Valverde Banned for 2 years



swampy1970 said:
I swear these people are worse than the useless dolts that work in local government.

Thats a pretty mean insult to those who work in the public sector at the local level. I have several friends that work for local governments and they are some of the most well-rested people I know....:)
 
sopas said:
I think the difference between doping in cycling and doping in other sports is that cycling is a 99% physical sport, soccer for example it does not matter that much whether you can run fast as long as you know how to play well. Formula 1, golf, tennis, even swimming require a technic. you can be very fit but you NEED to master that technic. Look at tennis for example, Federer is not the strongest guy, but he has such natural talent that allows him to sometimes defeat a beast like Nadal.

Now, Cycling is different becuase technic is not that important. The problem with cycling is that unlike most other sports, right now, it does not matter how much talent you have, because if you don't dope, you can not compete. This was not the case before EPO entered the scene in the early 90's. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, doping existed as well, but it did not make life impossible to honest people with talent. They had a chance before, but not now. That's the big problem.

In every aspect in life not only sports, there is always people trying to cheat, OK that's life. But could you imagine for example that all policemen, or all teachers, or all, enginners were corrupt cheaters??? Well, that currently happens in cycling and it is sad.

No technique in cycling... Hmmmm. I must remember that when going down hill at 60mph in the rain. Step away from the keyboard and spend a bit more time on the bike. No technique = as$ in ditch somewhere down the road.

I used to swim competitively as a kid and later on in life I was a regional Sport Car Club of America regional champion in my class - I'd say your analogies on both motorsports and swimming are way off. If anything motorsports is just like descending on a bike with a different type of physical effort - and if you're running a street tire class like I was then it's basically all about just staying calm and pointing the car in the right direction. Kart racing... that's just downright brutal fun.
 
What's odd to me in this is the number of people speaking out against the ban. I mean come on, a bag of Valverde's blood, full of PEDs was found in the clinic of a known doping doctor. How more cut and dried can you get? Do you want a video of Valverde extracting and reinserting the blood??
 
Eldrack said:
What's odd to me in this is the number of people speaking out against the ban. I mean come on, a bag of Valverde's blood, full of PEDs was found in the clinic of a known doping doctor. How more cut and dried can you get? Do you want a video of Valverde extracting and reinserting the blood??

Was that bag actually verified as his - or was it just rumoured that way? It's been that long and that much 'he said, she said', who really knows...

The only thing that p1sses me off about this was the length of time it took to reach a conclusive decision.
 
Eldrack said:
What's odd to me in this is the number of people speaking out against the ban. I mean come on, a bag of Valverde's blood, full of PEDs was found in the clinic of a known doping doctor. How more cut and dried can you get? Do you want a video of Valverde extracting and reinserting the blood??

Keeping a rider hooked for such long time has been humiliating. The ban itself is humiliating.
 
sopas said:
1. soccer for example it does not matter that much whether you can run fast as long as you know how to play well.

2. The problem with cycling is that unlike most other sports, right now, it does not matter how much talent you have, because if you don't dope, you can not compete.

Maybe in Spain but pace is very much part of the English game. I know of one top striker who had fitness problems and his uncle posted on a public forum that he was off to Europe to get a blood transfusion to help him recover quicker. Sound familiar?

So a cycling brain (natural talent for knowing when to put in the effort, make a succesful break, chase a wheel in a sprint, descend, handle a bike to avoid trouble etc.) is not a good thing to have? Tell that to Sastre, Contador, Cavendish & Armstrong.

Doping is an aid to talent not a replacement for it.
 

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