Pantani

What's the point of designing courses with different terrain and disciplines if the riders' natural different abilities are evened out by doping?

You contradict yourself. Either doping favoured the climbers (like Pantani) or it didn't.

You think doping closed the variation in ability – with them all hovering around 50%?

I don't buy that. I don't accept that Verbruggenesque idea that close racing is not entertaining either.

Pantani had style on the bike, name a currently rider in today's peloton thats as distinctive.

It's a good point. Probably Chris Froome's high cadence seated climbing? It doesn't look pretty, but it was pretty devastating.