Gilbert is on fire
0
Comments
-
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0
-
More like he was sprinting against a bunch of people I've never heard of - but it's still impressive.0
-
He's always been up there in bunch sprints, as demonstrated with his 6th place at Milan-San Remo in 2005 and top ten placings at the 2006 Giro. As you've already written, it was a sprint against not so big names and he took advantage.
0 -
Gilbert has been flirting on the edges of glory for the past two seasons at least. It's nice to finally see him break through this year. It's quite early on to show such blazing form, but he may have come to the conclusion that LBL is still out of his league and he might as well mop up in the early season. If so, quite a good choice. If not, I just can't wait to see him really on form.0
-
From what I remember he has been a member of the anti-drugs parade since turning pro (seem to recall a good newspaper article about him). Maybe he is doing better this year because he is maturing as a rider, or maybe he is doing better because the level of doping is dropping and he is more competitive....?0
-
I suspect this is the article you're referring to:
http://www.ergogenics.org/012.html
Paul Kimmage at his oh-so-very-bitter best.
I don't think you can draw any conclusions that Gilbert's form is down to anything doping related. We've said that numerous times in recent years, whenever what we perceive to be a clean rider does well in a big race. We've been proven wrong each time.
I'd say his current form is more down him maturing.
Gilbert is 25 now, he's starting to hit the age where riders are at their physical peak. Plus he's been a pro for 4 or 5 years - maybe he's learned to read races better, position himself in the bunch better, save energy until he really needs it. Young pros really need to spend a few seasons learning that stuff.
Plus didn't he have some kind of cancer scare a little while ago? Sometimes it takes something frightening like that to really focus your ambition.0 -
afx237vi wrote:I don't think you can draw any conclusions that Gilbert's form is down to anything doping related. We've said that numerous times in recent years, whenever what we perceive to be a clean rider does well in a big race. We've been proven wrong each time.
He's probably clean. My reasoning for this, and it's a bit odd, is I generally can't warm to clean riders and I really can't warm to Pip. Therefore the odds are he's not on the gear.
Flawed logic? Perhaps, but no more flawed than believing someone is clean because they speak english, eh? Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
He openly condemns doping and rides for a clean that doesn't do doping. He's even said he worries about not getting the results he's capable of because he has to race against doped riders, against a blood doper the odds massively favour the cheat.
To say all this either means you are clean or you are taking hypocrisy and deceit to a new level. I think it's more likely he's clean. A real talent.0 -
Kléber wrote:He openly condemns doping and rides for a clean that doesn't do doping. He's even said he worries about not getting the results he's capable of because he has to race against doped riders, against a blood doper the odds massively favour the cheat.
To say all this either means you are clean or you are taking hypocrisy and deceit to a new level. I think it's more likely he's clean. A real talent.
All been done before - do you not recall for example several '80s US track and field stars who were vehemently anti-drugs (at least publicly) when all the time they were shooting up with the best of them.
Or, closer to home, read back some of the interviews with Millar before he was caught.
Or Dr. Lothar Heinrichs denunciation of Ullrich's drugs bust when at the same time he was running the doping programme for T-Mobile.'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
I'm with LangerDan on this one. You don't have to have a very long memory to recall the last great hope of a clean sport (Stapleton coming to T-Mobile, anyone?). Given that no rider is going to say that they're doping/actively support doping & that we'll not know whether they are or not unless they are & get caught, the speculation is just that: speculation.
I tend to think you have to take the races at face value or watching it becomes a sweepstake on "guess the doper," which, IMO, is less fun than enjoying the races.
Credit to Gilbert though, it was a stunning ride.0
