky train.

We'd have a very different result, at least in the mountains, esp. with Bradley.

if there is alot of hills they might throw their support to a fresh legged Froome instead. They may have done that this year if there was 1 less ITT and 1 more hard MTF

 

[TourOfTexas]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rodriguez-admits-defeat-in-vuelta



Where have he we heard this kind of thing before?

Oh yeah. When Hampsten started getting dropped by guys he used to pummel.

When Bassons was getting beaten uphill by Virenque.

etc.

SSDDopers.

First thing that came to my mind as well....

 

[Parrot23]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rodriguez-admits-defeat-in-vuelta

Where have he we heard this kind of thing before?

Rodriguez: "And I was looking at the Saxo Banks and thinking ‘wow, they're riding well today."

My oh my, the poor guy.

 

[BroDeal]

I think this stuff about rest day blood bags may be a thing of the past. It would spike the blood values. The source for the story about transfusions on Astana said they were using 250ml at a time. So if they are still transfusing then they are likely doing a microtransfusion every few days, and there will not be a sudden jump in performance.

I watched a Spanish video of the stage. Contador kills. This stage had more GC action than the entire TdF.

 

[mad black]

Ridiculous!!!

For once I concur with the all the conspiracy theorists in the Clinic.

The steak yesterday must have been phenomenally good at the Saxo Bank hotel. By the way things are going we will be talking about it in 15 years from now, I'm sure.

After a performance like this the entire team should be forced to pee, give blood and have it all analyzed by an independent laboratory (well outside of Spain) using the very latest technology.

But then we are in Spain where most sporting success is fueled by magic steaks and the national doping agency turns a blind eye every time if it's cycling or soccer. It is utmost ridiculous that the whole thing is sanctioned from the very top or why else would you have the prime minister declaring Dopeador's "innocence" prior to the verdict being handed down.

To me the Vuelta has lost all credibility with 2 convicted dopers occupying the first two positions. To add insult to injury one hasn't raced all season and the other has raced more than anybody else this year. When are we, the fans, going to stop supporting this BS???

 

[Ferminal]

So it was more credible when the unconvicted was beating two convicted dopers?

 

[Parrot23]

Personally, with no proof, I think this guy's at it again.

The price you pay--very high.

http://www.steephill.tv/vuelta-a-espana/

http://www.steephill.tv/2012/vuelta-a-espana/photos/stage-17/

 

[Blakeslee]

This stage was a nightmare for me, watching two of my favorite unrepentant dopers (hopefully former) riding themselves into first and second place. I don't know what to make of Contador's performance today. The timing of this after the rest day could certainly be considered suspicious, but on the other hand as others have pointed out it is also plausible this was just an aggressive move and well executed tactics from Contador and his team.

Contador's post race comments where he predictably continued to portray himself as a victim really got to me. Everything that has come out during the last few weeks (everything surrounding Armstrong, Hamilton's book, Jeorg Jaksche, Frank Schleck's "poisoning", JV today) reminds me how tired I am of all of the lying and evasion that has gone on. It's time to start telling the truth.

On a lighter note very much enjoyed Parrot's victory salute post, well done!

 

[Fatclimber]

This thread makes me feel dirty. I seriously wish I hadn't wondered into it. "The Clinic"? More like The Cesspool.

Still won't take away from what I felt was one of the greatest stages in cycling after having watched for close to 40 years.

Yeah I am old a cynical, but by the same token I know great riding when I see it. And today, I did.

The sewage in this "cesspool" has been the lifeblood of cycling for quite some time. There have been many fantastic rides which owe their credit to the cesspool's products. Just ask Floyd, Vino, Piti, Francisco, Tyler, Lance, Ivan, Bernard, and on and on and on... All roads lead to the clinic. Ah, but the excitement dope gives us! Yes, if you believe in Santa you should stay away! I was able to suspend my belief and enjoy it for awhile, but now struggle with that. Sometimes the truth is hard to bear.

 

[Markyboyzx6r]

This thread makes me feel dirty. I seriously wish I hadn't wondered into it. "The Clinic"? More like The Cesspool.

Still won't take away from what I felt was one of the greatest stages in cycling after having watched for close to 40 years.

Yeah I am old a cynical, but by the same token I know great riding when I see it. And today, I did.

