Procycling helps Botchatov to first pro win?

GroupOfOne MkII

A nice positive (in the good sense, not the non-negative sense) topic to break up all the Astana/High Horse/Puerto talk

Just a day after reading in Procycling's season guide that Alexandre Botcharov needs a win to enure he doesn't go through his pro-career win less, he goes and does this

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2008/feb08/med08/med083

So dark forces at work here? Procycling knows something we don't? Or did Botcharov just read that and think 'Hmmm yeah better pull my finger out'.

Notice he's in the overall lead too, with two stages to go and a 30 second lead.

On a slightly more serious note it'd be good to see a Credit Agricole win in the Tour of the Med, plus I notice Moncutie was second on the stage and second overall, so he's hopefully over his injury and will be fit for the Tour.

afx237vi

Moncoutié was looking quite sprightly in the TDU too. The way things are going at the moment, he could be favourite going into the Tour! (Evans will just suck his wheel and then complain he wasn't going fast enough).

I liked what I read on CFA about him refusing to work with Luis Léon Sánchez in Australia too. Hopefully he has a good season (without crashing).

grimpeur

Good to see Moncoutié doing well after the problems he has had these past two years. He is a rider who when all the Confidis doping controversy broke, was mentioned by the likes of Philippe Gaumont as a completely clean rider who did everything by the book.

It maybe does show that cycling is cleaning up it's act when he starts doing well in stage races. But also sad in that some of his best years of riding were perhaps blighted by dopers.

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murcof

I've always held the Moncoutie in high regard. He seems to be a very understated and chilled out guy. I remember reading somewhere once that he frustrated his team manager by refusing to take meds, using his mum's herbal remedies instead. I also remember him saying that he would rather come furter down the results list, knowing that there were dopers ahead of him, but also with the knwledge that he is clean, healthy and rides his bike for 'fun'. Respect.

To the point of the thread, how on earth has Botcharov only just won as a pro?! He's been nipping at other riders heals for years and I've seen him put in some superb rides - I guess he has just not had the luck! That is good to hear.