Pantani's day.

[cadence90]

Tomorrow is Pantani's day....
Surely he will be watching over.
Let's see how the times stack up:

Fastest climbs :
1997 - Pantani 37 minutes and 35 seconds
1994 - Pantani 38:00
2001 - Armstrong 38:01
1995 - Pantani 38:04
2003 - Mayo 39:06
1999 - Guerini 41:52

[mises]

Guerini should get an * since he had to stop to pose for a photo near the top.

[danielgillett]

If only Pantani was still here today...

We would see him kick everyone's ass!

[cadence90]

Guerini should get an * since he had to stop to pose for a photo near the top.

True.
I wonder if that guy ever made photos again, or if his eye was too black...

[asphaltdude]

Too bad Roberto Heras isn't riding very well.....

[bobalou]

Waoh! Pantani still holds the record .. but awful close.

The time for the 13.9km ascent of L'Alpe d'Huez for the stage winner, Lance Armstrong, was 37'36". Lance's time is one-second behind the record of Marco Pantani which was set in the 203.5km stage from Saint-Etienne in 1997.

[asphaltdude]

The time for the 13.9km ascent of L'Alpe d'Huez for the stage winner, Lance Armstrong, was 37'36". Lance's time is one-second behind the record of Marco Pantani which was set in the 203.5km stage from Saint-Etienne in 1997.

IMHO a proof that 1997 was 1997 and 2004 is 2004.....

[Adri]

1997 being the EPO era ?

[C-40]

Two different standards:
One with drugs
One without drugs

[Mr_Potatohead]

Forgive my ignorance but...

What was the cause of death with Marco Pantani? I thought it was suicide for some reason but I don't know where I heard that.

Also, isn't EPO undetectable since it is a genetically engineered hormone that is naturally occurring in the body? Don't they just test your hematocrit and if you are over 50% RBC you get disqualified because they figure no normal person has a hematocrit that high? If that's the case Lance or anyone else could take it as long as they were careful and

1) Didn't get caught with it and
2) Monitored their own hematocrit (not hard) to make sure they didn't go over the 50% mark.

[Adri]

Pantani died of an overdose of cocaine.

As for EPO , indeed

Unable to measure EPO itself, the mandarins of international cycling at Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rely on a surrogate test that measures the density of cells in the blood. Blood, as you'll recall, is composed of cells -- mainly red, but also white -- and serum and other liquids that help the cells flow. A study from the 1980s, before synthetic EPO, showed that bike racers' blood averaged a cellular content of 43 percent, so the UCI decreed that anybody with a level above 50 percent would be disqualified for taking EPO.

and:

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone composed of 166 amino acids and 4 residual sugars. It is produced in the kidneys whenever there is an increased need for red blood cells (e.g. as a result of oxygen deficiency, living at high altitudes). Passing through the circulation, EPO enters the red bone marrow where it stimulates the production of red blood cells. EPO can be produced by genetic engineering techniques and is used in medicine in renal failure. Though banned in sport, it is used primarily in endurance sports. Detecting EPO abuse in sport is difficult, and two detection methods are currently being discussed: one direct method using urine samples (advantage: direct detection of genetically manufactured EPO, detectable in urine; disadvantage: can only detect EPO use during a period of a few days) and one indirect method using blood samples (advantage: detection of blood parameters modified by EPO even several weeks after the use of EPO; disadvantage: blood tests are required, legally contestable since it involves indirect detection). Both methods are to be used simultaneously in the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney.

Some people naturally are over 50 , but they have to be monitored over a period of time to prove that, and they then can escape sanctions if they test higher than 50.

[Mr_Potatohead]

...and wasn't Marco Pantani disqualified from the Giro for having a hematocrit of 55%?

Anyone know what Lance's hematocrit is? Obviously 50% or less since he's still riding in the tour but I'll bet it ain't the average 43%. They must test him on almost a daily basis during the tour.

I would think that if the average rider has a hematocrit of 43% then having the just legal 50% hematocrit would offer you 14% more oxygen carrying capacity which would be a huge advantage. It would be like magically increasing your max heartrate from 200 to 228 or it would be like finding the ultimate weight weenie bike, made from unobtainium and pressurized with helium so that it has a negative weight (lift).

[Xterra Racer]

Speaking of Helium.....I've always wondered if you could us Helium for your tires? Would it actually make them lighter?

I know it's a stupid question, but I always wondered that.

[Mr_Potatohead]

well let's see...

say air is 25% Oxygen and 75% Nitrogen, that's an average of 1.18 grams per liter at room temperature and pressure if I remember my basic chemistry correctly.

Helium would be 0.081 grams per liter at room temp and pressure.

I don't know how much air a tire holds but let's say a liter. And the pressure is say 8 times atmospheric. So plain ol' air weighs 9.4 grams and Helium 0.65 grams per tire.

[Xterra Racer]

But would it work?