ianrobo wrote:pjclinch wrote:mjr wrote:I think the accusation is that he's motored.
I won't 100% rule it out because you never know.
but we do know it ...
We have had one case confirmed albeit a minor player. We have had Boonen and Gaimon basically accuse Cancerella of it.
We've actually got two minor cases confirmed, as I pointed out. But the thing about minor players is they're minor players with nothing much to lose and not actually
that much scrutiny. We have seen Spartacus accused... but we haven't seen any evidence. It could just be that a multiple world champion is, hey! actually pretty good at racing bikes!
ianrobo wrote:Then watch yesterday's stage or the infamous Ventoux one and try and explain that without a motor or how Fresh Yates has looked compared to others.
I sometimes wonder if you've ever ridden a bike much and pushed yourself. Some days you can sail along and others you feel like getting off. Form varies, and I can't imagine being in a 3 week race doesn't exaggerate that. How do I explain Chloe Dygert's dominance of women's IP? Katie Archibald reckons she's better than everyone else, and I think I'll go with that, but I guess the USCF might have put their credibility on the line and snuck a motor in there...
ianrobo wrote:We had Lance storm out of an interview with Irish radio station when asked about motors and then cancel an appearance.
Lance not a great example as we know he was up for team level cheating, and using his wealth and prestige to ruin anyone who questioned him. Don't see that at Mitchelton Scott...
ianrobo wrote:Finally we had the UCI up their usual iPad checks to something more substantial because they were clearly worried and rightly so. You do not need a big battery pack for this, just an extra 20W for a few mins at a crucial time is enough.
It clearly needs to be looked at because we've seen cheats, and it certainly doesn't make sense to check low level races but not grand tours. However, what I said about the consequences and scrutiny levels at WT level remain the case.
What I do wonder is if people are so absolutely convinced that the leaders are surely cheating why they bother watching it? Any time anyone does an amazing race they're "obviously" cheating. What are you after, a celebration of the unexceptional?
Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...