Will Contador Be Juiced Up Again Upon His Return

[Zam_Olyas]

for the love of god somebody give Alberto a blood bag full to the gills with red blood cells.

This tour is developing into a 3 week sportif, just like last years

Start a UCI bribing fund for contador to be allowed to dope

 

[Miburo]

Start a UCI bribing fund for contador to be allowed to dope

I think Riis is gonna give him that 1 special bloodbag that he created

 

[sniper]

i really appreciate how alberto has given us a deeper understanding of the importance of o2 vector doping to endurance athletes.

 

[LaFlorecita]

for the love of god somebody give Alberto a blood bag full to the gills with red blood cells.

This tour is developing into a 3 week sportif, just like last years

this basically

 

[Lanark]

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...-warns-the-Tour-is-an-unpredictable-race.aspx

Anyone know why Contador is still confident about this last week? f

He isn't. Nobody peaks for the third week. He knows he is in poor shape, and hopes he improves, but I doubt he is really confident. Contador won 5 GT's, he can hardly throw the towel now, he has to offer some hope, talking about the third week is all he has left. It's not surprising though, he has been average all season, the Tour so far has been a continuation of that.

 

[LaFlorecita]

He isn't. Nobody peaks for the third week. He knows he is in poor shape, and hopes he improves, but I doubt he is really confident. Contador won 5 GT's, he can hardly throw the towel now, he has to offer some hope, talking about the third week is all he has left. It's not surprising though, he has been average all season, the Tour so far has been a continuation of that.

Yes I think everyone bar some fanboys expected this, even if only in the back of their minds.

 

[gooner]

Yes I think everyone bar some fanboys expected this, even if only in the back of their minds.

His performance is to be expected. Sean Yates on Eurosport went as far as to say his best days are behind him.

With the situation now, I just can't figure it out. I see the argument that he has maybe toned it down or some say he is off it totally but what about the Giro so or even in the Tour he still put up a good fight with an injury and being fatigued starting it. I hear it also being said he won't take any chances but with the CAS case still impending at the time, you would think it would have been the same even back then.

It's baffling.

 

[LaFlorecita]

If it's something else than riding clean I really hope they find out what in the off season. But the more I think of it the more it makes sense. He is still good just not great anymore. I guess some guys feel robbed now.

 

[User Guide]

Of course hes much cleaner this year and hes not the only one who isnt at the same level as 2-3 years ago.
Partly from the LA backlash and partly because of the numbers/times from last years GT's I believe most are competing about as clean as they ever have or will.If this was same as last year the contenders wouldn't be in such a bad spot.

BUT this isnt 2012 and froomedog not riding the 6w/kg tempo train, hes on the solo bullet train like it was 1999

 

[sniper]

so let's rephrase the OP: is Contador really clean or is he responding badly to the new stuff that is out there?

 

[LaFlorecita]

His performance is to be expected. Sean Yates on Eurosport went as far as to say his best days are behind him.

With the situation now, I just can't figure it out. I see the argument that he has maybe toned it down or some say he is off it totally but what about the Giro so or even in the Tour he still put up a good fight with an injury and being fatigued starting it. I hear it also being said he won't take any chances but with the CAS case still impending at the time, you would think it would have been the same even back then.

It's baffling.

I wonder if yates also thinks he's done because cycling is clean now

I just don't know what to think. Decline, no doping, less doping, illness, injury... whatever the reason is I think we'll never see Alberto on his old level again which makes me kinda sad and makes me hope he retires sooner rather than later.

 

[roundabout]

His performance is to be expected. Sean Yates on Eurosport went as far as to say his best days are behind him.

With the situation now, I just can't figure it out. I see the argument that he has maybe toned it down or some say he is off it totally but what about the Giro so or even in the Tour he still put up a good fight with an injury and being fatigued starting it. I hear it also being said he won't take any chances but with the CAS case still impending at the time, you would think it would have been the same even back then.

It's baffling.

I have my own personal theory about that Giro.

One that doesn't really explain the Tour though

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I have my own personal theory about that Giro.

One that doesn't really explain the Tour though

Please share.

 

[The Hitch]

His performance is to be expected. Sean Yates on Eurosport went as far as to say his best days are behind him.

Did Yates say anything about doping with Contador?

 

[gooner]

Did Yates say anything about doping with Contador?

In the part I heard him speaking, no.

