*Spoliers* Tour de France talk *Spoilers*

cjcp

Just seen the highlights. Wiggo can do it, but it would really help him if Vande Velde can put in one last huge effort on Ventoux.

LA to leave Astana and ride for an American team then. JB as DS?

Christophe3967

cjcp wrote:

Just seen the highlights. Wiggo can do it, but it would really help him if Vande Velde can put in one last huge effort on Ventoux.

LA to leave Astana and ride for an American team then. JB as DS?

Radioshack are to be the main sponsors of Team Livestrong according to L'Equipe. Eurosport were speculating that it would be Nike. Not sure what JB is doing yet but I'd put money on him moving too.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Lemond, who admittedly resembles Capn Ahab in his quest to slay the Moby Dick of the doping world, has somequestions for Alberto.

Indurain had a VO2max of 88. AC's is 13% more. Armstrong's was reported to be 85 before he retired.

Get used to seeing AC on the top spot of the podium for a while.

cjcp

Looks like AC would have @rse royally kicked by sled dogs though.

A husky giving AC "The Look".

tailwindhome

Hmmm

@CJCP

Your comment only make sense if one reads the links in G66's post

Otherwise it's a bit surreal

cjcp

Very true.

symo

What a difference a head wind makes eh? Would have been great if Wiggo hadn't had to head into it.

tailwindhome

Sad that the thread has turned into a doping discussion, though thankfully without the bitterness and outright hostility typical on the Road forum.

Now this maybe a very naive point of view, but I would prefer to take all these accomplishments at face value, and hope I'm not disappointed later

m0scs

Mmmm

DonDaddyD

I quite like the dopping discussions between stages, it, weirdly helps me familiarise with the riders named....

Christophe3967

I have always been slightly ambivalent about doping - I'd llike to believe that AC is riding clean and in the absence of any evidence he deserves the benefit of the doubt. What Greg's post tells us is that there are athletes with VO2 scores in the high 90s and so why should n't AC be in that category? Why shouldn't he still be getting stronger at his age? Most of these guys are physical freaks in some way - its partly how they've beeen able to achieve the results they have.

I'm off to check my VO2. :oops:

bigmat

I'd just like to add that having watched the highlights last night, AC's position on the bike did look almost perfect and his bike handling through the course also looked very good, so I guess this may have contributed to his fast time rather than anything more suspect. I'm happy to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the racing, and will be rooting for Wiggins tomorrow.

jonginge

Fing is Lemond has been harping on about VO2 max being a limiter for sustainable power output since LA announced his comeback. If I was AC I wouldn't be giving Lemond (and presspack) a stick to beat me with either. Personally, I don't think sports science can definitively say VO2 max is the be all and end all to performance....

jonginge

MatHammond wrote:

I'd just like to add that having watched the highlights last night, AC's position on the bike did look almost perfect and his bike handling through the course also looked very good, so I guess this may have contributed to his fast time rather than anything more suspect. I'm happy to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the racing, and will be rooting for Wiggins tomorrow.

+1 on that he looked rock solid. Funnily enough, from only seeing the highlights, Cancellara looked a lot less comfortable with knees out while pedalling quite a lot. Looked very strange for one normally a machine on the bike (with those pistons we call legs )

greg66_tri_v2.0

JonGinge wrote:

MatHammond wrote:

I'd just like to add that having watched the highlights last night, AC's position on the bike did look almost perfect and his bike handling through the course also looked very good, so I guess this may have contributed to his fast time rather than anything more suspect. I'm happy to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the racing, and will be rooting for Wiggins tomorrow.

+1 on that he looked rock solid. Funnily enough, from only seeing the highlights, Cancellara looked a lot less comfortable with knees out while pedalling quite a lot. Looked very strange for one normally a machine on the bike (with those pistons we call legs )

I noticed that about Cancellara too, exp in the last 100m or so. Wonder if he had some sac fold trouble.

Wiggo said the wind changed so as to work against the later riders on the course; that was his explanation for losing time.

