Rancid

Such as which drugs or techniques?

In the past and even recently controls lagged behind doping in cycling but the gap is closing. Innocent until proven guilty in my self righteous opinion. Besides don't stage winners and the yellow get tested everyday?and he did win the tour before remember? Could be improved form and maturity along with training this year from lance befoe the season who is a great climber himself.

I'm a realist about our sport. Doping does exist, but so do great moments of athleticism without it.

fauxto nick

Srsly dude, please shut up with that trash.

Lets love our sport.

cooker

I doubt any of them are clean, but remember, Contador is just coming into the prime age range for endurance athletes, who tend to mature around (or after) age 25.

Rancid

+1000

this kind of talk just ruins the tour for me really. I just want to watch people ride bikes. It they dope and get busted then I'll care. For now, I just want to see the race

DeweyJuice

It's impressive how much he can stand up. Very inspiring.

daveF

I don't believe their is a test approved yet that detects autologous blood doping. WADA is working on it & has for a long while. We probably won't know until they announce the first positive just as they did with CERA.

joe@vwvortex

Yeah and Wiggins is a natural climber too

voltman

Team Discovery?

fauxto nick

I think it's people's own poor fitness that galvanizes them to make these accusations so feverishly.

Rancid

no wiggins is a good pursuit rider which grants hi
great endurance for chasing and attacking, applicable intelligence in attacking, and a relatively good climbing build. He's British, and most of them are track, sprint, and pursuit stars before they ever touch mountains.

Being one of the fastest riders in the world in his discipline doesn't mean he'll suck at everything else, especially when it's pursuit.

daveF

Nope, hired to Team Discovery in 07. He was on Liberty Seguros prior to 07. Liberty Seguros folded as a result of Operation Puerto in 06. Their team director Monolo Saiz was linked to Puerto. Vino had gotten a contract with Liberty that year. The team could not contest the TDF because too many of their riders were linked to Puerto including guess who? Alberto Contador of course. The team's license was taken away from Saiz & given to the Kazahkstan Cycling Federation & Astana was born.

daveF

And, especially since he has lost 11 to 15 kg.

telebianchi

Greg? Is that you?

Uncle Jams Army

I wanted to believe Floyd's comeback a day after getting dropped badly was real, too, as it was the most dramatic comeback I had ever seen (even better than Lemond's TT to nail Fignon). I am finding it too difficult to believe a string bean like Contador can smoke Cancellara (Olympic and multiple World Champion TT'er on top of his game) and drop Andy Schleck twice like he was tied to a pole without some PED. Maybe it is too good to be true....I hope not.

JoelS

With the blood passport program, it's getting harder and harder to modify the blood enough to matter without getting caught. I'm hoping that he's clean. Might be a false hope, we'll know in another month or so.

erader

contador has always been a very good time trialist. do you mean "new found" to you?

ed rader

Dubbayoo

Contador was linked to OP because the initials AC appeared in the doping ledgers. Well, guess which Spanish rider tested positive a while back? Antonio Colom.

Uncle Jams Army

I remember him losing significant time to Cadel Evans in the final TT just two years ago. So yes, newfound.

Gotte

Wiggins cracked, though. It's the effortless, superhuman stuff that appears suspicious.

Up until a couple of days ago, I thought Contador was clean. Now, I'm starting to wonder. It;s all all a bit too superhuman.

Nothing proven, obviously - all just speculation. But I always remember the general rule that when someone is pushing it to the limit but not breaking a sweat, then it's time to wonder. Did you see Contador at the end of the TT? He may have been grimacing, but he seemed pretty composed over the line, not even a breath.

mehhem

I don't think so, but if you check how much Land and Contador weigh, Contador is 31lbs lighter than Lance. I think that is the difference.

aham23

year after year. top rider after top rider. positive test after positive test. you may be able to proceed as a fan without questions of doubt. however, it is perfectly within reason for a fan to have doubt.

i say this knowing my fitness is no where near poor. later.

subframe

I'll never understand why people who focus so heavily on doping even bother watching. If you hate the sport and the riders so much, don't watch. It's pretty simple.

julian

That is the funniest quote of the day!

julian

I don't know if doping makes it any easier, I just think it makes you go faster.

bigfred 

Some of us love the sport. And we love watching riders strive to find new limits, both personally and humanly. Doping is unfortunately a very big concern within the sport. I've recently become ever more aware of this as I have some new friends, who's son is turning out to be a Nationals level racer and looking to consider a future within professional cycling. It's not hate that fuels most of those concerned with drug usage and doping within sport, it's love. Apparently that's a little too complicated for some to understand.