I can’t help but feel we’re in the dirtiest era of cycling since the late ’00’s. There’s something going on in the peloton and it’s not good. I mean, Van Aert’s performances are totally ridiculous.
The look he gave Dumoulin as they watched Pogacar cross the line was hilarious. It seems to say ‘We know what we’re doing, but what the hell is he doing?’.
If Porte and Pogacar hadn’t spoiled the party, it would have been a Jumbo 1-2-3. On a mountain time trial.
It’ll get worse before it gets better.

I was expecting something special from Pogacar, the course was ideally suited for him in terms of overall distance and the steep climb at the end, his performance has been very strong throughout the tour and the TT was his chance to show that. But of course it was a surprise the way he took so much time out of Dumoulin, Van Aert and everybody else.

Pogacar’s ~7w/kg effort up La Planche des Belles Filles optically looked more natural than Armstrong’s ~7W/kg up Alpe d’Huez. Pogacar is lighter, the riding style more economical, the cadence is what I’d expect for a young talent doing a sub 1hr effort.

Thoughts did enter my head when I saw the look etched on Dumoulin & Van Aert’s face as Pogacar was smashing the ascent. I do wonder what they know and what they were thinking, however also bearing in mind what we do know – they were seeing what they’ve been working towards for months and £1000’s of prize money unravelling right in front of them.

The blood passport system is quite old now, and operation Aderlass gave some indication that it can now be worked around. However, I’m not going to cry foul without evidence, can’t just assume that every spectacular performance is due to cheating.

He won 3 mountain stages (and the overall White Jersey) in the 2019 Vuelta, none of this is unexpected, the figures and climbing style then was the same as yesterday and the previous stages in this year’s Tour that he won.

Ned and David talking about the “handing over of the baton” on ITV4 now. The rise and now plateau of GB, the rise of Colombia and now Slovenia.

The blood passport system is quite old now, and operation Aderlass gave some indication that it can now be worked around. However, I’m not going to cry foul without evidence, can’t just assume that every spectacular performance is due to cheating.

I watched Icarus recently – great film btw – and the conclusions it finished with, about how anti-doping and organised sport are just an amazing process of double-think have stuck with me.

It’s not just that top athletes are doping, it’s that the sports bodies basically know but pretend not to know – or know that it’s there but remain deliberately ignorant.

Whether it’s the case in the peloton I wouldn’t know enough to say, personally, but I do always wonder.

If Porte and Pogacar hadn’t spoiled the party, it would have been a Jumbo 1-2-3. On a mountain time trial.

So you think Porte is on the juice too?

I can’t help but feel we’re in the dirtiest era of cycling since the late ’00’s. There’s something going on in the peloton and it’s not good. I mean, Van Aert’s performances are totally ridiculous.

This your first tour ?

It’s all about the HBOCs now, stuff like H7379 Haemoglobin Human, if you believe the rumours…………..

Someone is either stupid or taking the piss (not aimed at the poster) as H7379 is the sigma product code for human Haemoglobin.
comes in a little bottle of lyophilized powder
Sigma link

I wasn’t intending to take the piss, you can read the article about synthetic haemoglobin here https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/operation-aderlass-investigators-discover-new-doping-product/

operation Aderlass gave some indication that it can now be worked around.

Exactly, riders (such as Alessandro Petacchi) and other pro sportspersons were caught doping by a police operation. They had all passed doping tests and the biological passport system. There’s still doping in the peleton, the tests can’t detect it, it’s just a matter of how many are doing it………….

I did edit to say it wasn’t aimed at you.
just amused me to see the sigma product code.
it does make an element of sense that they might look at stuff like that. Just highly amused that they might be ordering it direct from sigma

Bikes from Sigma Sport, juice from Sigma!!!

Lol

If anyone is still interested in Pogacar’s TT performance here is an interview with Allan Peiper outlining the detailed preparation for that stage.

Ned and David talking about the “handing over of the baton” on ITV4 now.

The new Phil and Paul

And that’s not a complement