Le Tour

[markie]

Originally posted by chaz:
  I'm pretty clear on what steroids do to enchance performance, but what exactly is doping and how does it help?

Umm doping.
 
 A few months before an event, give a couple of llitres of blood, spin down the red blood cells and freeze away. A few days before the event thaw the cells and reinject. More red blood cells means more oxygen carrying capability.
 
 The same effect is garnered from taking human erytrhropoeitin, (EPO) as it is the human form it is untraceable.....
 
 Both of these are like training at altitude, but the effects are more pronounced. Pantani was thrown off the Giro a few years ago for having a hematocrit above 51%....

[markie]

more red blood cells, more oxygen carrying capacity. So that means that it increases the threshold a rider can ride aerobically, which is sustainable, rather than anaerobic, which is non sustainable.

[Sailor Ripley]

Originally posted by mark e smith:
  You lot are nuts if you think cyclists do not dope.  

Ya caught me mark...

[markie]

Originally posted by Sailor Ripley:
   

Ya caught me mark... [/QB][/QUOTE]
 
 
 Is that why you keep beating me up that final climb? Right, I have a centrifuge and some syringes, I'll see you in a months time.

[ggw]

Originally posted by Bollocks:
  Doping is more common in cycling than any other sport no question.
 

I believe the biathlon may have a higher incidence of doping.

[Barcelona]

Iban Mayo, my favorite for this Tour had an accident and lost all his chances to win the Tour. Fuck! I've already lost most of my original interest in this Tour.
 
 http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpcWU3ZWcyBF9TAzk1OTEyNTc0BHNlYwN0aA--?slug=reu-tourmayo&prov=reuters&type=lgns
 
 Tour-Mayo delayed after crash
 
 WASQUEHAL, France, July 6 (Reuters) - Spaniard Iban Mayo, one of Lance Armstrong's rivals for Tour de France victory, crashed after 143 kilometres of the 210km third stage between Waterloo and Wasquehal on Tuesday.
 
 The Euskaltel team leader, who beat Armstrong in the Dauphine Libere race before the Tour, got back on his bike with a deep bruise to his left thigh.
 
 The crash took place three kilometres before the start of the first of two stretches of cobblestones.
 
 Mayo found himself more than one minute behind the main bunch, led by Armstrong's U.S. Postal team mates.

[jkeisenh]

cobblestones + wet conditions last minute + no time to readjust bikes to wet conditions = a very interesting team time trial day indeed.
 
 woo-hoo!

[brennser]

Lance Armstrong and his US Postal team stamped their authority on the Tour de France after dominating the team time trial held over 64.5km between Cambrai and here.
 
 The win, in 1hr 12min 03sec, allowed five-time winner Armstrong to pull on the yellow jersey for the first time in the race.
 
 The fourth stage of the Tour was held in rainy conditions, which led to several crashes and threatened to decimate Tyler Hamilton's Phonak team who claimed an admirable second place at 1min 07sec with six of their nine riders.
 
 The Iles Baleares team finished third at 1:15 with Jan Ullrich's T-Mobile team finishing in fourth.
 
 It means that US Postal, who also lost a rider during the race, now occupy all eight first places in the general classification.
 
 Phonak team leader Hamilton is Armstrong's closest rival, in eighth place at 36secs adrift.

Lance never took any performance enhancers.  And this year he won't need them in the hill climb phase either.  
 
    <img src="http://www.atomiczombie.com/bicycles/skycycle/0013.jpg" alt=" - " />
 
 He'll take the top of the hill first this time around with this secret weapon.

Originally posted by brennser:
  so how many people think Armstrongs 5 and maybe 6 wins have been achieved honestly? just curious....

<img src="http://www.ilovebacon.com/070704/journal.jpg" alt=" - " />

[markie]

So who gets BJ's every month?
 
 This is really cool looking:
 
 http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/sinclairs-folding-abike-017388.php