Bro Deal said:The numbers do not lie. LeMond placed 39th overall in the 1989 Giro. He did not suddenly gain a hundred places in the last few days of the Giro. He was not riding with the top riders for most of the Giro, but he was hardly fighting off the broom wagon.
You are the one who is alleging that LeMond took drugs to miraculously turn his form around overnight, so what did he take? You tinfoil hatters are always claiming EPO use, but EPO takes weeks to have a large effect.
When you ride throughout the first half of the year and you're always off the back or don't finish then form isn't good. He had a few 'ok' rides but that was about it.
When you're talking about quitting the sport you know things are really bad.
When you're dropped on all the mountain stages and do very poorly in the prologue and the first time trial of the Giro but 'mystically' come back for a podium finish in the final time trial then something, somewhere happened. Now, from what I remember from interviews back in 89, Greg recieved iron and B12 shots from his soigneur because he was aenemic - however, despite the fact that iron shots are much more effective that iron tablets and B12 can be given in huge doses, this wouldn't be enough to counter the stresses places upon the body in a Grand Tour, even if you were fit and healthy. Even sat at home resting, its at least a 'few weeks' process to recover from a condition like that - I've been there and done that, been down the docs a few times a week for the ol' shots.
Gregs' increase in performance from a few shots of vitamins and iron in the hiney does not compute. Insinuate from that what you will...
... and yes, I thought the same way back in 89. Way before you started equating any topic on doping to have a reference to Armstrong.
EPO might take weeks but there's always transfusions...