The professional cycling thread
Discussion
epom said:
Kimmage is very difficult to take as an independent commentator/journalist given the damage resulting from the Armstrong saga. It feels as if his default position is that all the top riders are doping, and they need to prove to him they aren't.Silver940 said:
Interesting stuff. However despite analysing all the data etc, my personal opinion is that he is clean.All this constant doping allegations and I stress are allegations are muddying his name.
I would be suprised and very dissapointed if he was caught doping. He's an excellent rider with a slightly different method of climbing.
I'm not sure what LJ was trying to achieve e with his silly comments the other day. He's not one to judge with his background.
I wonder whether a french rider would get this level of scrutiny. .
Hasn't froome also been open with his data etc. Not everyone is so forthcoming.
Dr Imran T said:
Interesting stuff. However despite analysing all the data etc, my personal opinion is that he is clean.
All this constant doping allegations and I stress are allegations are muddying his name.
I would be suprised and very dissapointed if he was caught doping. He's an excellent rider with a slightly different method of climbing.
I'm not sure what LJ was trying to achieve e with his silly comments the other day. He's not one to judge with his background.
I wonder whether a french rider would get this level of scrutiny. .
Hasn't froome also been open with his data etc. Not everyone is so forthcoming.
I agree and whilst I was taken in by Armstrong Froome is no armstrong. Now lets see how many other GC contenders publish their perfromance data.As for Jalabert what a cheekAll this constant doping allegations and I stress are allegations are muddying his name.
I would be suprised and very dissapointed if he was caught doping. He's an excellent rider with a slightly different method of climbing.
I'm not sure what LJ was trying to achieve e with his silly comments the other day. He's not one to judge with his background.
I wonder whether a french rider would get this level of scrutiny. .
Hasn't froome also been open with his data etc. Not everyone is so forthcoming.
If Froome was doping, then Brailsford would know about it, as a result every single GB victory, medal or stripey jersey won on the track or road since say, 2000 is questionable and if anyone thinks that Brailsford, British Cycling and Team GB would have that on their conscience then they are just being silly.
The other obvious explanation I have is that some of the peloton have had to give up the juice they have been reliant on for so long and are struggling to compete without it. Sky spent time looking at improving the bike and the rider without resorting to artificial enhancements and thats where these "out of this world" performances have come from, a sort of natural order has been reestablished. In the past the default position was to use PEDs, Sky came along, had the piss taken for the marginal gains thing but because they havent had any advantage taken away, they are now on top. Sadly whatever they do in terms of releasing data it will not be enough because you cant prove a negative and people will always makes these claims.
Maybe!
The other obvious explanation I have is that some of the peloton have had to give up the juice they have been reliant on for so long and are struggling to compete without it. Sky spent time looking at improving the bike and the rider without resorting to artificial enhancements and thats where these "out of this world" performances have come from, a sort of natural order has been reestablished. In the past the default position was to use PEDs, Sky came along, had the piss taken for the marginal gains thing but because they havent had any advantage taken away, they are now on top. Sadly whatever they do in terms of releasing data it will not be enough because you cant prove a negative and people will always makes these claims.
Maybe!
That was the most ridiculous thing ever. Cycling is such a backwards sport in this sense and the ASO need shooting. Have a look at some of the pictures riders have been tweeting when they get to their hotel at night. Some of them are really bad 2* hotels, limited wash facilities etc and there was one rider whose body was at least a foot longer than the mattress.
Sky had this idea that all the teams would have motorhomes that they would turn up in, create a rider village at each stage and then fans could get up close and see the riders. This of course was shouted down by the ASO who wanted to keep things as they were, I do wonder incidentally if Prudhomme stays in the 2* hotels or the nice ones? The riders could then stay in familiar surroundings each night and not worry about the quality of the hotels. If ASO want good racing they need to put the riders first.
This also leaves the hotels free for spectators, tourists and still brings money to the town etc.
Look at F1, they all stay in motorhomes for the weekend all over the world and the fans can meet the drivers. Hamilton et al dont stay at the Travelodge in Towcester do they?