Sorry mate, lemmie get this right - we are the cesspool?!? You have a convicted doper coming back from a ban and riding away from the entire field the day after the rest day, which is when we now know riders get their top-up of blood, and you are having a pop at us?

You know great riding when you see it? Tell me, what does 'great riding' have to do with it? Contador's history, his team's history, his country's history all point to that being a suspect performance - the greatness of the riding is a total irrelevance.

 

[hrotha]

I don't see what was particularly suspicious about it, compared to any other performance by one of the top guys. He gapped Purito and Valverde, who didn't try to follow him at first, by some 15 seconds on the climb where he attacked (actually, he gained most of that advantage early on, and it remained stable for the rest of the climb). The gap was slowly built up when it was basically Paulinho and Contador vs Losada. By the time Contador and Tiralongo went on their own, they had slightly over a minute. Then it was Contador and Tiralongo vs Losada, who had been in the break, and they put another minute on him and Purito's group. In the final climb, Contador lost 2 minutes to Valverde, helped by Quintana and Intxausti for some kilometers, and put what, another 15-30 seconds on a clearly defeated Purito? Not to mention some people who were in Contador's group when he went with Tiralongo, like Henao, never lost that much time and followed Valverde to the finish line.

Is Contador doping right now? Probably, yeah. But yesterday, it all came down to a tactical move. No particularly outstanding performance from a purely physical point of view.

 

[airstream]

Contador dopes , like so many others but christ it aint personal. he doesnt claim to do it for clean cycling, he only ever claims to be clean in order to defend his repuation. He just shuts up, puts his head down, takes the drugs, wins the race, cdelebrates with all the other dopers, then goes home and lives his life.

Sky come in, tell the anti doping cycling fans - we have you covered, we will win the tdf for you, and then when the cycling fans ask," but wiggo why do you defend lance if you are anti doping" and wiggins responds - "shut up you ****ing ****ers"
It gets a bit personal.

nonetheless it doesn't interfere you to handle the borders of that "**********" overly freely with the 'the Great One' and numerous gloryfying for reason and for no reason sometimes in case of Contador and reserved anger with some no good hints in the sig in case of Wiggins. Very consistent, isn't it?

I don't believe Contador's words and even his tears. He cried after the 2010 Tour TT too.

 

[bridgeman]

Two dopers in the lead. Why am I not surprised.

It will never end, because we will never know for sure what people do behind closed doors. I am at least grateful that still I enjoy getting out on the road on my own, because that is all that interest me these days. What's even more interesting is that the fairly large group I ride with don't even bring up pro racing any more. Everyone openly expresses how sick of it they are.

Tough profession to be in. Contador bores me to tears.

 

[Markyboyzx6r]

Two dopers in the lead. Why am I not surprised.

It will never end, because we will never know for sure what people do behind closed doors. I am at least grateful that still I enjoy getting out on the road on my own, because that is all that interest me these days. What's even more interesting is that the fairly large group I ride with don't even bring up pro racing any more. Everyone openly expresses how sick of it they are.

Tough profession to be in. Contador bores me to tears.

+1. Sad but true.

I'm not convinced the sport is any cleaner now than in the Armstrong era. I am convinced, though, that the sport genuinely has no desire to be cleaner, otherwise there would have been 'the wind of change' (cue the music...)

 

[airstream]

The main problem is probably in the peloton itself. Riders feel they are sort of united front playing on the same invisible rules, doping rules surely. Until all of them play this game, they are a huge force. Elite GC riders clearly realize they can always be caught, but anyways they don't mind playing such russian roulette cos everybody understands uci can not kill sport quickly by cathing elite riders. The issue of eradication of doping is not a deal of 5 years certainly. The saddest thing for me as a person with a strong anti-doping stance is almost nothing changes in a rider mentality. They still think they do everything correctly. I wouldn't absolutize the UCI too much in this case. What can they do, if doping technology is several years ahead of their?

Are spaniards on doping? No doubt. Looks like UCI informants provided them with correct info regarding mild anti-doping measures. And after the win Contador says: "I'm not in top shape". I don't know whether it's another lie or the guy really сonvinced himself in a myth that if he can't drop one, he's not on form. Naturally, he's the strongest rider nowadays, but I have big difficulty to define role of doping and role of true champion character in this.