Christophe3967

I wonder if its simply that he's exhausted. He's been burying himself to help the Schelks. Wiggo must also be suffering slightly from his exertions, but then so will LA. Interesting article in the Times today - LA reckons that AC is faster than he ever was. "That performance would have ridden away from me on Alpe d'Huez 2001. He's very hard to beat."

cjcp

Hopefully, Wiggo can have a good rest today and there'll be none of these silly splits in the peleton to potentially mess things up. He said that the he wasn't suited to the repeat mountains and that one intense effort was more suitable (i.e. Verbier and, fingers crossed, Ventoux).

jonginge

Christophe3967 wrote:

I wonder if its simply that he's exhausted. He's been burying himself to help the Schelks. Wiggo must also be suffering slightly from his exertions, but then so will LA. Interesting article in the Times today - LA reckons that AC is faster than he ever was. "That performance would have ridden away from me on Alpe d'Huez 2001. He's very hard to beat."

Chinny has always fatigued fairly badly in the grand tours, very rairly wins the final TT. For example, in 2006 Vuelta Millar pipped him in the TT but a few weeks later he beat millar by over 3 minutes in the world champs.

oscarbudgie

Was there some nudge nudge wink wink stuff going on amongst the panel in the Eurosport studio after the TT stage yesterday, as if they'd been discussing Contador's freakish performances - add this to LeMonds statements, the questions Contador wouldn't answer, Brailsords 'no' when asked if he'd have Contador etc and all the other stuff in the past. Is Contador basically a 'wrong 'un' and everybody in pro cycling knows it but can't prove it?

il_principe

Lemond is a tit.

attica

If he'd taken more testosterone he wouldn't be

dirk_van_gently

Lemond is an old bitter and twisted individual.
He was one of the greats (3 times winner) but he seems to think that anyone who can win a stage is doped.
Throwing doubt upon the results with nothing more than hearsay, just heightens my belief that journalists should be rounded up and shot as vermin

attica

Of course LeMond has no insight into "the sport of professional cycling" as we all know his previous career was as a milkman.

EDIT No smoke without fire, he may well have a slanted view, but he also has much more of an idea than if I were to start throwing accusations. That said, I tend to enjoy speculating, but reserve judgement until the rider in question does get a positive

dirk_van_gently

Attica wrote:

Of course LeMond has no insight into "the sport of professional cycling" as we all know his previous career was as a milkman.

No I think you will find that was Benny Hill who worked as a milkman :-)

However I was not pointing out Mr Lemonds lack of insight, but the fact he always seems to want to discredit modern riders, and the very platform for his own fame. Neither am I saying that as such he should turn a blind eye, I think put up or shut up sums it up.
Why is cycling such a self destructive sport?

tailwindhome

Attica wrote:

If he'd taken more testosterone he wouldn't have been Hinault's b1tch

Fixed that for you

See now I'm all bitter and twisted too :roll:

Thanks

cjcp

I hope they let the breakaway stay away today. The Green Jersey is over, so Columbia should save their energy for tomorrow and Paris.

Eau Rouge

cjcp wrote:

I hope they let the breakaway stay away today. The Green Jersey is over, so Columbia should save their energy for tomorrow and Paris.

30 points difference in the Green Jersey, which is indeed over unless Cav were to finish 1st or 2nd in Paris, and Hushovd doesn't get any points at all. A mechanical problem or a crash could see to that. That would be a horrible hollow way to find yourself in green though, wouldn't it.

cjcp

Eau Rouge wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I hope they let the breakaway stay away today. The Green Jersey is over, so Columbia should save their energy for tomorrow and Paris.

30 points difference in the Green Jersey, which is indeed over unless Cav were to finish 1st or 2nd in Paris, and Hushovd doesn't get any points at all. A mechanical problem or a crash could see to that. That would be a horrible hollow way to find yourself in green though, wouldn't it.

tailwindhome

Millar in the 5 man break (from the break) with a 46" lead over Roche in the chasing pack with Evans (???)

dirk_van_gently

Col/HCT on the front, now if they can get Cav over the top for a sprint finish the Green jersey could be up for grabs in Paris.

Oh yes please