tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post4369515996383242810..comments2024-03-28T12:29:39.157-07:00Comments on Graphic Firing Table: 91 hours in France.FDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-63698081681246480552010-07-27T15:52:00.351-07:002010-07-27T15:52:00.351-07:00BD: And it's worth noting that Contador's ...BD: And it's worth noting that Contador's time this year DID slip back almost an hour - 58 minutes - from his time over the same distance in 2007.<br /><br />I'm very definately unsure about what's going on. My heart wants to believe that the testers and the clean riders are pulling ahead. My head wonders whether it's possible short of a really draconian hunt for the dopers and the establishment of stringent testing such as baseline HCT levels, DNA fingerprinting (to catch people stockpiling blood such as is still unidentified from Operation Puerto) to root the dping culture out of the sport.<br /><br />As for the marathon times...my skeptical thought would be...what if the performance gains in other sports are due to the widespread acceptance of the use of EPO/CERA, HGH, tesosterone, too? <br /><br />I can certainly see how aerobic sports would benefit immensely, much as pretty much everyone knows and accepts that NFL linemen don't get as big as they are by drinking milk and hitting the weight room...<br /><br />For me loving bike racing is sometimes like dating a gorgeous woman with a string of convictions for fraud. I want to believe her when she says she loves me, but there's always that cold tickle of suspicion...was that brilliant performance, that heroic ride the product of brains, guts, and muscle...or cunning pharmacoepia?<br /><br />I wish I didn't have to feel that way. One of the reasons I have welcomed Armstrong's retirement is that, regardless of whether he raced clean or not, he was the biggest peak in the mountain range that was cycling in the EPO Years. We need to get over that peak to get closer to a Tour - and racing in general - that is much freer of the sorts of doping that surrounded him and his times.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-53059221372964642142010-07-27T10:40:02.097-07:002010-07-27T10:40:02.097-07:00The consistency between doped and clean TdF finis...The consistency between doped and clean TdF finishing times is not unreasonable. As with other sports like running, some of the decreases in time could be attributable to improved training techniques and fitness. Also in cycling, aerodynamics have made even standard road bikes faster and variations in course layout and and conditions would also alter race times. Since it is a convenient source I looked at marathon times http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_world_record_progression and from the late 70s to today the men's record has dropped by around 5 minutes, and the women's record has dropped almost 15 minutes. Assuming the marathoners weren't doping that shows a steady improvement attributable to improved training and fitness, especially for the women. Comparing modern pro cycling team's training to what they did in the 1980s (Joe Parkin is a good source), they now train harder and more scientifically so the riders perform better, even without drugs. Ivan Basso's 2010 Giro D'Italia performance and Fabian Cancellara's Spring Classics rides are good examples of better training leading to better performance. After a 2 year suspension in 2007-8 I'm sure Basso is being watched very closely and is more likely to be racing clean, and Cancellara was so fast some whacko had to come up with the "hidden motor" theory to explain it.Big Daddynoreply@blogger.com