Doping

As someone pointed out, when you are taking EPO "basically trying to survive" the yellow jersey and stage win must have been a fucking Brucey bonus eh.

Context of '98 tests, the jerseys got tested like, never.

That table fails to highlight jersey holders highlighted as tested due to top-3 finishes.

Big doping controversy at this years 24hr nationals. The winner has been disqualified for Clenbuterol. Apparently the midgets he was feasting on, had in turn, been feasting on tainted steaks.

I feel so let down.

BREAKING NEWS: The winner has tested positive for IPA. He has not asked for second test, and says he has been a heavy user for many years.

I'd heard he'd been using K-Bab as a masking agent for that ^^^

It seems that the media theme of this year’s Tour was all the commotion about the performance calculations and analysis of the top riders and the climbs. The whole thing about performance analysis and Froome not being clean was only a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean. From the interactions I’ve had with him over the years he’s been a complete gentleman and his performances certainly haven’t come from nowhere.

From the Secret Pro on Cycling Tips. I guess this is the thing really: the cynics see Froome as the new Lance and Sky as the new Postal, but apart from the clamour on Twitter and at the Clinic there's really very little of any substance. Basically Leinders and that is it. No rumours, no other cyclists calling him out, no soigneurs telling tales.

Big dig at Tommy V from the Secret Pro?

Well Tommy V was notable by his absence in this years Tour, and clearly he's pointing at Europcar.

I do get the feeling that the message went out very firmly to all the teams and riders from ASO, maybe the UCI, maybe the French authorities, that no doping and no positives at the 100th Tour. As the Secret Pro points out there's a lot of riders out there suddenly looking a lot more human.

I'm going to stay positive on this, and believe the Tour was a cleaner affair than the previous ones, and wait to be proved wrong.

He has a dig at Europcar for sure.

So Stuey is all right because it was acceptable back then. Guess that make Lance all right as well.

And he isn't going to call the UCI hotline or 'dob anyone in', but he is happy to label Europecar dopers in his anonymous column.

TSP is a prick.

Don;t pull any punches T-V, tell us what you really think

It basically was acceptable back then. That's why there were so many cases and so few sanctions. Doesn't make it right of course.

They either need to quit it or strip everything pre-millenium and hand it to me so I can pay my gambling debts.

TSP really O'Grady? I didn't think OG knew big words.

So Stuey is all right because it was acceptable back then. Guess that make Lance all right as well.

And he isn't going to call the UCI hotline or 'dob anyone in', but he is happy to label Europecar dopers in his anonymous column.

TSP is a prick.

Remember his column around the time of the Giro, when he said an ex-GT winner was going to get done via the biological passport scheme?

What happened there then?

It basically was acceptable back then. That's why there were so many cases and so few sanctions. Doesn't make it right of course.

They either need to quit it or strip everything pre-millenium and hand it to me so I can pay my gambling debts.

This is why the UCI needs new leadership. Cases like the French Senate one yesterday are going to keep popping up, and the recriminations contine, unless someone steps up to the plate and comes up with a way forward that acknowledges that the sport was riddled with dope in the past. The UCI's statement responding to this yesterday was ridiculous.

Remember his column around the time of the Giro, when he said an ex-GT winner was going to get done via the biological passport scheme?

What happened there then?

Menchov retired

This is why the UCI needs new leadership. Cases like the French Senate one yesterday are going to keep popping up, and the recriminations contine, unless someone steps up to the plate and comes up with a way forward that acknowledges that the sport was riddled with dope in the past. The UCI's statement responding to this yesterday was ridiculous.

Cookson and Vance are using it as a platform to slam UCI leadership, with reason. There's a rain coming

Menchov retired

The UCI made that mistake when Vino 'retired' after his positive test in 2007. They won't make the same mistake twice, even allowing for their incompetence.

If Menchov was the rider in question, they would have still gone after him. I don't think the Secret Pro had any special insight, he was just gossiping.

Probably. In fact I think he said it wasn't Menchov in a later column, I might be wrong though. Perhaps whoever it was crossed the right palm with some silver and made it go away.

Still I reckon the Secret Pro is a decent read. Clearly an Aussie, but don't hold that against him. Some of my best friends are Aussie.

Well Kiwi actually

TSP

There are far fewer media requests at these crits but the fans are quite demanding — which is okay, because that’s the reason we’re being paid to be there. But having some drunk old man putting his arm around you with booze and cigarette breath...

The Claw

Could the Secret Pro be Geraint Thomas?

He's done a few articles on Road.cc in the last couple of years...

I think it's generally accepted that it's either an Aussie or Koen de Kort.

I need to start reading his articles. I will suss them out.

If it's Stuey it must be going through an editor beforehand - I'm sure his spelling and grammar is much worse.

is the secret pro having a dig at cadel evans?

So Stuey is all right because it was acceptable back then. Guess that make Lance all right as well

No, because the issue people have is not simply that he used PEDs.

Lance isn't a cunt because he doped, he doped because he's a cunt.

Have you not been listening. Lance made them dope. Using mind tricks and threats.