Stage 16 TDF - Wednesday, July 25: Orthez - Gourette - Col d’Aubisque, 218.5km

[Crankyfeet]

Nah.. I d rather see the tour clean. But bashing on the current jersey is mainly fighting a symptom. Its not fighting the problem.

If you want to clean up doping it will need to be enforced from above, really enforced. It would require a fundamental change in regime to be able to do that.

If that doesnt happen then yeah.. You're 15 year old son will enter the Lions den which is professional cycling if he has the talent. And he will indeed be forced to join te circus and the common practice.

Anyway bashing whatever guy is in yellow doesnt help and doesnt solve anything. And dont be ignorant enough to believe taht if ras would be out that the current jersey would not have an air of doping around him as well. All yellow did/do and will if things dont change big time. Anyway dont shoot the symptom.

I agree. Raz is not the total problem. But he gets the most reward. And denies the rightful winner, wherever he is in the order, from receiving his just acclaim. The commentary just laud it over the guys like Raz who robo-ride up the slopes, and can jump around like whippets when the other boys are struggling to hang on. But who knows if instead of being described like wheel-sucking skirts, guys like Cadel and Levi, might be wearing yellow and winning a few mountain stages if the race was truly clean.

I can still remember Liggett saying "Go Alexander" as Vino made a public relations, TV spotlight, non-sensical break of 60 yards from the peleton 3km out on one of the recent flat stages. People and commentators love these ego-maniacal crazy-break and doped-up in some cases riders. I second the Cofididis DS opinion - He is just a ******* (and others like him).

By the way - not saying that Cadel and Levi are clean - just using them hypothetically to illustrate a point.

 

[Trajectum]

It isnt hatred, it is cynisism and anger at the sport I love best being in jeopardy of dying. If I and everyone else were unaware of how much doping was going on, I would still be there on the edge of my seat. Problem is that we do know, and so to sponsors, and other fans, and race organizers, and the fact is that withour the money generated by selling sponsorship, we will have to watch golf. I have nothing against golf, but I love cycling and want it to remain a viable sport for advertisers and television. I was a fan in the days of no internet, and no Armstrong, having to go to the news stand to get an out of town paper to find out what the top 10 of yesterdays stage was, with no commentary.

I love the sport, and the soner the riders and teams realize that they are doing nothing but destroying themselves, the sooner an era where dopers are ostrasized by their fellow riders. We need to go back to the days of having Silca pumps so that you can shove it into the front spokes. Or the dopers are afraid of hearing that click sound right before their handlebars are kicked at the bar end.

Actually I was referring to the hatred of docter house not yours. And yeh i agree that its a pitty that the doping circus is overshadowing the actual race nowadays. It is bad for the sport and something needs to be done. Doping has always been around and the tour has always doped but nowadays doping has a too important role. It would be great if they can eliminate it.

But if they are truly serious about it the whole system has to change. testing must be greatly improved, riders should wear a gps throughout the whole year, penalties should go greatly up (lifetime ban plus several year salaries), team doctors should be employed by the UCI, etc. etc. whatever.. A big change.. It is possible but not the way it is now, not with the current system. In teh current system its still the case that all dope. and taht you need to dope to be able to content. Sad but true

 

[stilesiii]

I do not understand why some of you guys even watch. If you are so convinced they are all doped, why support the event and the cyclist by watching?

Geez, if a guy looks at something and says, "hey the glass is half full", he's a kool aid drinker.

I refuse to believe a person is guilty of something until it is proven. Accusations by another person of anything is not proof.

For instance, If I claim that thoughtforfood offered me some bovine blood products for the Duatholon I got in October, does that make it so?

I'm all for increasing the dope detecting testing. I think the sport should be clean and I hope all the cheats are caught.

I think if a guy test positive and the positive is confirmed, he should be banned for life. But, I do not see the benefits of furthering rumors and innuendo.

If Rasmussen test positive and it is confirmed, I will be the first person hear to call for his banishmnet. However, I am not going to sit around and hope for it, instead I'm going to try and enjoy what has been one of the best Tours in recent memory.

What a great battle in the Pyrenees. Contador, Rasmussen, Leipheimer what a classic three stages.

 

[Crankyfeet]

I do not understand why some of you guys even watch. If you are so convinced they are all doped, why support the event and the cyclist by watching?

Geez, if a guy looks at something and says, "hey the glass is half full", he's a kool aid drinker.

I refuse to believe a person is guilty of something until it is proven. Accusations by another person of anything is not proof.

For instance, If I claim that thoughtforfood offered me some bovine blood products for the Duatholon I got in October, does that make it so?

I'm all for increasing the dope detecting testing. I think the sport should be clean and I hope all the cheats are caught.

I think if a guy test positive and the positive is confirmed, he should be banned for life. But, I do not see the benefits of furthering rumors and innuendo.

If Rasmussen test positive and it is confirmed, I will be the first person hear to call for his banishmnet. However, I am not going to sit around and hope for it, instead I'm going to try and enjoy what has been one of the best Tours in recent memory.

What a great battle in the Pyrenees. Contador, Rasmussen, Leipheimer what a classic three stages.

I think most everyone hear loves cycling. They just want the Pro Tour to get to point B as quick as possible. That is a highly efficient, tested (including random testing throughout the year) and controlled, clean, field. It might be pie-in-the-sky, but we are never going to get to point B unless we pull our head out of the sand, villify the cheaters, and stamp down as hard as we can. We owe it to the guys racing clean and the young riders of the future.

 

[Eagle of Toledo]

Getting back to the stage (if that's at all possible) but I reckon the two heros of the day were Soler and Sastre. They struck out early on a long break and still managed high finishes.

 

[Klodifan]

Getting back to the stage (if that's at all possible) but I reckon the two heros of the day were Soler and Sastre. They struck out early on a long break and still managed high finishes.

ita

 

[existence]

O.. I am sorry.. I didnt realize that your opinion was the final and ultimate answer on this forum. My humble apologies go out to you my master, please accept my kissing your feet as a first gesture.

Hail

What was needed to be done was done.

 

[cyclingheroes]

Picture gallery stage 16, Orthez - Col d'Aubisque (5 pages)http://www.cyclingheroes.info/id790.html