Professional Cycling For the Fans - Contador, doped or not?

Vo2 max is very misunderstood by many people and this proves it. The highest VO2 max every recorded, to my knowledge, was a northern european cross country skier who measured 96 ml/kg/min during the off season. It was very possible for this athlete to measure in the 100's after training for the season. And there is no way that LeMond would know enough about Contador's physiology to say what type of exersion level he was at. An athlete with a VO2 max in the high 80's could be faster than one in the low or high 90's, its all about muscles, lactate threshold, etc. etc.

From watching the tour, I think he was on the juice... No proof, just my hunch. I hope that he was/is not, but it would definitely not surprise me one bit if he was.

lemonds off his rocker anyways

It comes across to me as a just a goofy statement. It's like some guy out at the airport with his calculator proving that planes can't fly. If you want to prove someone is cheating in some way, you look for the cheat in question. You don't just sit on the sideline and claim "They're impossibly good, therefore, they must be cheating." People thought it was impossible to run a 4-minute mile until it was done.

From watching the tour, I think he was on the juice... No proof, just my hunch. I hope that he was/is not, but it would definitely not surprise me one bit if he was.

How on earth do you arrive at that conclusion besides the fact that he won?

Anyway, since we've devolved into doping speculation I'm kicking this over to Pro Cycling where the real mayhem can begin.

Not sure if you guys went over this already and I refuse to read through this junk thread to find out, but a lot of you are saying he got a blood clot in the brain and that this was a sign of EPO usage. I had a Velonews from earlier in the year with an article about him sitting by the ****ter, I opened it yesterday and read this.

"Take for instance his brush with death. One of his brothers suffers cerebral cavernoma and is confined to a wheelchair: it is a congenital condition that almost cost Contador his life. The condition causes brain hemorrhages and potentially strokes which are often preceded by severe headaches like the ones Contador was suffering from just days before the 2004 Vuelta a Asturias in northern Spain..."

Velonews January 2009

Just sayin'.

Fair enough. Previous comments retracted. I'll still have my suspicions, but blood clots won't be the argument.

After all those juiced riders that came before Contador, its just too easy to assume guilt. Cycling as a whole has a lot of damage control to do until innocence can be assumed before guilt in the court of public opinion.

Oy. Thanks for dumping this here.

merged with the already existing thread.

If AC who is a 137 lb scrawny guy can beat Fabu the fabulous 175lb time trialing master in a 40k time trial, he could've ridden up those climbs twice as fast as he did, but he didn't want to look like Basso did when Basso won the Giro by like 20 minutes. AC should've practiced his pain face more, cause he looked like he wasn't even breathing hard compared to Andy and Frank.

Botto, that's beautiful.

By "viper" I think you mean Ricco the "Snake" who was dubbed the "Worm" after getting caught doping. his mountain hero was another doper who's name I don't recall.

And by "snake" I think you mean "The Cobra":crash:

Yeah and Wiggins is a natural climber too :roflmao2:

You know, with the power he makes from his track riding (want to get big power ride a fixie often) and his loss of weight, yeah, he's a climber.

What's funny about your post is the fact that you have no idea what you are talking about,

None. But you are in very good company.

That's about it.

I've been looking for a racing forum that is less Armstrong/TDF centric and where every other thread is not about doping.


The Daily Peloton. And if you want to discuss the doping stuff, there is a spearate forum for that. And if you don't know what you are talking about (like the majority of people here for example) they'll warn you, then just boot you for being stupid.

Same with the racing forum.

WTF is your point?

That your post is foolish. That your thinking your opinion in this matter has relevance is hilarious.

Before you have a book, you have to understand the subject.

And his name is Contador.

Clear enough?

Lemond also said that Contador had an unfair advanage as he's never been shot in the back by his brother in law.

LMAO...

Well played.

Not sure if you guys went over this already and I refuse to read through this junk thread to find out, but a lot of you are saying he got a blood clot in the brain and that this was a sign of EPO usage. I had a Velonews from earlier in the year with an article about him sitting by the ****ter, I opened it yesterday and read this.

"Take for instance his brush with death. One of his brothers suffers cerebral cavernoma and is confined to a wheelchair: it is a congenital condition that almost cost Contador his life. The condition causes brain hemorrhages and potentially strokes which are often preceded by severe headaches like the ones Contador was suffering from just days before the 2004 Vuelta a Asturias in northern Spain..."

Velonews January 2009

Just sayin'.


Yeah, I posted actual facts a couple pages back from where your post is. Good that you brought it up again.

I hope some of these people are better at whatever they seem to be able to eek out as a living than they are at understanding this sport.

Geez...

You know, with the power he makes from his track riding (want to get big power ride a fixie often) and his loss of weight, yeah, he's a climber.

What's funny about your post is the fact that you have no idea what you are talking about,

None. But you are in very good company.


That your post is foolish. That your thinking your opionion in this matter has relevance is hilarious.

Before you have a book, you have to understand the subject.

And his name is Contador.

Clear enough?

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/5838804/2/istockphoto_5838804-shooting-fish-in-a-barrel.jpg

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/5838804/2/istockphoto_5838804-shooting-fish-in-a-barrel.jpg

Yeah...I know.

It's therapeutic.

And by "snake" I think you mean "The Cobra":crash:

Exactly!

The Daily Peloton. And if you want to discuss the doping stuff, there is a spearate forum for that. And if you don't know what you are talking about (like the majority of people here for example) they'll warn you, then just boot you for being stupid.

Same with the racing forum.

How do you explain the continued presence of Campy Bob and Ali over there then?:roflmao2:

How do you explain the continued presence of Campy Bob and Ali over there then?:roflmao2:

It's comedic relief.

It's a little known fact that one must have a certain # of subject challenged people on a forum. Congress has ruled.

Note how they are treated.

They are "pets" in a weird sort of way.