From an interview with Cav the other day Bennett definitely seems to have been jettisoned by Lefevere as Cav recognised the fact he wouldn’t be at the Tour if Jacobsen was fit.
2 Likes
Some interesting commentary on today’s stage…Cosnefroy doesn’t even get a mention!
1 Like
and another couple:
2 Likes
He also Epstein Barr as well didn’t he which I’ve heard can take a long time to recover from, not to mention a few crashes.
He’s done really well to get back to stage winning form with a lot of sprinters about.
2 Likes
Are they? I’ve not seen any of this (thankfully)
Have you looked at the cycling news forums (and specifically ‘the clinic’ ) ?!
Yeah but they think anyone remotely successful is on the juice, best left in their little bubble
1 Like
I really hate that attitude. Oh someone has done well, made a comeback. Drugs init.
2 Likes
But Valverde being touted as a possible stage winner today?
Sadly it’s going to be the case in cycling from here on in I think. We just have to hope/believe that people are clean and the testing is sufficiently robust to catch anyone who isn’t
The whole point of elite sport is seeing what people who are far outliers on the bell curve of human performance can do. With the history of doping I could well understand people who have lost faith and give up on it entirely, that makes sense. But following a sport closely whilst being convinced everyone who wins is cheating is mad. I guess it’s just like any other conspiracy theory thing really, wanting to be part of a little community that “knows the truth”
2 Likes
Cynicism means you will look at genuinely amazing accomplishments and not ‘enjoy’ them because ‘it’s drugs’.
I’d rather be on the side of assuming the best and getting the occasional shock, than not enjoying/beleiving any exceptional performance, including the genuine ones.
5 Likes
Hang on…hang on…
So when Pog dominates it’s “DRUGS!”
But if it’s a Brit then it’s “PLUCKY”
2 Likes
Sounds about right.
It’s slightly different, Cav is a one trick pony. Whereas Pog seems to have mastered every other trick, a sprint seems to be the only thing he wouldn’t win.
Our other 2 all-rounders of recent past (Wiggins & Froome) have had plenty of accusations?
I just enjoy the show.
Unless it’s not normal, in which case a little part of me says ‘hmmm’.
Cav doesn’t strike me as not normal, he isn’t exactly blasting away from the other sprinters.
If Pog had beaten Ganna in a TT I’d be going ‘hmm’.
Although they are indeed at the very tail end of the bell curve, (freaks 
) they are all at that tail end just to be there and be competitive.
The 2 hour marathon book was interesting. IIRR you need 3 things to be outstanding to be that fast - run economy, VO2 max and threshold as a % of VO2 max.
No one has come along who is outstanding in all 3, at least when the book was written, the best runners are all outstanding in 2 and just very good in the other. (all relative terms)
Someday genetics will role the correct dice and that person will be untouchable.
nothing to do with Nikes event
My immediate thought.
Lance was good at everything (apart from sprinting). If you look at the guys at the height of doping in the 1990s; they were generally great TTers and very good in the mountains too; albeit not as explosive as the pure climbers. Thinking Ulrich, Riis (who’ve both come clean) Indurain, Rominger (Dr Ferrari!) etc.
But so was Geraint?
He’s won stages in the mountains, won ITTs and wins GCs 