Pro-cycling thread

Rapha has commissioned a report on the problems in competitive cycling.
https://www.rapha.cc/us/en_US/stories/the-rapha-roadmap-part-one

Oh I know but that is the point, we see the underbelly of cycling. For example every article about Team Sky, Brailsford or Bradley Wiggins always comes with the added caveat of mention of the jiffy bag, or the TUEs or the testosterone. How many articles go 'The Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, who tested postive for drugs twice during his playing career...'

Within certain sports there seems to be no desire to confront doping either by the authorities or by the media, while other sports get held up as pariahs in comparison. It is probably down to the wealth of the sports in general.

Anyway I digress, back to the cycling. The cobbles are over, the only race that matters now is Tro Bro Leon.

True, we are well versed in the past shenanigans of our lot. I wasn't even aware Pep had a dirty past.

I wasn't even aware Pep had a dirty past.

And that is my point in a nutshell.

Trek continuing its policy of buying up riders whose best rides are behind them?

The gains available by doping in football are considerably smaller than in cycling, certainly when we’re talking about EPO.

There hasn’t been a period in football when doping has defined and shaped the game.

That’s the difference.

Citation needed.

Speak to worncleat

And Messi.
Though giving someone hgh to help correct being short, see maradona too, etc and so on.

You're all better than the obvious.

Really, repeated efforts over a base level?
Full gas?
Being able to control a spherical object at speed while being tired?

The reason triathlon, decathlon, etc exist is because people refuse to accept any other individual sport could be as hard as the sport they're shit at is.

Was a table floating around from the world cup, showing how many Kms run at what pace by each team. Russians at the top by quite some margin.

BFS first realised that the team that does everything the fastest does best. Imagine him at a team like real Madrid or Barcelona.

Lance Armstrong / Pro Footballer
UCI / FIFA
Protecting their brand / Protecting their brand

Am sure it happens.

In other news good win for Sam Bennett yesterday against some quality opposition. With his improved climbing could easily bag another 2 or 3 stages.

Responding with results to show his team what they'll be missing by not having him in their Giro squad.

Sorry but that is precisely the attitude that allows doping to flourish in football. Strength, stamina and rapid recovery make huge differences to a footballer's ability.

And the rest is speculation. There were strong rumours that Fuentes had bags of blood for footballers, I know at least Real Sociedad had admitted paying him, but there were rumours around Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and the Spanish and German national teams.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/other-soccer/ewan-mackenna-murky-questions-surround-spanish-footballs-golden-era-and-people-might-not-like-the-answers-36943284.html

There hasn’t been a period in football when doping has defined and shaped the game.

See:

It was in March of 2004 when Jesus Manzano, a middle-of-the-peloton cyclist with Kelme, came forward about a systematic doping programme in his team. Coincidence or not, since the interview he gave, in soccer his country has won two European Championships, a World Cup, eight Europa League titles, while Real Madrid on Saturday could add another Champions League to the seven others in that same period. It's been unprecedented even for a major powerhouse of the game.

As I said football largely escapes close scrutiny because both people mistakenly believe you don't get benefits from doping as its a game based on skill and also no-one wants to scrutinise it too much because there is so much money in the sport. Pep Guardiola got popped twice during his career, and has since managed some of the most successful club sides in the modern game. At Barca the team was known for its tikki-takka style of play where the team would pass and move and press opponents for 90 minutes non-stop. Given that he cheated as a player, why should he change when he is a coach? I strongly suspect his teams have doped, and given the way Ferguson railed against Rio Ferdinand's suspension I strongly suspect that the ManU side under him did the same.

That article is juicy af:

So serious was it, the cellmate of Fuentes, when in custody, said he told him if the story came out, Spain would likely have to give back the World Cup.

Have we had this ? Rebecca Twigg who rode Individual Pursuit for the US struggled with life after cycling and is now homeless
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/olympic-medal-winning-cyclist-rebecca-twigg-is-homeless-in-seattle/

Prepare for Merckxian times

I wonder at what point it will no longer be fun to watch.

There were some handy finishers in that group and he just smoked them.

How appropriate!

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And it wasn't like he was hiding himself for that last sprint (in 1st position)... Look at their faces

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2 for 2!

shame - sad that doesn't seem to want help or see a way out...just stuck with her own confused thoughts / feelings

Some snaps from Paris-Roubaix.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/36707747@N07/albums/72157707932377615

those are well great - the lotto rider in the arenberg looks fucked

City do look quite relentless this evening now you mention it.

MVDP doing Alaphilippe and Matthews in a sprint is impressive. Is he doing all the Ardennes races?