Only Deignan in it from an Irish perspective. Roche planned to do it at the start of the year if I remember correctly but I guess the form just isn't there.
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Only Deignan in it from an Irish perspective. Roche planned to do it at the start of the year if I remember correctly but I guess the form just isn't there.
Martin was another who had it pencilled in as it is mental with mountains, but he's been told he's going to Le Tour apparently
That's good. I was disappointed he didn't make it last year.
For anyone with iPhone / Android, the Giro 2011 app is excellent. Bit slow to update but contains descriptions of all the stages, stage profiles , rider profiles as well as highlights and results. Really good.
It was put out that he was targetting the Giro - think we even discussed it here, but now it's as if that didn't happen and it was never the plan. Could be the allergies not being completely solved, and I'm pretty sure Lemond blamed a similar issue for him never really performing at the Giro. He could do well in California though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Weylandt dies in Giro d'Italia crash Horrible.
A UCI list of the suspicion levels around each rider in the Tour De France last year has been leaked. Nicolas Roche was among the riders who rated as a zero or not suspicious.
Cycling News piece: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ucis...tour-de-france
ITV4 have live coverage of the Tour of California everynight this week from 9.30. Stumbled across it last night - Matt Rendell and Ned Boulting in studio, Ligget and Sherwen commentary. ITV4 have a +1 channel as well.
(Not sure if it's on UPC, but those with sky rather than Freesat/ FTA, you can add the ITV channels via "Other Channels" http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055520627 )
I think the last week has shown that California is a higher priority for Garmin (and Radioshack) than the Giro. Martin is 14th with only a doddle of a stage left. Was in a breakway taht didn't make it a couple of nights ago (Eurosport had live coverage too). Not bad considering he's been a domestique for Danielson and Van de VeldeQuote:
Originally Posted by Macy
Deignan in a long break today in the Giro. Finished 14th on stage and is now 55th overall
Anyone know the longest ( by time ) stage of a grand tour in recent years. Today was over seven hours and took a phenomenal effort, even Contador was done at the end of it!
It seems to be a particularly savage Giro this year as well, anyone think this will take the edge off Contador for Le tour?
It was great to watch over the last 2 days
Apparently George Hincapie's testimony to the US grand jury investigating Lance claims that he & Lance were both doping. This is acc to CBS news I think.
Source
If Hincapie did testify as such, Armstrong is really fecked - he can't be written off as bitter (for whatever reason) or a proven cheat like the others. Still a fairly big if, though at the moment. And that shouldn't be taken as any kind of defence or belief in Armstrong btw, it's just until it's published, I'm not sure Hincapie would spit in the soup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
They were debating the Garmin performance last night on ITV, including specific mention of Martin, basically saying it's too early tell how good or bad their going as they're clearly focussed on the Le Tour. Whereas Radioshack, and the only rider up there with Contador (according to himself) where specifically building for this event.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Quite enjoyed the ITV coverage, but then I also enjoy the "Real Peleton" podcast which is Ned Boulting and Matt Rendell too, just a pity it's so infrequent. Can't say the same about the commentary. I know Ligget was always a bit dizzy, but the number of mistakes and repeats of the same comments he made was ridiculous - kinda started to wreck my head a bit.
dont think he will end up riding the tour. was great stage yesterday. Deignan did particularly well not to be totally shot out the back into oblivion once he was the break away was eaten up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid
Yeah, I really can't see him starting the Tour - either CAS won't have ruled and ASO won't let him, or they'll have given him a (year) ban. Not sure how I feel about mad stages like that, or mad grand tour routes - they're a great for TV, but maybe they're pushing the limits of natural endurance just a little too far.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billsthoughts
Deignan on his Giro http://tinyurl.com/43rrkqb
He's on the long list for le Tour
Deignan started the break today. Got too big though and he missed the split in the lead group when it happened. Finished 14th and is now in 50th overall
Jeepers. Drug whistleblower dies in freak accident with nobody looking.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr A
CAS hearing delayed. He might make Le Tour after all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
He has kinda ruined the giro with his invincibility. I hope he isnt on the tour. he hardly has a team supporting him but he has totally dominated. Its a bit unbeleivable. So many consecutive mountain stage and not so much as an uncomfortable day in the saddle. look at some of the other guys who won stages totally blown out the following day.
