Another unexpected big Phonak result! hmmm...

Originally Posted by hombredesubaru

Oscar Pereiro continues the Hamilton tradition at Romandie.
Any guesses how?
Any takers?
Look at his palmares.
turned pro just a few years ago, almost no wins except oh wait, Classique des Alpes last year in Phonak's big run up before the Tour de France.
Now, who shows up out of the blue and storms to a win in Classique with no previous results?

Originally Posted by Virenque

Why unexpected? Check last year`s Tour and Vuelta results..

Originally Posted by Blaze_UK

10th overall in the Tour de France and 6th in the prologue. Seems like the kind of guy who could realistically win a TT in Romandy to me.

Originally Posted by frenk

Don't forget that Phonak is a Swiss team, and want/has to do well in Switzerland.
Seems normal to me.

Originally Posted by Laggard

Shut up, Flyer.

Why do you hate cycling so?

Originally Posted by Flyer

Would that be the 'getting your meds right' corner?

Botero is a surprise winner, not because he is not a 'talented stage race-style rider' but rather, his meds have not been 'correct' for several years. Perhaps he and his medical team found a new method?

Finally, redemption with a victory.

Put some 'Actovegin on that road rash' Ouch!.

No hope w/o the dope!

Originally Posted by Flyer

Get a grasp on reality pal: Wake up and accept the IV feed. Speaking out on the menace which fools many into accepting a commercial fraud is not a waste of time.

Envy drug addicts? You worship them, not I.

Loser, I guess it depends on the definition. I have won dozens of bicycle races; 1) on the track, 2) road races, 3) hilly circuit races 4) criteriums 5) mountain bike, no time trials, however.

So too with motorcycles, in various different types of events. Plenty of victories there too.

Insider awareness of how professional endurance athletes prepare in no way disqualifies me as being passionate about sport---cycling in particular.

I suppose Greg Lemond is another loser in your book. If so, I am in great company!

Insofar as doing a 21 day stage race (Tour de France) at a speed average of 42 kph---that just proves the medical practice of doping. Hein Verbruggen (UCI chief) has said publicly---if the public wanted a Tour de France at a speed average of 25 kph----we would not need dope.

But the pubic seems to want a 42 kph speed---and that is why doping is required.

So, it is your attitude which is squarely to blame.

Go back into your clowdy haze.

Originally Posted by Flyer

(...)
Insider awareness of how professional endurance athletes prepare in no way disqualifies me as being passionate about sport---cycling in particular.
(...)

Originally Posted by Flyer

Winning a bicycling or motorcycle race does should not determine whether one is a winner of loser in life.

People who race alot, have the most obvious chances to improve and learn how to win a race.

Phonak won't change it's doping tune, merely the pretence of compliance. Botero for Hamilton.

If they are all on drugs---then cheating may be the wrong context. But the doping is still wrong.

The problem with all commercial funded sports----is that many fans never participated in them except in elementary school. These folks know nothing of how the 'sausages are made' so to speak---and yet they speak with absolute authority that doping is not a problem.

It is. And it is a massive and perverse one.

From doping we can quickly morph into other forms of commercial and coporate deceptions and fraud. Once a professional 'winning at all cost' attitude is accepted, chaos follows.

In 2003 & 2004 procycling was more embarassed and exposed for the dirty secrets it lied about since the 1998 Festina & TVM arrests.

The 1999 Lance Armstrong 'miracle comeback' distracted everyone from Marco Panatani's scandalous win (half the field quit) to another commercial story 'cancer recovery'. (Pantani could not defend his Tour de France title because of his 1999 Giro blood problem DQ)

While that Cancer Recovery story saved the Tour de France and made Lance Armstrong an Icon---it did nothing to stop doping in cycling. In fact, it ignited it to new levels, whilst switching the focus away from what would later be learned at the Lille Trial in October 2000.

Michele Ferrari is a hero in the performance blood doping community and his malpractice conviction is a badge of honor to him.

To answer your question, I go where the fire is. I follow the smoke to professional sport---that's where you will discover a 'pharmacy of wheels'.

The fire is doping, cheating, fraud, cover-ups abusing themes of goodness.

btw: not close to 1,000 posts yet.