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TdF : Stage 16 (with SPOILERS)

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,650
1,121
NORCAL is the hizzle
In other tours I rooted for Rasmussen, but for some reason now that he's got the yellow jersey, I don't like the guy so much. I don't know why really. :confused:

Does anyone else feel that way?
I do. Part of it may just be the desire to root for an underdog, not the guy in yellow, but there is more. In other tours he was a former mountain biker who would come out of the blue and bring the pain in the mountains, not be under suspicion of doping, and rarely end up in interviews so his personality was relatively unkown. This year he is getting more time and is coming across to me as kind of arrogant, and with all the doping stuff and his "trust me" lines I can't help but feel that he is thumbing his nose at everyone.

I guess I'm just not feeling his passion or relating to the guy in any way.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,396
20,187
Sleazattle
I do. Part of it may just be the desire to root for an underdog, not the guy in yellow, but there is more. In other tours he was a former mountain biker who would come out of the blue and bring the pain in the mountains, not be under suspicion of doping, and rarely end up in interviews so his personality was relatively unkown. This year he is getting more time and is coming across to me as kind of arrogant, and with all the doping stuff and his "trust me" lines I can't help but feel that he is thumbing his nose at everyone.


I guess I'm just not feeling his passion or relating to the guy in any way.
The few explainations he has given have been pretty weak if not downright impossible.

-He said he talked to Anne Gripper, the UCI's anti-doping coordinator, in Spring of 2006 to clear up his whereabouts reporting and she gave him the OK. One problem: Gripper didn't join the UCI until Fall of 2006.
-Rasmussen revealed he had a racing license in Mexico and Monaco, because the UCI encourages riders to take out licenses where they live. One problem: they don't. If that were the case, almost every American on the ProTour would have a Spanish racing license. But they don't. And, when you take out a national license, you subject yourself to that country's anti-doping agency for testing. Is it a coincidence that Mexico and Monaco are two countries without national anti-doping agencies?
 
L

luelling

Guest
I didn't see it posted anywhere, so Cristian Moreni (Cofidis) tested positive after stage 11 as well.
 

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
Doping just does not work during a race but also in training. Blood dope or hormone dope and you can train harder and recover faster and still be clean for a race. That is why they require your whereabouts so they can test you outside of racing.
Good point. Rarely brought up in this era of perfromance enhancing drugs. If a football player shoots roids like crazy for 6 months he might put on 30-40 pounds of muscle. When he stops he will lose some of it but will still be in the plus and have an advantage.

BMX'rs and mountain bikers had their roid era in the 90's......some of thoose pros are still reaping the benefits of roids they took 10-12 years ago. They gained extra muscle of have continued to train the new muscle.....so it stays and they go fast.