OT: Cycling
- Thread starter mcpat
- Start date
Pogacar's race has been super impressive, but it's getting to the LA territory of too dominant. Whenever someone pulls off these kind of Herculean races (whether LA or Landis or Contador, etc...), in recent history, they've always eventually gotten popped for something afterwards. Obviously, I haven't heard about anything like that with Pogi, but his performance is getting to the territory where the possibility can't help but creep into the back of my mind, if nothing else because of PTSD from watching the last 30 years of cycling.
Will Lewan should ride professionally.Ever watch a 1-0 wrestling match?
Honestly I’ve always just assumed it’s never gone away. Landis got got. So did Sastre and Contador. Froome was very clearly doping.
Sadly I don’t think the sport will ever really be clean.
Not unique to cycling. And if by “clean” you mean athletes won’t be pushing the envelope of performance enhancing substances, no professional sport will ever be clean.
But it’s light years more difficult to get away with doping in professional cycling now than it was in the Armstrong, Landis, & Contador era. And I don’t buy that Froome was doping. He was one of the good guys.
This business of cheating most often relies upon nuanced rationalizations. PED’s in cycling have most likely have been set aside for other forms of competitive advantage. I have a local acquaintance who does engine work for a NASCAR team and another who is a former crew chief. Over a few beers they often explain to me that in a highly competitive sport (NASCAR is a sport???) that winners seek and exploit anything that isn’t clearly specified in the rules. Is this cheating? They say not! They say it’s innovation. Of course, the officials have the final say and when word of an innovation leaks out, …. It’s often judged to be cheating and gets outlawed within the rules. My wife and I are avid cycling fans. We often dream of going to a grand tour. Unfortunately, TV is the best we can do. As you know, pro cycling is incredibly sophisticated (mental, tactical, mechanical, training, nutrition, etc). As we watch and listen we often try to guess what rules are being stretched, bent, and broken. This too is a highly nuanced part of the sport ….. any sport really. What is cheating, …. It seems that cheating is what the rule book says it is. As each new rule is promulgated, … the tacticians turn to unplowed ground.
People are getting busted for cheating in amateur master cycling. At this age, some people cannot compete because they require more meds for ailments such as for Parkinsons (Testosterone). I have a lot of ailments and always got to look at the drug site to see what is legal. It is complicated and have been off the circuit the past few years, but hopefully I will get back. Us old guys just do not recover from bad accidents very well.
Congrats on keeping “at it” and/or seeking to continue. Great sport. I stepped off a few years ago and traded the bike in for a Gator.
Yeah, they were the next Postal/Disco team. I was sucked into believing all of the "LA can't be cheating, he's tested more than anyone else" hype at the time he was dominating, even though there was always an undercurrent of "Postal is the dirtiest team in the history of the sport, you just don't know it yet", which of course turned out to be true. I'll give Sky a skeptical benefit of the doubt until the truth comes out publicly, but I believe this one is only a matter of time.
For reference, this is only scratching the surface
Former doctor for British Cycling gets 4-year ban
Richard Freeman, the former doctor for British Cycling and Team Sky, was handed a four-year ban from all sports on Tuesday for violating anti-doping rules.
Team Sky's zero tolerance policy was a total joke, says former rider
Tiernan-Locke claims there were 'two speeds' of medical care at British team
www.cyclingnews.com
The Chris Froome Ruling Just Broke Anti-Doping
The UCI's decision in the Brit's case may have far-reaching implications for international drug testing
www.outsideonline.com
There’s also the day Froome “did a Landis” in the Giro.
If the power numbers seem too good to be true, it’s a safe bet that they’re too good to be true.
And one of UAE’s current team doctors was already previously suspended for doping.
Then there’s all the Aderlass stuff
That’s crazy commitment. Especially when I struggle to drag myself out on a short training ride some days.
You confuse allegations for evidence. Plenty of claims that SKY cut corners and even some proof that they misused or incorrectly kept records on the TUE system. Much/most of the more serious smoke surrounded Wiggins.
But you left out of your selective articles linked above that Froome was cleared by the UCI.
I have no doubt pharmacological “cheating” occurs in all professional sports, including cycling. But cheating is often in the eye of the beholder. And dominant and dynastic teams like Sky (and PSU Wrestling) are easy and frequent targets for allegations of doping and other forms of cheating. Sometimes those accusations are false.
