Cunego

Gooner69

Given that i think DC is probably clean right now and for a few years. Anyone care to explain how he can be (very) competitive at the ToS, beating Frank, Andy, Spartacus etc. Is it they are all cleaner now and on a level playing field he is back amongst the top riders?

Or is he secretly back dabbling in the hot sauce?

Imo (and hope) it is prob that they are all having to be very careful and doping is becoming much less common and therefore easier to spot.

Seem to remember Fabian climbing like a mountain goat a few years back in his home tour, yet this year he sits way back on the climbs. But he still isnt dominating in tt`s like previously.

Anyway i have always liked Cunego and glad to see him fighting at the front again, even starting to think his GT gc days might not be fully behind him

Monty Dog

I don't think Damiano's performance has significantly improved, more a reflection of 'poor' preparation on behalf of Leopard Trek. What will be remarkable is when we see Cancellara suddenly winning the prologue and TTs and motor-pacing the peloton at the foot of the climbs in 3 weeks time. Reflecting back on Spartacus' TdS victory from 2 few years ago also demonstrates that that anyone who thinks the peloton is clean is living in fantasy land.

Gooner69

Can i take it that poor "preparation" means that they have racked up the training miles but a certain something is missing from thier race plan right now?

Shame if so, i was starting to think that things were taking big leaps in the right direction.

Monty Dog

I expect we'll see a remarkable improvement in Leopard-Trek's performance come July, that is unless the hapless Schlecks manage to fall-off and injure themselves at some point.

No_Ta_Doctor

Monty Dog wrote:

I expect we'll see a remarkable improvement in Leopard-Trek's performance come July, that is unless the hapless Schlecks manage to fall-off and injure themselves at some point.

Slightly unfair really. They spend the year working up to the TdF, if they didn't have an improvement something would be very wrong with their training.

Not to say that I think they're clean.

P_Tucker

Gooner69 wrote:

Can i take it that poor "preparation" means that they have racked up the training miles but a certain something is missing from thier race plan right now?

Shame if so, i was starting to think that things were taking big leaps in the right direction.

They've probably just extracted their blood and put it in storage for use before mountain stages in the Tour. Marvellous.

andyp

Given the widely publicised doping ring centred on the Lampre team, does anyone seriously believe that Cunego has been clean for the past few years?

It takes more than a fake tattoo you know.

No_Ta_Doctor

andyp wrote:

Given the widely publicised doping ring centred on the Lampre team, does anyone seriously believe that Cunego has been clean for the past few years?

It takes more than a fake tattoo you know.

Yeah, but the tattoo was fake 'cos he's scared of needles ;-)

Tom Butcher

who knows - what's the evidence against him personally ? I've always had him down as one of those more likely to be riding clean in the last few years - admittedly the Lampre stuff casts doubt on that but I wouldn't put my house on him being a doper.

Gazzaputt

Monty Dog wrote:

I don't think Damiano's performance has significantly improved, more a reflection of 'poor' preparation on behalf of Leopard Trek. What will be remarkable is when we see Cancellara suddenly winning the prologue and TTs and motor-pacing the peloton at the foot of the climbs in 3 weeks time. Reflecting back on Spartacus' TdS victory from 2 few years ago also demonstrates that that anyone who thinks the peloton is clean is living in fantasy land.[b/]

So Fabio doped to the title?

2 years ago he lost weight and climbed very well. Also the ToS had a longer prologue the whole race was setup for him to win.

Then again maybe he increased the horsepower in his motor :roll:

Cumulonimbus

andyp wrote:

Given the widely publicised doping ring centred on the Lampre team, does anyone seriously believe that Cunego has been clean for the past few years?

It takes more than a fake tattoo you know.

Doesnt seem to be one of the ones who could be charged unlike Ballan. Also, that investigation mostly concerned 2008.

I think a factor in Cunego's performance at the Tour de Suisse is realising that he cant win or top 5 in the tour so he is looking to peak here and hope that his performance doesnt fall off too much in the tour. Bit similar to Wiggins.

Gooner69

andyp wrote:

Given the widely publicised doping ring centred on the Lampre team, does anyone seriously believe that Cunego has been clean for the past few years?

It takes more than a fake tattoo you know.

Going more on his interviews, and performances since his campaign started i would say he prob is clean. He can only really shine now when others are having "off" days or training for bigger races and this reinforces it for me.

As for FC he was cleaning up in those mountains 2/3 years ago and isnt anywhere near the front now. Suggests he was on an "elevated" level then rather than put on a few kg`s since to me.

squired

In recent years Cunego has been trying to peak for all sorts of races. The one day races around Easter, the Giro, the Tour, etc. This year he has changed things around and claims he can do well in the Tour as a result. We'll know the answer to that in just over a month, assuming he rolls across the finish line in Paris.

frenchfighter

His performance is perfectly normal imo. He doesn't have a huge lead and has simply been consistently on form at the front end. Hoping he holds on tomorrow. Not far back to Mollema who has a very decent TT.