2015 'PRO' cycling discussion

[petepeterson]

It is entertaining AF but doesn't help with that whole credibility thing. I always make these comparisons but just imagine Nadal accusing Djokovic of doping on twitter. I do agree I thought the just back from Teide pre giro camp and I am really sick can't race and lost those last few kilos story was a bit fishy too.

[nathanong87]

yea but sometimes they are correct.... kittel calling out bro from torku , mustafa sayer i think... who big ring'd 50rpm like every climb that year....

[KWalker]

Doesn't seem like its setup for him yet. Stem seems too short, seat looks low compared to his last pro bike and his bars aren't as wonky uprotated as usual

[djconnel]

That looks seriously heavy.

White paint adds a bit and that post looks on the chunky side but I doubt it's much over 6.8. The latest Pinarello is a lot lighter than those from the squiggly era and Red's the lightest complete group available (very close to Campy 11). The Zipps are rather standard (assuming tubular). And can't get lighter than those pedals.

[rainerhq]

He doesn't even have pedals. How is he suppose to ride?

srams developing new wireless pedal

[deek]

An interesting article on in-frame motors: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/04/hidde ... they-work/

Even though it's certainly possible to totally hide the system in the frame, I really feel like it's unlikely that any pros actually would use it. There is just no plausible deniability if they ever got caught.

[micky]

Same goes for doping.
But still...

[KWalker]

Not sure why no one has discussed it, but Nibali has been really impressive in the Ardennes despite not getting a win so far. He has ridden super strong and aggressively, been active in the breaks, etc. Valverde is pretty much form flat all year, but Nibali is looking really solid and should fare well in the first week of this year's Tour judging by the looks of it. He isn't too exciting or controversial, but if he can progress even 1% beyond last year he's probably my pick for the win unless Froome manages to turn things around.

[davidalone]

I agree here.diet plays a big part. if you've seen howw fast bodybuilders lose bodyfat from straving themselves- it's scary.

You have been trying that yourself?
Unless you are some chubby, from starvation you aint gonna lose just body fat. Starvation is a great way to destroy form as well.

When the stars take some days/weeks off, during the period that they go into hiding and then after, they come out of their holes looking "lean". We are talking l e a n. He comes out a new man (or something like it). There is a certain procedure to be followed.

If there is one thing you will take away from this. Don't be so concerned about weight or losing it. As it is, one's appetite freefalls as performance and efficiency rises. The diet isn't reduced during time-off.

nope. but Ive got a good mate who is an amatuer bodybuilder. he does it for fun, no mone involved. abslutely no chacne of gettin paid for it, and I am pretty sure he's clean. it's not pure starvation- but it isn't exactly fun, either. from what I hear dehydraton is a big part of it. I could find out the exact details, but bodybuilding and endurance sport are quite different.

In my cross country days on season diet, combined with intensive training- would see me lose 2kg in 2-3 weeks, easily. and we didn't have a trained nutirionist to take care of us. it wasnt even that tighly controlled- we just had a basic meal guideline to follow. my race weight back then was 56 kg, and I'm 178cm tall. that is about the weight you see from a world class protour rider, so definitely doable. off season my weight would usually be around 60-62 kg.

I've seen a friend drop 15kg in 4 months just based on proper eating and gym work. it is possible to drop big weight if you eat right. you just need the discipline to do it.

of course, there is a point of diminishing returns. there is no way we could hold that kind of weight for a long period of time without a drop in performance.

[Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez]

Not sure why no one has discussed it, but Nibali has been really impressive in the Ardennes despite not getting a win so far. He has ridden super strong and aggressively, been active in the breaks, etc. Valverde is pretty much form flat all year, but Nibali is looking really solid and should fare well in the first week of this year's Tour judging by the looks of it. He isn't too exciting or controversial, but if he can progress even 1% beyond last year he's probably my pick for the win unless Froome manages to turn things around.

I definitely expect a big LBL from him. He has good form, he will be on the attack for sure. He has a very strong Fuglsang to help break the peloton.

[tymon_tm]

agreed, Nibali was a fighter in the classics, contrary to 'other GT favs' saving themselves in a back of the pack (which costed Froome some scratches). if we can learn anything from the recent history, is that laying low and flying under a radar just to explode at the Tour putting some hefty minutes on your competitors might suggest some naughty medical treatment. and I'm not talking tall blonde nurse with a massive syringe kind of naughty..

[KWalker]

Can you seriously make a single comment without it resorting to doping? Its not as if any of the GT competitors usually "hide" necessarily. I'm not sure why Froome was where he was, but a lot of guys that were potential winners at Fleche were also caught out in bad crashes. I'm not sure of a single major GT competitor on the 1st or 2nd tier that doesn't go to races and try to win. Even Quintana has tried to win the first race of the season, same with Porte.

[lippythelion]

^I'd prefer it if there was a separate Pro equipment thread like from when I was a lurker back in 2005ish, but that doesn't seem to be allowed on this forum anymore. So as long as it's a Pro discussion thread I don't see why doping discussion is a problem (even Micky has chipped in today lol).

[ave]

>it is possible to drop big weight if you eat right. you just need the discipline to do it.
Plz. It's possible from a bodybuilder's body.
But from a hard training cyclist it seems a bit more tricky. I don't train too hard, don't eat too right, but I don't have much body fat. I'm sure I could drop 1-2 kilos, but I find it strange that a top pro can be so out of shape as I am at any time of year.

As for no money meaning someone being clean... Far from it. I know amateur cyclists who are clearly doped, and there is absolutely no financial reward for him. He just likes to be very good at what he likes to do.

[Ahillock]

An interesting article on in-frame motors: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/04/hidde ... they-work/

Even though it's certainly possible to totally hide the system in the frame, I really feel like it's unlikely that any pros actually would use it. There is just no plausible deniability if they ever got caught.

I'm reminded of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE