I was watching the Milano-Sanremo on Versus (the only cable TV channel in America reasonable enough to show cycling), and the announcers (former pro Bob Roll, Phil Ligget, Paul Sherwin, in my view the best American TV announcers in any sport) were hypothesizing that the reason of the higher success of attacks (both early and late) was because as the sport started to become clean (and by clean we mean the riders, not the telephone line between the UCI and ASO), the peloton was becoming less and less able to control the races. Does anyone A) Believe the peloton is cleaner this year than in years past (Prediction: issoisso says no), and B, is that the reason for breakaway success in races such as Milan-Sanremo?
Note: Unfortunately there are two questions, so no poll Edited by Deadpool on 28-03-2008 00:54
Deadpool wrote:
A) Believe the peloton is cleaner this year than in years past
I have no doubt of that. But don't think it's some gigantic difference.
Deadpool wrote:
B, is that the reason for breakaway success in races such as Milan-Sanremo?
In other races, it's pretty possible. In San Remo it's because the course this year was much harder.
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
If you're determined, it's still rather easy to dope without getting caught. But I guess that the emerging of the teams beginning to monitor their riders bloodvalues, plus the introdusing of the bloodpassports, it has become harder to use the hematocrit raising substances, and those substances are the ones which gives the riders huge advantages (we're talking 10-20% improvement in poweroutput, which is absolutely wild). They now have to have constant bloodvalues, throughout the season, and it's quite a job maintaining those values. It's not imposible however, and if there's help to get within their team, it would still be relatively easy. Blooddoping and stuff like Dynepo can't be detected yet. And there's still legal ways to raise your hematocrit like those tents, and prolly other ways as well.
In my opinion testosterone and growth hormone is still being abused widely throughout the pro circus.
In the lower ranks the drug abuse goes on as always im sure though. Especially in the ranks where there's no out of competion control. And it's a scientific fact, that if you've used stuff like EPO, then you're performance will be better, even when you stop using it. So, in that way I will argue that's imposible to reach topnotch level without the use of substance abuse.
But to answer the questions. Yes I believe the peloton is cleaner. Not clean though.
I agree with what has been said. Dope use and abuse seems to have lowered this year (although when I see Astana that good in Castilla y Leon I can see that not everybody stopped it ).
I would add the ADAMS system as one more reason why it's a bit cleaner this year. All riders and not only 7 Men In Black have to give their whereabouts to UCI.
There's one cleaness indicator that is interesting to watch : Sylvain Chavanel. I tend to believe he is clean, but it's not really important whether or not he is. His performances are more or less constant from year to year (I mean in power output terms). When he regularly ends races very far back you can conclude there's a lot of dope use. This year he's already won 3 races : draw your conclusions.
Though, I really think we need to wait for the Giro to end, before drawing any serious conclusion about it. With Ardennes classic results, we'll see if the power outputs have really lowered. If it's case then it's a very good sign.
Also, it's true that less EPO makes races more cahotic and difficult to control for a peloton. Check the amount of plain stages in the first TDF week where a break was successful before the 90's and after the 90's. Much more before, even late attacks could make it more easily. Dope kills entertainment.
Agree with Aquarius about Giro..this is first time where we realy can talk about it...
Those who has observed cycling many years are probably all noticed that..something has changed in peloton.
