Pro Tour/ Euro/Whatever road thread

Watching Vino being interviewed on his bike on Rai. He is utter battered, can barely string words together. (Tbf only seconds over the line but he didn't look happy)

What a crazy day. That must have been awful for the likes of Evans and Basso: the longest stage of the race, non-stop pouring rain, and knowing that you're about to drop right down GC and there's nothing you can do about it.

that was a great stage - TDF is going to have to go some to beat this. (will be at stage 4 this year - Cambrai to Reims)

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/imageBank/g/giro_2010_st_11_EVANS_FINISH.jpg

that's a broken man right there - great photo btw

ok that photo is hilarious and amazing

looks like a dude that ~seen thru time~

srsly just lookin at his stupid face is making me lol here in the library

loooooooool aw be nice to him

The difference between that and the strade bianche one upthread is incredible.

Saw the highlight of ToC in the bar this evening and I can't get over how wide the roads are and it seems to change the sprints a lot. So much more room to work with. I think Cav was tricked into going to early.

so Floyd Landis huh

oh boy

just came here to post that

criminy

2002: I was instructed on how to use Testosterone patches by Johan Bruyneel
during the During the Dauphine Libere in June, after which I flew on a
helicopter with Mr Armstrong from the finish, I believe Grenoble, to San
Mauritz Switzerland at which point I was personally handed a box of 2.5 mg
patches in front of his wife who witnessed the exchange. About a week
later, Dr Ferrari performed an extraction of half a liter of blood to be
transfused back into me during the Tour de France. Mr Armstrong was not
witness to the extraction but he and I had lengthy discussions about it on
our training rides during which time he also explained to me the evolution
of EPO testing and how transfusions were now necessary due to the
inconvenience of the new test. He also divulged to me at that time that in
the first year that the EPO test was used he had been told by Mr Ferrari,
who had access to the new test, that he should not use EPO anymore but he
did not believe Mr Farrari and contin
ued to use it. He later, while winning the Tour de Swiss, the month before
the Tour de France, tested positive for EPO at which point he and Mr
Bruyneel flew to the UCI headquarters and made a financial agreement with
Mr. Vrubrugen to keep the positive test hidden.

2003: After a broken hip in the winter, I flew to Gerona Spain where this
time two units (half a liter each) were extracted three weeks apart. This
took place in the apartment in which Mr. Armstrong lived and in which I was
asked to stay and check the blood temperature every day. It was kept in a
small refrigerator in the closet allong with the blood of Mr Armstrong and
George Hincapie and since Mr. Armstrong was planning on being gone for a few
weeks to train he asked me to stay in his place and make sure the
electricity didn't turn off or something go wrong with the referigerator.
Then during the Tour de France the entire team, on two different occasions
went to the room that we were told and the doctor met us there to do the
transfusions. During that Tour de France I personally witnessed George
Hincapie, Lance Armstrong, Chechu Rubiera, and myself receiving blood
transfusions. Also during that Tour de France the team doctor would give my
room mate, George Hincapie an
d I a small syringe of olive oil in which was disolved andriol, a form of
ingestible testosterone on two out of three nights throughout the duration.

I was asked to ride the Vuelta a Espana that year in support of Roberto
Heras and in August, between the Tour and the Vuelta, was told to take EPO
to raise my hematocrit back up so more blood transfusions could be
performed. I was instructed to go to Lances place by Johan Bruyneel and get
some EPO from him. The first EPO I ever used was then handed to me in the
entry way to his building in full view of his then wife. It was Eprex by
brand and it came in six pre measured syringes. I used it intravenously for
several weeks before the next blood draw and had no problems with the tests
during the Vuelta. Also during this time it was explained to me how to use
Human Growth Hormone by Johan Bruyneel and I bought what I needed from Pepe
the team "trainer" who lived in Valencia along with the team doctor at that
time. While training for that Vuelta I spent a good deal of time training
with Matthew White and Michael Barry and shared the testosterone and EPO
that we had and discu
ssed the use thereof while training.

Again, during the Vuelta we were given Andriol and blood transfusions by the
team doctor and had no problems with any testing.

2004: Again the team performed two seperate blood transfusions on me, but
this time Bruyneel had become more paranoid and we did the draws by flying
to Belgium and meeting at an unknown persons appartment and the blood was
brought by "Duffy" who was at that time Johans assistant of sorts. The
second of which was performed on the team bus on the ride from the finish of
a stage to the hotel during which the driver pretended to have engine
trouble and stopped on a remote mountain road for an hour or so so the
entire team could have half a liter of blood added. This was the only time
that I ever saw the entire team being transfused in plain view of all the
other riders and bus driver. That team included Lance Armstrong, George
Hincapie and I as the only Americans.

2005: I had learned at this point how to do most of the transfusion
technicals and other things on my own so I hired Allen Lim as my assistant
to help with details and logistics. He helped Levi Leipheimer and I prepare
the transfusions for Levi and I and made sure they were kept at the proper
temperature. We both did two seperate transfusions that Tour however my
hematocrit was too low at the start so I did my first one a few days before
the start so as to not start with a deficit.

2006: Well you get the idea....... One thing of great signigicance is that
I sat down with Andy Riis and explained to him what was done in the past and
what was the risk I would be taking and ask for his permission which he
granted in the form of funds to complete the operation described. John
Lelangue was also informed by me and Andy Riis consulted with Jim Ochowitz
before agreeing.

There are many many more details that I have in diaries and am in the
process of writing into an intelligible story but since the position of USA
Cycling is that there have not been enough details shared to justify calling
USADA, I am writing as many as I can reasonably put into an email and share
with you so as to ascertain what is the process which USA Cycling uses to
proceed with such allegations.