Sky had this idea that all the teams would have motorhomes that they would turn up in, create a rider village at each stage and then fans could get up close and see the riders. This of course was shouted down by the ASO who wanted to keep things as they were, I do wonder incidentally if Prudhomme stays in the 2* hotels or the nice ones? The riders could then stay in familiar surroundings each night and not worry about the quality of the hotels. If ASO want good racing they need to put the riders first.
This also leaves the hotels free for spectators, tourists and still brings money to the town etc.
Look at F1, they all stay in motorhomes for the weekend all over the world and the fans can meet the drivers. Hamilton et al dont stay at the Travelodge in Towcester do they?
pablo said:
That was the most ridiculous thing ever. Cycling is such a backwards sport in this sense and the ASO need shooting. Have a look at some of the pictures riders have been tweeting when they get to their hotel at night. Some of them are really bad 2* hotels, limited wash facilities etc and there was one rider whose body was at least a foot longer than the mattress.
Sky had this idea that all the teams would have motorhomes that they would turn up in, create a rider village at each stage and then fans could get up close and see the riders. This of course was shouted down by the ASO who wanted to keep things as they were, I do wonder incidentally if Prudhomme stays in the 2* hotels or the nice ones? The riders could then stay in familiar surroundings each night and not worry about the quality of the hotels. If ASO want good racing they need to put the riders first.
This also leaves the hotels free for spectators, tourists and still brings money to the town etc.
Look at F1, they all stay in motorhomes for the weekend all over the world and the fans can meet the drivers. Hamilton et al dont stay at the Travelodge in Towcester do they?
I always got the impression that the UCI and FIFA were run by the same idiotsSky had this idea that all the teams would have motorhomes that they would turn up in, create a rider village at each stage and then fans could get up close and see the riders. This of course was shouted down by the ASO who wanted to keep things as they were, I do wonder incidentally if Prudhomme stays in the 2* hotels or the nice ones? The riders could then stay in familiar surroundings each night and not worry about the quality of the hotels. If ASO want good racing they need to put the riders first.
This also leaves the hotels free for spectators, tourists and still brings money to the town etc.
Look at F1, they all stay in motorhomes for the weekend all over the world and the fans can meet the drivers. Hamilton et al dont stay at the Travelodge in Towcester do they?
Possibly a UCI rule yes. Still bonkers, the Sky "rider village" idea sounded like win/win for everyone...
There was a great sounding book published recently about corruption in FIFA and the olympics committee but I have yet to buy it. I'll regret doing so as it will simply serve to confirm all I fear.
This years European Games were simply because the IOC didn't have a money spinner prior to Rio. Almost every sports federation had an existing European championship which they organized and promoted so no one wanted this but the IOC just pushed and said this was a Rio 2016 qualifying tournament and the federations had to get involved probably fearing it would supersede their own qualifiers...
There was a great sounding book published recently about corruption in FIFA and the olympics committee but I have yet to buy it. I'll regret doing so as it will simply serve to confirm all I fear.
This years European Games were simply because the IOC didn't have a money spinner prior to Rio. Almost every sports federation had an existing European championship which they organized and promoted so no one wanted this but the IOC just pushed and said this was a Rio 2016 qualifying tournament and the federations had to get involved probably fearing it would supersede their own qualifiers...
pablo said:
That was the most ridiculous thing ever. Cycling is such a backwards sport in this sense and the ASO need shooting. Have a look at some of the pictures riders have been tweeting when they get to their hotel at night. Some of them are really bad 2* hotels, limited wash facilities etc and there was one rider whose body was at least a foot longer than the mattress.
Sky had this idea that all the teams would have motorhomes that they would turn up in, create a rider village at each stage and then fans could get up close and see the riders. This of course was shouted down by the ASO who wanted to keep things as they were, I do wonder incidentally if Prudhomme stays in the 2* hotels or the nice ones? The riders could then stay in familiar surroundings each night and not worry about the quality of the hotels. If ASO want good racing they need to put the riders first.