I really think he is that good though. Although it's a weak field, and nobody has any kind o team around them. The tour would be different
This stinks to me, especially given it was his lawyers request. I hope ASO do have the power to block him, as if he rode and won, and then had to be stripped of two titles, then it would do even more damage to the sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Things that make you "hmmm". Although probably not as much as the shack guys riding away from the field in California!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Yeah, I know I know but sometimes the cyclist is just better (and again, its a weak enough field)
The California thing is a bit different...
Thats the lingering problem with cycling now - always suspicion before admiration.
Not necessarily, and I say that as a cynic (about everything), but certainly some riders will forever be tainted for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid
On a very basic level,I think the general public (me included) want to see riders banjaxed when they ride a very long hard stage or up a vertical mountain instead of not even being out of breath.I honestly think there is a hunger out there for the sport and a potential for a lot more people to watch cycling again but the drugs issue hangs over the sport like a bad smell and seems to overshadow anything positive about it (in the eyes of the public).Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
The latest Armstrong accusations another damaging blow :mad:
for me Contador was caught cheating. He shouldnt be cycling. The contaminated meat thing is a bit unrealistic. He also had plasticisers in his blood(as far as I remember). Have no doubt he would still be a top rider without drugs but dont think he would be so dominating. Think everyone desrves the benefit of the doubt but not in this case where he has been caught.
On a brighter note - is it just schleck or contador for tour? anyone think any other contenders? Basso?
Nicolas Roche just tweeted
"For a quick update on my race program:
Dauphine, irish champs, tdf, san sebastien, vuelta"
Good news
Kinda under pressure now, given Gadret's performance in the Giro.
I agree, but I also think there's a lot of hypocrisy from sportsfans about cycling/ doping. No one bats and eyelid at a footballer taking a painkilling injection - in fact they'd be held up as hero for being so committed - yet that'd be a failed test and 2 year ban and endless stories about how fecked the sport is, if it was a cyclist.Quote:
Originally Posted by the 12 th man
There's as many stories/ rumours about football (and other sports) being linked to the very same doctors at the centre of many of the cycling doping programmes, but that information appears to be surpressed. And those allegations have been leveled at the best, most skillful team in the world ever too, and no one even questions could it be true and whether it could be to their advantage. There's been the allegations in Italy too that even went as far as trials, and I've read that one of the players in a recent enough world cup final had a hematocrit level of 60% - that's Riis level ffs!
I know it's a whataboutery defence, it just pees me off - until all sports have the same testing procedures, we won't know whether cycling is really the basket case of the sports world it is assumed to be.
Maybe but Roche was 7th in a more talented Vuelta field so its not like he's lacking his own chops. And, of course, his whole season seems set around the tour for the first timeQuote:
Originally Posted by Macy
Roche was right up there throughout in the first stage of the Dauphine.. came in 5th in a very fragmented field. Not a big mountain stage but good to see him going well.
Martin was 25th, 54 seconds down.
I reckon soccer & rugby union are weak on doping.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macy
A year before the 2007 RWC the NZ team had a training camp and they publicised it by relaesing photos, designed to initimidate the other teams. The players were all absolutely ripped. I immediately thought they looked like American gym fanatics who all take Human Growth Hormone.
Is that true re-pain killing injections? Would they fail a cycling doping test?
I think the suspicion with Contador is that he was blood doping. He infused himself with a sample of his own blood that had been refrigerated, but the offending subtance (chlenbuterol?) hadn't fully removed itself from his blood when he froze it. He's doubly tainted anyway, because his initials were on a blood doping list found in Operation Puerto I think.
A real shame. US track & field is riddled with doping abuse I'm sure. The whole of the US fitness business is.
Roche 9th today and up to 5th in GC. No word on Martin yet. Edit- Martin lost nearly 8 minutes. Ouch.
It'll be interesting to see how they go in the big mountains.
Wonder what happened Martin. Must've been caught behind a crash as a few good riders in that group (his nominal leader Zabriskie included).
Could he have just been on domestique duties?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Roche was 43rd in today's time trial and is down to 16th overall. Martin 90th today and 118th overall.
Roche promising aggression in the mountains via Twitter.
Yeah, that's why I mentioned Zabriskie. Could be freed up for the mountains now tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Macy
He has no choice now but to be aggressive, he will never achieve his ambitions as a team leader unless his TT's improve.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr A