[OnTheRivet]

Wait, who? A bunch of b-list riders kicking the crap out of the best in the world? Maybe Kloden was onto something.

I am controlled by five different entities – WADA [world anti doping agency], NADA [German anti doping agency], UCI [International cycling federation], the Swiss cycling federation and PWC [a private German company conducting anti doping tests - ed.] At the Giro, there are only four teams with a tight control system – Slipstream, High Road, CSC and Astana... [Davide] Rebellin and [Riccardo] Riccò, I don't know how often they have controls like me. I don't want to talk about the team of Priamo (CSF/Navigare)." - Kloden

 

[The Human G-Nome]

Wait, who? A bunch of b-list riders kicking the crap out of the best in the world? Maybe Kloden was onto something.

I am controlled by five different entities – WADA [world anti doping agency], NADA [German anti doping agency], UCI [International cycling federation], the Swiss cycling federation and PWC [a private German company conducting anti doping tests - ed.] At the Giro, there are only four teams with a tight control system – Slipstream, High Road, CSC and Astana... [Davide] Rebellin and [Riccardo] Riccò, I don't know how often they have controls like me. I don't want to talk about the team of Priamo (CSF/Navigare)." - Kloden

Unfortunately, there's almost no chance that team isn't doping. 1st and 2nd on today's stage? Sella back to back? This is absurd. This reminds me of the days when Euskatel was cleaning up, then their team doctor got popped, then suddenly the whole team could barely pedal. Their whole team was doped. CSF is an embarrasment right now.

 

[enemyte]

Shut up man, what is wrong with you guys. Sella has been tested by the race controllers everyday since he had the KoM jersey, they were tested by the race organisers before the race started, and they have had to sign up to the race 'Blood Passport' before they were allowed to participate. They have been participating in the Giro for a long time, and have multiple stage winners in the past in Sella, Baliani, Perez Cuapio and Laverde. Domenico Pozzovivo is a rider that I 1st heard of in 2006 when it was mentioned he was going to be a exceptional climber given a bit of experience mainly thanks to his physique (I believe he is less than 1.60m tall and less than 60kg in racing weight). Dont hate because a team is laying the smackdown on others.
What about Sella Italia when Ivan Parra won back to back in 2005? everybody said nothing then eh, such a bunch of hypocrites.......

 

[enemyte]

Unfortunately, there's almost no chance that team isn't doping. 1st and 2nd on today's stage? Sella back to back? This is absurd. This reminds me of the days when Euskatel was cleaning up, then their team doctor got popped, then suddenly the whole team could barely pedal. Their whole team was doped. CSF is an embarrasment right now.

Euskatel...... what exactly did they clean up? The Dauphine Libere and a stage in TdF, granted, Mayo is probably a doper, but he was the only one that actually won anything, nobody else did, Haimar Zubeldia finished 5th or 7th in that same tour and is finishing still in the top 10 in the Tour (riding for the same team), so not exactly cleaning up was it?

 

[The Human G-Nome]

Euskatel...... what exactly did they clean up? The Dauphine Libere and a stage in TdF, granted, Mayo is probably a doper, but he was the only one that actually won anything, nobody else did, Haimar Zubeldia finished 5th or 7th in that same tour and is finishing still in the top 10 in the Tour (riding for the same team), so not exactly cleaning up was it?

I didn't exactly expect to be taken to task for my verbiage about Euskatel. The Orange Freaks rode "admirably" as a group until their team doctor got busted and then they all rode with the bus (if they even finished at all), and were climbing with the sprinter specialists the rest of the Tour. That whole team was doped to the gills.

 

[FondriestFan]

Word.

They see Sella rollin'
They hatin'
Patrolling and tryin' to catch him ridin' dirty.
Tryin' to catch Sella ridin' dirty.

CSF is dropping the hammer on the rest of the peloton. Don't hate.

 

[The Human G-Nome]

Shut up man, what is wrong with you guys. Sella has been tested by the race controllers everyday since he had the KoM jersey, they were tested by the race organisers before the race started, and they have had to sign up to the race 'Blood Passport' before they were allowed to participate. They have been participating in the Giro for a long time, and have multiple stage winners in the past in Sella, Baliani, Perez Cuapio and Laverde. Domenico Pozzovivo is a rider that I 1st heard of in 2006 when it was mentioned he was going to be a exceptional climber given a bit of experience mainly thanks to his physique (I believe he is less than 1.60m tall and less than 60kg in racing weight). Dont hate because a team is laying the smackdown on others.
What about Sella Italia when Ivan Parra won back to back in 2005? everybody said nothing then eh, such a bunch of hypocrites.......