Seeing smoke (especially on the internet) doesn’t always mean there’s fire. Sometimes it’s just from some old disgruntled dude smoking weed on his porch.
Well said.
Now look into *why* Froome was cleared.
He got off on a technicality. This is like all those reports and claims that “Lance never failed a test.”
There might be 10 GC guys in the Tour this year better than a past best G Thomas and Martinez. It's a weak Giro field. I doubt Tadej has to do much extra. It's a shame because the Giro has some stunning routes.
Unfortunately weather tends to nuke the best stages.
But yeah, it’s a wildly weak field.
I can't believe cycling has more posts that whiskey and cigars.
This is for those of you that eat carbs...
This is for those of you that eat carbs...
Some of us cycle so that we can eat carbs lolI can't believe cycling has more posts that whiskey and cigars.
This is for those of you that eat carbs...
I can't believe cycling has more posts that whiskey and cigars.
This is for those of you that eat carbs...
sir, i am on a work computer
Sepp, Matteo, Primoz and Remco. will be streamed on Peacock June 2-9.
Good to see Remco and Rogla getting full prep in before the Tour. Sounds like Jonas is getting there as well.
So true, I was training in Vegas one winter before the season started and I was eating buffets every day including 5 helpings of cake and ice cream and did not gain an ounce. Since I have not been training and riding more for fun, I do not eat dessert and cut my eating in half and gained 20 pounds.
Interesting discussion about the Athlete Biological Passport with my neighbor, Dr. Laura Lewis.
www.cyclingnews.com
The anti-doping frontier: How the biological passport has changed pro cycling - part 2
In part 1, we examined the effectiveness of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABO) since its cycling rollout in 2008 and sport-wide rollout a year later. We ended by focusing on the mooted modern-day scourge of the ABP – separating legal altitude-induced changes in a cyclist’s blood profile and...
www.cyclingnews.com
USA's Matteo looked good, taking 2nd to Primoz by just 8 seconds. Good sign heading into the TdF.
I was on the edge of my seat hoping he could pull it off. Just ran out of road. Another fantastic one week race for him.
A bit concerned about how he’ll handle recovery over 3 weeks, especially with so many race days in his legs already this year.
But it feels like the makings of a very good GC rider on the right parcours
He’s quite young, and could be in the running for the white jersey if V-LaB let him go for it.
All depends on how Jonas looks. If Jonas is on his game, Jorgensen will be the guy in front of Sepp, or maybe two in front of him, on the biggest climbs. And, if the team has him shut it down after dropping off 3km out each day, might be hard to pull that white jersey off.
I could see them throwing him up the road on Stage 11 as a springboard for Jonas.
Tour de France 2024 Stage 11 results
Results for Tour de France 2024 Stage 11.
www.procyclingstats.com
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1. Both are individual-team sports. 2. Wrestling is often discussed on the cycling board.
3. Really nothing.
4. Both sports are awesome.
In case you don't know this @tullfan68 (there are varying levels of familiarity with internet lingo) the "OT" in the thread title stands for "off topic." It's a clue to people to avoid this thread if they don't want to see or participate in cycling discussion.
I have a bad feeling we’re FINALLY gonna get Pogi-Jonas-Primoz-Remco (Though I’m not sure Remco belongs in that quartet yet) in a Grand Tour and Pogi is going to destroy everyone due to health issues and Rogla being past his prime.
You finally get a Dake-Burroughs-Taylor-Nolf bracket but Burroughs is over the hill and Taylor is injured and Nolf just isn’t quite on that level yetExactly what I was thinking.
That's one of the reasons why I hope Jonas doesn't go to the Tour this year, which I will be surprised if that happens anyway. I want him and Pogi to face each other at their best, not see a Pogi beatdown of a diminished, recovering Vingo.
Even at their best, Rogla and Remco are a step below those top 2. It would take a significant injury or illness to Pogi and Vingo for the others to have much of a chance.
I think if it were 2020 Roglic then it’d be a 3 way battle. He really should’ve won 2020 and I think if they’d know Pogi was going to hang around and be so close they’d have been more aggressive with their tactics earlier in the race.
Lots of wrestlers use stationary biking to cut weight. The two sports are closely connected
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