Yeh, one should get his fans, especially if they are young, because Contador is really the easiest way to take the sport, to get interested, to rejoice because of one's wins, surely if somebody follows for that. But when Contador fan hints on any other rider doping... that's just undignified and maybe even deserves a ban.

 

[willbick]

I think yesterday's stage stank. You gotta look at the big picture. As far as Im aware team Saxobank have won f-all this season and their whole season basically hangs on Contador winning the Vuelta. They must have been getting more and more desperate as it became obvious that he wasnt gonna drop Rodriguez and the GC was slipping away. Time for plan B. Give the team a nice dose of fresh blood and go all out attack. Worked a treat, What did Purito say? - 'I was looking at the Saxo Banks and thinking ‘wow, they're riding well today.' Thats about as much as he dared to say but I think we can get the hint.

 

[luckyboy]

Are spaniards on doping? No doubt.

yeah just the Spaniards no doubt

Looks like UCI informants provided them with correct info regarding mild anti-doping measures.

 

[Cerberus]

I think yesterday's stage stank. You gotta look at the big picture. As far as Im aware team Saxobank have won f-all this season and their whole season basically hangs on Contador winning the Vuelta. They must have been getting more and more desperate as it became obvious that he wasnt gonna drop Rodriguez and the GC was slipping away. Time for plan B. Give the team a nice dose of fresh blood and go all out attack. Worked a treat, What did Purito say? - 'I was looking at the Saxo Banks and thinking ‘wow, they're riding well today.' Thats about as much as he dared to say but I think we can get the hint.

I'm certainly not going to come here and say Saxo Bank is clean, but Purito bombed hard on that stage. It's not like Contador and Saxo were the only one outriding him. I don't think the results can be attributed to just doping.

 

[silverrocket]

Two dopers in the lead. Why am I not surprised.

It will never end, because we will never know for sure what people do behind closed doors. I am at least grateful that still I enjoy getting out on the road on my own, because that is all that interest me these days. What's even more interesting is that the fairly large group I ride with don't even bring up pro racing any more. Everyone openly expresses how sick of it they are.

Tough profession to be in. Contador bores me to tears.

I agree with the first bolded portion, but that also means we don't know who in the peloton is doping. Perhaps all of them (what I believe), in which case Contador's performance remains spectacular, but it is neither logical nor fair to claim that Valverde and Contador are the only dopers, just because of past positives. It has been very well established that riders can dope and get away with it (eg. Armstrong, who has beaten something like 950 tests...and rising), and one might argue that it is actually less likely that someone who has previously tested positive would take the risk again, since a second positive would finish their career.

The seconded bolded portion? If Contador's performance yesterday actually "bored you to tears" then I'm surprised anything on CyclingNews is interesting enough for you to visit. Doped or not, Contador's riding has been anything but boring.

 

[bridgeman]

I have been known to take a glance when driving by a bad accident.

 

[lxpatterson]

Floyd

Commentators are going on about eddy and bernard, about old school racing. But to me this stage resembles floyds 2006 tour winning flyer, and it's willful ignorance to not make that comparison. I would love to compare the VAM from that day and yesterday.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I just knew teh clinic would go crazy

 

[killswitch]

Same people in the pro road racing forum who blasted Rodriguez for winning on 160 kms long stages finishing on steep ramps and Froome now praise the genius of Bjarne and Saxo. The hypocrisy is sickening. After Sky brought back team wide doping in the Tour it seems the desperate Bjarne decided to follow suit. Another mockery of the sport. Nicely done. Paulinho (who was last seen in tour 2010) putting time on the peloton (of course after a rest day) after reeling in the break and then destroying the favourites' group on every MTF with his Saxo buddies. Jesus who has always been average, pedalling easy after Purito on the whole climb, of course after working a lot in the previous two weeks. The other saxos who put a blistering pace at the start to form an escape group 40 kms after the stage started... Rodriguez who apparently had a bad day still finished 2 mins ahead of the peloton.

When Sky do it and it's boring: bunch of dopers, best program since US Postal

When Saxo do it and it's exciting: most hitherto anti-doping crusaders: Saxo are clean, everyone except Bertie is charged up because Alberto can't break them after 25-26 violent accelerations in 15 stages, anyone who claims otherwise is Contador hater and not a real cycling fan, etc.