Cycling 2013

Depends really. Wiggins is cute enough and may well ride the first few stages. Nibali in with a shout alright. Won’t suit the little South American though. I just don’t think nibali will hold up over the whole tour.

No he could be 5 minutes down by the first rest day. Nico will do alright as well.

Please God he will. I wonder how would he go at sky. I really do.

This is kind of a big deal…

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hesjedal-admits-to-doping-says-evidence-was-given-to-usada

[quote=“Thrawneen, post: 853737, member: 129”]This is kind of a big deal…

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hesjedal-admits-to-doping-says-evidence-was-given-to-usada[/quote]
Don’t really see it as such to be honest. He doped long before he joined Garmin and fact he admitted to it should be applauded. Stark contrast between how Garmin deal with doping and how Sky deal with it. Garmin are proactive whereas Sky are all about PR.

Where is the proactivity in being outed by Rasmussen?

He told USADA he doped a year ago.

Exactly! Jaysis, larry! :rolleyes:

Ah come on.

This could be endgame for me and cycling now. I’ll still watch it but like the nihilists in the Big Lebowski, I’ll believe in nothing.

[quote=“Thrawneen, post: 853790, member: 129”]Ah come on.

This could be endgame for me and cycling now. I’ll still watch it but like the nihilists in the Big Lebowski, I’ll believe in nothing.[/quote]
So do you think USADA are lying?

I hardly care at this stage, to be quite honest. The whole thing stinks.

Amuses me and frustrates me in equal measure when people say they’ll stop following cycling now that emerges that riders in current peloton were on the juice in the Armstrong era. In some ways sport would look lot better if omertà over that period still existed. Fact that Garmin rider doped before he joined the team has nothing to do with credibility of his performances now. I’d be astonished if Hesjedal/Danielson/Martin/Farrar doped while at Garmin.

Well either you believe USADA,Garmin and Hesjedal are all telling porkies or else you believe them. I have confidence in all three and would be very dubious that USADA are making up lies for Hesjedal.

Whilst I have no evidence, (beyond some great riding by them where they beat guys I would suspect are doping), I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised. That’s what following cycling since 1998 has done to me. False dawn after false dawn.
The title of Willy Voet’s book could not have been more apt. I don’t think the chain will ever be broken.

[quote=“Thrawneen, post: 853809, member: 129”]Whilst I have no evidence, (beyond some great riding by them where they beat guys I would suspect are doping), I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised. That’s what following cycling since 1998 has done to me. False dawn after false dawn.
The title of Willy Voet’s book could not have been more apt. I don’t think the chain will ever be broken.[/quote]
I like you am an avid cycling fan. I like you was in no doubt that virtually all of the ‘extraordinary performances’ in past 15 years have been down to guys being on the juice. That said there are guys I’d have no doubt about their credentials. Guys like Vaughters who stood up in recent years and spoke out for a clean sport and incurring lot of flack for doing so when the majority were happy to pretend that no such problem existed. Being open about your past is essential if cycling is to move on. When being open some uncomfortable truths will emerge and it may cause many to doubt the present even more. That cannot be allowed to stop truth emerging though. Going down Sky direction of persecuting those with a past and bullshitting about the present will only do damage

I want to believe, I really do. I remember reading Vaughters’ piece in CycleSport about “crossing the line” in races in the USA, his metaphor for doping back in 1999…I want to believe in that guy.

Understand your skeptism but genuinely convinced it’s misplaced as regards Vaughters. As regards some of the remarkable showings in Vuelta and Tour this year I think it’d be foolish to even consider believing in them. Very fact that these stand out and fact Garmin can compete illustrates to me that while sport has still loads to do we have made bit of progress.

He didn’t tell anyone else though, did he? But I’m sure he’s a great guy.

Astonished is a big word, Larry. The entire sport is built on lies.

He told USADA,Garmin.