BS: Tour de France, Anyone?

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 01:42 PM

Tom Simpson died from amphetamine abuse, which was only just being understood then.

They ARE doing extensive testing now, and stupid tricks such as Vinikourov tried are being caught. If you read way back in this thread, you'll see my post about the genetic advantages Lance Armstrong had, as well as his intelligence and fantastic training regimen. I can believe that he passed all those drug tests because he used no illegal drugs....I would hate to find out otherwise.

Now...I assume the the 3 Tour leaders are being tested as I type...I hope they all pass.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 01:45 PM

Tour de farce more like.
G

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 02:55 PM

I just flatly refuse to assume the worst about ALL of the riders until I must.

Call me naive, call me idealistic, but let me hope it can be fixed...ummm...changed for the better.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 04:20 PM

Bill I know how disappointed you feel, you are not on your own regarding the Tour.    I go back a long way following the fortunes of the various Tours, but I discovered a long time ago that most of the latest champions have been cheats, the sport of cycling has an awful lot to do before all of the cheats ate kicked out.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: goatfell
Date: 29 Jul 07 - 09:59 AM

I think that some not all the cyclists are taking drugs, I don't those that take them because they have the flu or something, but if they are taking the drugs to cheat, well I hope that they get kicked out for cheating

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: DannyC
Date: 30 Jul 07 - 07:20 AM

I think the Tour remains beautiful. I enjoyed the daily drama of the breakaways and the relentless pursuit of the peleton. The winding scenery adds to my enjoyment, along with the creative enthusiasm of the crowds who line the byways.   I could do without the wandering, disruptive canines.

The commentators on Versus (who carried the Tour in America) were top-notch. (i.e. Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen)   I found their commentary especially poignant (with a high degree of personal conviction) on the day after Rasmussen got dropped. I hope the Versus coverage does not get dropped for next year.   I suppose sponsors will be particularly difficult to attract and/or retain.

I believe (perhaps hope) the young up-and-comers will not take the dead end doping path. Doping or no - the daily display of endurance and suffering rivets my attention and fills me with hope for our breed.

Contador, Evans and Leipheimer were magnificent... whelp, that's one man's opinion.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 30 Jul 07 - 10:23 AM

Contador's name has been on Fuentes' list to disappear only later. Look at the number of Spanish cyclists among the first twenty and you start asking yourself why. The Spanish cycling association helps them to suppress any suspicions.

Armstrong's blood of a way back Tour has been found to contain dope with refined analyses. Of course, he has been doped as each single former winner. But he has to lie (like Ullrich still lies) for fear of financial claims. But since he was the best among the dopers we can guess that he still would have been the best if noone had doped those years.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Jul 07 - 11:19 AM

"Armstrong's blood of a way back Tour has been found to contain dope with refined analyses."

do you have a source for that, Wolfgang? I'd like to read more.

And I am interested to learn what KIND of 'doping' is done...(and when)..that is so difficult to detect in men who have been tested so often.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Jul 07 - 11:28 AM

The most extensive articles I have found about Landis, Armstrong and doping have been in the Bicycling.com series. You follow the "related article" links at the bottom. They give some idea of the accusations and defenses being put forth.

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 08:06 AM

And there goes another..............Mayo

nick

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: GUEST,redhorse at work
Date: 31 Jul 07 - 08:22 AM

Sorry, last post was me. Not anonymous, just careless

nick

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 28 Sep 07 - 07:31 AM

Rasmussen who have been fired by his team for lying to them has now been found by a new method of analysis actually to have been doped during the Tour. Dynepo has been found in his urine, a new post-Epo era drug. This drug is not yet on the list so technically speaking he was clean.

I wonder why it did take so long to strike Landis from the list of winners.

It really is not fun watching the Tour if the winner is only found months later and one has the impression the winner is just the fastest who has not been found out.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 28 Sep 07 - 07:34 AM

Bill, sorry for overlooking your question.

On August 23, 2005, L'Équipe, a major French daily sports newspaper, reported on its front page under the headline "The Armstrong Lie" that urine taken from the cyclist during the prologue and five stages of the 1999 Tour de France had tested positive for EPO in recent testing conducted as part of a research project into EPO testing methods. This claim was based on an investigation in which they claimed to be able to match samples from the 1999 Tour that were used to hone the EPO test to Armstrong. (from the Wiki page about Armstrong)

That was what I had in mind.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 08:23 AM

This year's Tour will be without:

Floyd Landis (fastest two years ago, but full of dope)
Alberto Contador (fastest last year, for doping in his team)
Andreas Klöden (second and third in the last years, for doping in his team)
Levi Leipheimer (once third, for the same reason)
Ivano Basso (Giro winner 2006, for trying to dope)
Ivan Mayo (always among the best, for doping)
Alessandro Petacchi (best sprinter, for doping)
Tom Boonen (winner of several etappes, for doping)
Michael Rasmussen (looking like the sure winner last year, for avoiding the doping control)

So that leaves Alejandro Valverde as the No. 1 favourite unless he is arrested on the one etappe ending in Italy (he is under suspicion as a customer of the dope pope Fuentes).

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 02:16 PM

ALL those?? I don't understand why Contador & Leipheimer & Klöden need to be excluded? Are the teams now short of riders?

Are there any good riders left who are NOT suspected?

(I still am not convinced that Landis actually did anything illegal, despite certain test readings. )

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: artbrooks
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 03:05 PM

All three ride for Astana, which has been banned this year for doping in prior years. Since team management has changed, I guess it is a punishment for the sponsors for not controlling their team better. Or somethieng. Vive le france!

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: artbrooks
Date: 02 Jul 08 - 03:08 PM

Do we need a 2008 Tour thread, or is there some kind of cachet to continuing it from one year to the next?

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 07:35 AM

Ricco, the man who wears (until today) the red dot jersey (best climber) and the white jersey (best young cyclist) and winner of two mountain etappes, is the newest name on the list. His whole team retires from the Tour. Well, the double victory for his team on Monday, the most difficult etappe so far, by two fairly unknown cyclists was kind of surprising.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Bill D
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 10:26 AM

Part of the story

"When will they ever learn?"

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: Bill D
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 11:11 AM

I guess this is how they are thinking

Subject: RE: BS: Tour de France, Anyone?
From: GUEST,Al
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 08:11 PM

I saw the results on television tonight of today's stage, but has anyone heard the latest results of the drugs tests ?

The race has become more famous for this than cycling.