 

[martinvickers]

so let's rephrase the OP: is Contador really clean or is he responding badly to the new stuff that is out there?

I would suspect relatively clean - take a step back. Even if he is relatively poor here, and frankly, I still think he'll podium come what may, the bottom line is a 5 time GT winner is a marketable commodity, even post dope ban. which is kinda sad, but it is what it is.

Now, you're Berti (broadly similar rules apply to valverede).

you're on good money, with the promise of more good money.

You are a ping away from a lifetime ban, riding for a DS whose reputation is awful.

You've every reason to believe you'll be test targeted (I said months ago that ASO would be desperate to ensure an 'ex-doper' didn't win tour 100) by a testing regime that has at least partially caught up with the more flagrent types of vector doping.

And some team out there appears to have won a supply of magic beans such that even doping will not necessarily bring you the win.

the maths points to ' grin and bear it' rather than 'dope to fight it'. High risk, limited reward. Whereas take no risk, and much better task of keeping albeit smaller reward.

That said, if Contador were to 'find out' what was in the magic beans, all bets could be off. My theory is based on contador thinking Sky are up to something, but not knowing exactly what.

2c

 

[sniper]

I would suspect relatively clean - take a step back. Even if he is relatively poor here, and frankly, I still think he'll podium come what may, the bottom line is a 5 time GT winner is a marketable commodity, even post dope ban. which is kinda sad, but it is what it is.

Now, you're Berti (broadly similar rules apply to valverede).

you're on good money, with the promise of more good money.

You are a ping away from a lifetime ban, riding for a DS whose reputation is awful.

You've every reason to believe you'll be test targeted (I said months ago that ASO would be desperate to ensure an 'ex-doper' didn't win tour 100) by a testing regime that has at least partially caught up with the more flagrent types of vector doping.

And some team out there appears to have won a supply of magic beans such that even doping will not necessarily bring you the win.

the maths points to ' grin and bear it' rather than 'dope to fight it'. High risk, limited reward. Whereas take no risk, and much better task of keeping albeit smaller reward.

That said, if Contador were to 'find out' what was in the magic beans, all bets could be off. My theory is based on contador thinking Sky are up to something, but not knowing exactly what.

2c

I wonder to what extent Riis is involved in Alberto's program.
If Alberto is deliberately toning it down (as you suggest and which of course sounds plausible), does Riis know this? If he knows, why didn't he let Kreuziger take his chances?

 

[martinvickers]

I wonder to what extent Riis is involved in Alberto's program.
If Alberto is deliberately toning it down (as you suggest and which of course sounds plausible), does Riis know this? If he knows, why didn't he let Kreuziger take his chances?

My suspicion is, we have to ignore the usual donkey-racehorse idea of dopers and ex dopers. And remember that as much as they are watching Berti, they're watching Riis more. He didn't avoid the Depart for nothing

Berti is a beast, IMO. He'd be a beast clean, although obviously weaker, esp on TT. But the odds still have to tell you he's your podium guy. in this case, you threw the dice, and hit eleven. them's the breaks.

An intersting thing, again leaving aside normal clinic things, is that the top 'super-dom' now almost always being in a top spot himself is becoming an entrenched pattern - Sky, Movistar, Belkin, Saxo all have/had superdoms right, right up there. I know there's always been that going back to lemond hinault and before, but the pattern is just really noticable now.

 

[sniper]

My suspicion is, we have to ignore the usual donkey-racehorse idea of dopers and ex dopers. And remember that as much as they are watching Berti, they're watching Riis more. He didn't avoid the Depart for nothing

probably true.

btw, in his bruyneel period didn't bertie have his own chain of supply through pepe marti? marti must now be rather compromised for obvious reasons, and so is riis buddy fuentes. Who knows, some of saxo's problems might be down to an ordinary lack of supplies.

 

[rata de sentina]

He isn't. Nobody peaks for the third week. He knows he is in poor shape, and hopes he improves, but I doubt he is really confident. Contador won 5 GT's, he can hardly throw the towel now, he has to offer some hope, talking about the third week is all he has left. It's not surprising though, he has been average all season, the Tour so far has been a continuation of that.

If you remember 2011 AC was clearly not up to it at the TdF after riding the Giro but he was still a protagonist. I think we can rely on AC to make some waves.

