Road Bike Racing - French Scientist says TDF can be won without doping

And without any actual scientific reasoning, she says it can be done without doping.

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/07/1998454.htm?section=world


Veronique Billat, who established a laboratory near Paris which studies sports physiology, said that notion was unfair to a great many riders who trained intelligently.

She said even though Rasmussen went faster than seven-times winner Lance Armstrong on one of the climbs during the race (Plateau de Beille), it does not necessarily mean he had resorted to doping.

"When a professional cyclist arrives at the bottom of a hill, he has often not put in a lot of effort beforehand. It's a little bit like a hiker who walks for several hours and then, at the end, sprints to catch a bus," she said.

"During an effort of five hours, the riders are prepared to ride at heart rates of 110/120 beats per minute (low effort) with their team-mates but at the end of a race they put in a maximum effort.

She, of course, says nothing of how an un-doped Rider's "maximum effort" could be equal or greater than that of a doping rider who has also been resting in the peloton. Which of course is the heart of the question.

Two keywords in there: "French" and "laboratory".

I'm beginning to think the bullet train coming out of France is like Shakespeare coming out of a room full of monkeys at typewriters.

Heh. Not by the French it can't...

Heh. Not by the French it can't...


At least the French took a stand and cleaned up their sport. How many Frenchies have you seen get busted since the '98 Festina scandal? There is a reason one of the biggest countries in the sport is never at the top of the results page.

Veronique Billat is very well known in running circles for her work in exercise physiology. Try Googling her. She's had some innovative methods for increasing a subject's VO2Max.

Try Googling her.

Hey, pal, let's keep it clean. This is a family-friendly site.

At least the French took a stand and cleaned up their sport. How many Frenchies have you seen get busted since the '98 Festina scandal? There is a reason one of the biggest countries in the sport is never at the top of the results page.

Thus disproving Mlle. Billat's thesis...

Thus disproving Mlle. Billat's thesis...

That doesn't disprove anything, only that the French haven't won since Festina. There are so many reasons it doesn't prove it. The two really don't have much to do with each other at all.

Wow, that was an amazingly stupid article.

Wow, that was an amazingly stupid article.

yeah, if you know anything about cycling.

seems written for the layperson who doesn't know about tactics.

yeah, if you know anything about cycling.

seems written for the layperson who doesn't know about tactics.

It's still stupid, because none of her "evidence" supports the conclusion.

Veronique Billat is very well known in running circles for her work in exercise physiology. Try Googling her. She's had some innovative methods for increasing a subject's VO2Max.

That may be the case. her claims here are still not backed up by anything she said.

That doesn't disprove anything, only that the French haven't won since Festina. There are so many reasons it doesn't prove it. The two really don't have much to do with each other at all.

Rule #1: French bashing is always fun.
Rule #2: Even if it flies in the face of reason, see Rule #1.

There are a lot of Discovery fans that would agree with her.

There are a lot of Discovery fans that would agree with her.

And some Aussie's who wouldn't...

Of the guys who have won the Tour de France in each of the past fifteen years, exactly how many ever were suspended, after a full hearing, for "doping" that occurred during their career?

To assume EVERY guy who won the Tour de France was doping is directly contrary to the results of thousands and thousands of tests taking by guys who won and never failed an "official" test during their career.

Of the three guys on the podium in Paris two weeks ago, how many ever failed an "official" test in their racing career? The answer is zero, isn't it?

Of the guys who have won the Tour de France in each of the past fifteen years, exactly how many ever were suspended, after a full hearing, for "doping" that occurred during their career?

To assume EVERY guy who won the Tour de France was doping is directly contrary to the results of thousands and thousands of tests taking by guys who won and never failed an "official" test during their career.

Of the three guys on the podium in Paris two weeks ago, how many ever failed an "official" test in their racing career? The answer is zero, isn't it?

They can afford the best doctors.

Of the three guys on the podium in Paris two weeks ago, how many ever failed an "official" test in their racing career? The answer is zero, isn't it?

Wait, so now you're on Rasmussen's side?

Wow, that was an amazingly stupid article.

At least it was short.

Of the guys who have won the Tour de France in each of the past fifteen years, exactly how many ever were suspended, after a full hearing, for "doping" that occurred during their career?

To assume EVERY guy who won the Tour de France was doping is directly contrary to the results of thousands and thousands of tests taking by guys who won and never failed an "official" test during their career.

Of the three guys on the podium in Paris two weeks ago, how many ever failed an "official" test in their racing career? The answer is zero, isn't it?

Not sayig they are all doping but your argument is wrong. Here' why: when Operation Puerto broke, ad it was proven that a number of cyclists were doping with Fuentes' help, how many of them had failed a drug test? ZERO.