This also leaves the hotels free for spectators, tourists and still brings money to the town etc.
Look at F1, they all stay in motorhomes for the weekend all over the world and the fans can meet the drivers. Hamilton et al dont stay at the Travelodge in Towcester do they?
I have some sympathy with the ASO on this subject. Apart form the logistics of the 10 teams taking motorhome for 11 riders (without this sky have approx. 30 trucks / cars this year) it will also differentiate the teams that can afford the motorhomes and the teams that can't.Sky had this idea that all the teams would have motorhomes that they would turn up in, create a rider village at each stage and then fans could get up close and see the riders. This of course was shouted down by the ASO who wanted to keep things as they were, I do wonder incidentally if Prudhomme stays in the 2* hotels or the nice ones? The riders could then stay in familiar surroundings each night and not worry about the quality of the hotels. If ASO want good racing they need to put the riders first.
This also leaves the hotels free for spectators, tourists and still brings money to the town etc.
Look at F1, they all stay in motorhomes for the weekend all over the world and the fans can meet the drivers. Hamilton et al dont stay at the Travelodge in Towcester do they?
I don't doubt money plays a part in success already but allowing motorhomes, then maybe private plan transfers, etc will only increase the gap between the teams that can afford it and those that can't.
However I suspect the real reason is that a the BRITISH team SKY requested it
pablo said:
Sky had this idea that all the teams would have motorhomes that they would turn up in, create a rider village at each stage and then fans could get up close and see the riders. This of course was shouted down by the ASO who wanted to keep things as they were, I do wonder incidentally if Prudhomme stays in the 2* hotels or the nice ones? The riders could then stay in familiar surroundings each night and not worry about the quality of the hotels. If ASO want good racing they need to put the riders first.
This also leaves the hotels free for spectators, tourists and still brings money to the town etc.
Look at F1, they all stay in motorhomes for the weekend all over the world and the fans can meet the drivers. Hamilton et al dont stay at the Travelodge in Towcester do they?
And that's the reason why the UCI banned the use of campervans; to create equal opportunity. But that doens't mean their haven't been complaints by cycling teams of the accomodations; their probably as old as the TDF itself, long before Sky existed.
last time I looked, Skys budget was about £25M pa, Cannondale-Garmin is about £16M. Most of the pro peloton earn in a year what Wayne Rooney earns in a week...
How can some teams staying in 2* hotels with beds a foot shorter than the rider be of any long term benefit to the sport? maybe the UCI need to stump up for the cost of the motorhomes if they want the sport to remain credible because this situation is stupid. Having ridden hard for two weeks their immune system is low, chuck them in a 2* hotel with a dubious cleaning policy and you have a recipe for disaster as Cav and now TvG have found out... riders get ill and all that training and effort is wasted.
Soon teams will refuse to race unless they are guaranteed a better standard of hotels and thus force the tour to only visit major towns and cities with a good standard of hotels...
Sky are one of the few teams owned by the sponsor and not an individual or Company who effectively rent out the name and shirt space to sponsors. Cannondale-Garmin was Garmin-Sharp last year and previously Garmin-Cervelo but regardles sof name it was still owned by Slipstream
How can some teams staying in 2* hotels with beds a foot shorter than the rider be of any long term benefit to the sport? maybe the UCI need to stump up for the cost of the motorhomes if they want the sport to remain credible because this situation is stupid. Having ridden hard for two weeks their immune system is low, chuck them in a 2* hotel with a dubious cleaning policy and you have a recipe for disaster as Cav and now TvG have found out... riders get ill and all that training and effort is wasted.
Soon teams will refuse to race unless they are guaranteed a better standard of hotels and thus force the tour to only visit major towns and cities with a good standard of hotels...
Sky are one of the few teams owned by the sponsor and not an individual or Company who effectively rent out the name and shirt space to sponsors. Cannondale-Garmin was Garmin-Sharp last year and previously Garmin-Cervelo but regardles sof name it was still owned by Slipstream
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 22 July 15:41
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