 

[rhubroma]

I would suspect relatively clean - take a step back. Even if he is relatively poor here, and frankly, I still think he'll podium come what may, the bottom line is a 5 time GT winner is a marketable commodity, even post dope ban. which is kinda sad, but it is what it is.

Now, you're Berti (broadly similar rules apply to valverede).

you're on good money, with the promise of more good money.

You are a ping away from a lifetime ban, riding for a DS whose reputation is awful.

You've every reason to believe you'll be test targeted (I said months ago that ASO would be desperate to ensure an 'ex-doper' didn't win tour 100) by a testing regime that has at least partially caught up with the more flagrent types of vector doping.

And some team out there appears to have won a supply of magic beans such that even doping will not necessarily bring you the win.

the maths points to ' grin and bear it' rather than 'dope to fight it'. High risk, limited reward. Whereas take no risk, and much better task of keeping albeit smaller reward.

That said, if Contador were to 'find out' what was in the magic beans, all bets could be off. My theory is based on contador thinking Sky are up to something, but not knowing exactly what.

2c

This evidences just how much hypocrisy exists in the sport. Now that the Armstrong case has caused an earthquake in cycling, it's better not to have a Tour winner in any way (previously) associated with doping, let alone a convicted doper from Spain.

That the new golden boy, however, is posting the same numbers as the greatest doped champion of all time is of no consequence, so long as his team, sponsorship and cultural sphere have been touted as the new face of a "changed sport," with all the market growth potential such a choice promotes.

At times it's tempting to simply not watch the charade that has turned into a farce of enormous proportions.

 

[martinvickers]

probably true.

btw, in his bruyneel period didn't bertie have his own chain of supply through pepe marti? marti must now be rather compromised for obvious reasons, and so is riis buddy fuentes. Who knows, some of saxo's problems might be down to an ordinary lack of supplies.

Indeed.

I also suspect, with absolutely no evidence at all, that Riis is not QUITE as harcore as Bruyneel. Pure hunch.

One of my little bugbears is that we go so hard after doped riders (that's not the bugbear part, slap it up them)...but that we don't have similar viciousness to the DS.

To my mind what Riis did with his riders is morally worse than what he did with himself. Same with Bruyneel. True, Armstrong was such a c*** that he matched the crooked DS's in the evil stakes, but broadly speaking, much as i want all dopers in jail, I want crooked ds's serving twice the sentences.

And, BTW, that would go for Brailsford and Froome/wiggins too should they ever ping.

Just my bugbear, carry on.

 

[coinneach]

I would suspect relatively clean - take a step back. Even if he is relatively poor here, and frankly, I still think he'll podium come what may, the bottom line is a 5 time GT winner is a marketable commodity, even post dope ban. which is kinda sad, but it is what it is.

Now, you're Berti (broadly similar rules apply to valverede).

you're on good money, with the promise of more good money.

You are a ping away from a lifetime ban, riding for a DS whose reputation is awful.

You've every reason to believe you'll be test targeted (I said months ago that ASO would be desperate to ensure an 'ex-doper' didn't win tour 100) by a testing regime that has at least partially caught up with the more flagrent types of vector doping.

And some team out there appears to have won a supply of magic beans such that even doping will not necessarily bring you the win.

the maths points to ' grin and bear it' rather than 'dope to fight it'. High risk, limited reward. Whereas take no risk, and much better task of keeping albeit smaller reward.

That said, if Contador were to 'find out' what was in the magic beans, all bets could be off. My theory is based on contador thinking Sky are up to something, but not knowing exactly what.

2c

As almost ever, I find myself agreeing with Martin

But are we not overlooking the obvious: that Contador is simply undermotivated and overweight (relative to his peak)?
The race could sure do with him being at his best

 

[Eyeballs Out]

I don't really see a good reason for Contador to be doing anything much different post-ban. A little more care when extracting; then business as usual.

He was beating the passport previously and at a time when there was probably a bit more uncertainty about the passport amongst the peloton. Two years on I would think the riders have a much better idea of what the limits actually are (if indeed there are any for the big name riders)

 

[LaFlorecita]

As almost ever, I find myself agreeing with Martin

But are we not overlooking the obvious: that Contador is simply undermotivated and overweight (relative to his peak)?
The race could sure do with him being at his best

He is skinnier than during his best years. Lower fat percentage. However I think his muscle mass has gone up.