Riiiiiight. "There's nothing to see here. These are not the droids you're looking for." Where there's smoke, don't pay any bit of attention to the fire. It astounds me that, after all the doping busts, year upon year, there are still people that defend the sport as if it's an insult to the rider when we suspect they may be doping. They did this to themselves, collectively. For the forseeable future, when riders perform in unusually spectacular fashion, they are going to be met by disbelievers and naysayers. Tough sheet. Live with it. They all made their bed, and it's not the fans that have to lay in it.

Sella has always been a fine climber, but he's never shown this kind of bravado in him. It doesn't just suddenly "happen". And then his teammate finishes second? Just a coincidence? It's no coincidence. But hey, if you like living in fairy land with rainbows and puppy dogs, who am I to knock the red glasses from your face?

 

[zosocane]

CSF is dropping the hammer on the rest of the peloton. Don't hate.

I concur.

Or from another point of view, the rest of the peloton is giving CSF plenty of minutes' worth of rope to escape. Sella is not a GC threat. This is analogous to when unheralded Ivan Parra (riding on Rujano's team) won a couple of mountain stages in the 2005 Giro. At the time the GC riders/teams gave Parra the rope he needed to win 2 mountain stages.

 

[zosocane]

Sella has always been a fine climber, but he's never shown this kind of bravado in him. It doesn't just suddenly "happen". And then his teammate finishes second? Just a coincidence? It's no coincidence. But hey, if you like living in fairy land with rainbows and puppy dogs, who am I to knock the red glasses from your face?

Dude, Sella is NOT a GC threat. He got plenty of rope yesterday and today from the GC teams to escape. What is the big deal, and why assume automatically Sella cheated his way to 2 stage wins? He has won a Giro stage before (2004), and he is a risk-taking rider. What he did yesterday and today is what Ivan Parra did in the 2005 Giro taking 2 mountain stages. Using your Episode IV-speak, "they let us get away." I guess I live in fairy tale land. "These aren't the droids we're looking for. Move along."

 

[The Human G-Nome]

Dude, Sella is NOT a GC threat. He got plenty of rope yesterday and today from the GC teams to escape. What is the big deal, and why assume automatically Sella cheated his way to 2 stage wins? He has won a Giro stage before (2004), and he is a risk-taking rider. What he did yesterday and today is what Ivan Parra did in the 2005 Giro taking 2 mountain stages. Using your Episode IV-speak, "they let us get away." I guess I live in fairy tale land. "These aren't the droids we're looking for. Move along."

Again, I'm cool with you believing anything you'd like to believe if it makes watching the Giro more fun for you. If CSF finishes 1, 2, and then places another rider in the top 12, it's really just because "that team kicks ass!!!".

 

[capt_phun]

Or maybe the other Protour teams are riding clean for once & so the playing field is starting to level & we are seeing Continental Teams & French riders win races again.

 

[enemyte]

Or maybe the other Protour teams are riding clean for once & so the playing field is starting to level & we are seeing Continental Teams & French riders win races again.

+1 Captain.
From another that lives in fairy tale land

 

[gray8110]

Or maybe the other Protour teams are riding clean for once & so the playing field is starting to level & we are seeing Continental Teams & French riders win races again.

Yeah, the Continental teams are really catching up on the protour guys now that the sport is clean
http://www.velonews.com/article/76506/police-raid-portuguese-team

 

[enemyte]

Yeah, the Continental teams are really catching up on the protour guys now that the sport is clean
http://www.velonews.com/article/76506/police-raid-portuguese-team

LA-MSS is a bit of a shady team, come on man Manolo Saiz has links with this team!, what do you expect when you have guys like Angel Vicioso, Tino Zaballa and Koldo Gil, the worst thing is that Bruno Neves (a very promising young rider), seems to have died from the doping practices.
But please do not tar the other teams with the same brush.

 

[uzziefly]

I do not know if he's clean or not. But I definitely know that the GC riders and teams LET Sella get away because he was NOT a threat at all at 26 minutes back initially.

Why bother chasing him? Also, in his breakaway group, he was probably the best climber of the lot so it makes sense that he could pull away from them.


As far as his second stage win goes, well, it required more effort for sure. Yes. But again, the GC teams and riders (more so riders than their teams at this Giro) let him stay away. If they wanted to reel him in fully, he'd have been swallowed up and the likes of Ricco or someone else would have won the stage. No doubt.

On the next mountain stage, there is NO WAY they'd let Sella get away at all I'm sure as he now sits just 4 minutes plus back. He has almost no shot of getting away or a victory now.

Again, as far as doping goes, I don't know. But I'm calling it like I see it and how I see it is as above. Did he dope? Maybe. Or, maybe not. Who knows? But I know that he was given a chance to get away and was NOT reeled in coz they didn't want/have to. Now, if he still can ride away, that would be a different story - whatever you think fits the bill.

 

[Coolhand]

Moved to the doping forum.