Look forward to much more detail as soon as you can demonstrate that you can
be trusted to do the right thing.

Floyd Landis

UCI president Pat McQuaid said: "What's his agenda? The guy is seeking revenge. It's sad, it's sad for cycling. It's obvious he does hold a grudge.

"He already made those accusations in the past. I have to question the guy's credibility. There is no proof of what he says. We are speaking about a guy who has been condemned for doping before a court."

Hurrah for the UCI! Pat McQuaid is the man to clean up cycling.

ha btw my teammate wrote the WSJ article

Dr Ferrari performed an extraction of half a liter of blood to be
transfused back into me during the Tour de France.

sounds like some xmen shit

a bit annoyed at ESPN taking a part in the sensationalizing of this--they don't even cover cycling

Complain! I did this when Sky Sports News covered the original Landis accusations - sent an email.... hang on, may even still have it -

How come you didn't report anything about the Tour de France this year and last year you didn't even mention Lance Armstrong's record win, but as soon as you get a nice, sensationalist story about Floyd Landis taking drugs you have a change of policy? I always thought you were Sky Sports first and news later, but you have proved me wrong.

So I sent that - and now look! They went and bought a goddam team.

http://www.cycle-smart.com/blog/2010/05/20/pretty-boy-floyd

http://nyvelocity.com/content/toto/2010/toto-turns-184#comment-75298

Cutty/Hunter/Shasta etc.
Broadly speaking, what proportion of American cycling fans believe(d) that Landis was innocent and had won the 2006 Tour clean?
And what proportion think that Armstrong was clean during his Tour wins?

bye lance

"American cycling fans"

Very few believe any cyclists are clean.

with Floyd i remember watching 06TdF on TV Landis coming back with a massive effort on stage 17 the day after bonking on stage 16 and the announcer (Ligget maybe?) just ranting and raving something like: "This man is superhuman, I have never seen such a valiant effort in my life, he has literally clawed his way back into contention" and all this other hyperbole that in retrospect is pretty lol.

with Lance, I never thought he was clean* but could see how he was given a free pass because he was a superstar and worth million$$$ to procycling and the governing body is way too corrupt for him to catch any heat. *i've heard theories that the type of testicular cancer he had very early in his career can be associated with steroid/ growth hormone abuse.

with Big George, Levi, and DZnutz it's a little harder to process (too soon)... but i always felt a little bad for LeMond but that wanes whenever he starts getting whiny like a little bitch.

if landis was only on test during stage 17 its still the greatest cycling exploit ive ever seen. otoh, if he was blood doping, its merely completely fucking astounding. otooh, what a dick.

^^^^otm

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-radioshack-reveal-further-emails-from-landis

Andrew,

Thank you for clarifying the position of the Tour of California on these subjects. I just wanted to be sure that I gave you the opportunity to be involved in cleaning up cycling as I have with so many in positions of power such as Steve Johnson and Jim Ochowitz but as I expected the Tour of California is interested in the status quo as were they and I wish you all luck with that. I certainly understand that my revealing that Lance Armstrong has relied on blood doping, EPO, and anabolics to win the three Tours de France in which I helped him will jeopardize your substantial investment in facilitating his appearance so from a business point of view I understand fully.

this guy is such a maroon

his prose style is... like tubgirl.

impressive dig by wiggo up monte grappa, even better was the camera busting him checking out some fitness chick by the side of the road!!

Was at the middle of the last little quick uphill at the LA TT today. Got a bunch of pictures real close of riders going by. It's amazing to me how clearly you can tell that a certain rider is going faster than others. Some people (Grabsch and Martin in particular) just looked so much faster than the others.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/470339/confusion-over-payment-armstrong-made-to-uci-for-a-sysmex-machine.html

Entertaining final stage of the Amgen tour. Their online race tracker is the business.

wow yes thankig u for the tip

Pat McQuaid is a motherfucker with some dark secrets.

That Zoncolan stage was fantastic. Basso was very impressive - I hope he's clean now. You've got to admire Evans, the way he keeps digging in and fighting on. It really should be between those two for the overall, it will be annoying if the GC gets decided by that weird 50-man break in the pouring rain last week.

RIP Wiggo T_T

Some great photos here

I wonder if Wiggins just blew up or if he deliberately took it easy. He managed to go off the front on the final climb the day before, but not by much and not for long. Maybe he just thought 'fuck it, I'm not going to be able to win this, might as well not blow my chances for the Tour by going all out to get 6th place here'.

can't remember where i read it but his target was wins in both ITTs and just looking to be competitive otherwise.

I've just failed to get any kind of online tv coverage of today's TT, and that includes Flemish audio. Anyone having better luck?

Eurosport player, £3.99 a month well spent.

Loving the helicopter shots into the arches of the Gallarie hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of someone in Lycra.

Tour of Missouri RIP:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/05/news/tour-of-missouri-set-to-cancel-2010-race_118846

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/06/news/cancellara-calls-motorized-bikes-claims-stupid-as-uci-looks-at-scanning-bikes_119452

tbh i almost want that story to be true from a pure lolz standpoint

The "suspicious motion" they focus on is identical to what is known as "shifting into a higher gear" on shimano dura-ace... perhaps the Italians are unfamiliar with the Shimano shifting mechanism?

"He pushes a lever near his brake and suddenly his bicycle accelerates...."

uh...

I agree w/hunter

the included video is incredible on many levels

http://www.gruberassist.com/english/product/product-description/

Product attribute #3:

• Cycling becomes fitness cycling and is thereby healthier

lolwut

healthier for fatteys