General Race Thread 2022 **spoilers**

Mefistofelino

Unofficially 55.548m, about 500m up on the last record

Squidgy Black

https://twitter.com/EFprocycling/status/1560613691237998594?s=20&t=QacfQ35bOaOmzNB6myax7Q

Carapaz confirmed for EF

Bigham took the record by about. 500 meters or 2 laps on the track.

breezy1985

Didn't think he would get close to it.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119489080#Comment_119489080

Just to weigh in here, it is in the right scenarios. I've heard plenty of semi pros call for it over the race radio. It's no different than me taking Solphadeine to finish an Audax or Brian O Driscoll taking similar to finish a match. It does not make you faster or stronger but it does mean you can tolerate more for longer. In theory, you could have tolerated it anyway but you wouldn't have. It is doping, unintentional or not, without a doctor's letter before the test, there is no excuse. I'm not saying hang him but it seems to be a common message on social media that it's not a big deal, and the truth is, it is. Possibly not as big as other drugs but in a simple explanation, if you and a fellow climber are equally fucked, in massive pain, it might be the difference of when you mentally pack it in. It could backfire and you pack it in earlier but you take it to make pain more tolerable, I'd argue if you need tramadol, medically you should not be racing so if prescribed by a team doctor, they should have pulled him from the race.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494613#Comment_119494613

Well those people on social media are going off of what the UCI and WADA say. It is not banned for performance enhancing ability but rather it's side effects.

All I'm saying is given the rules I'm surprised he didn't use that line.

I agree about whether you should be riding in that much pain. Soccer players are taking pain killing injections to get through the pain of injuries which I think is definitely doping.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494613#Comment_119494613

They're all very valid points, and I'm glad you mention rugby in this context, because (as Breezy alludes to above) from what I can tell the standards in rugby, football and other ball/ contact sports for use of painkillers is far lower than cycling. Not sure what the position is with track and field. But the point, I suppose, is that casual sports followers are very quick to point to announcements like this to tar cycling with the "sure they're all on PEDs anyway" brush, not realising just how common it is in other sports. So common in fact that you have the likes of O'Driscoll openly talking on radio about the amount of injections and pain killers he used to take. I'd imagine it's absolutely rampant in GAA.

So it's a bit of a funny one - on the one hand, yes, technically broke rules and no room for slippage. On the other, the danger of losing perspective.

It would be interesting to know the exact ins and outs of the case, compared to say Froome's ventolin-gate sagas.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494670#Comment_119494670

Both Sky and Arkea have had other run-ins that tie in too. Arkea were raided not long ago and Sky had those accidental drugs deliveries and "poor" record keeping.

*Arkea not anywhere near the level of suspicion that Sky are under from what we know so far obviously.

Morris Garren

Still wondering-- is there a 'code' for the boards velogames? I have picked a team, can't seem to enter the league- help needed!

Dodge

It’s 77430889

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494670#Comment_119494670

I've heard Chelsea team doctors present blood bags as a recovery treatment for Drogba at a conference. Only one person in the room seen the problem. Everyone else, sports scientists, doctors, sports insiders, thought this was fantastic. The mind boggles. I completely agree with you, in terms of a my sport vs yours, cycling probably pushed the boat in the early years but only athletics and cycling seem to grasp what doping is. Most other sports you are a hero for banging in a few pills. Does that make it OK, in my opinion, no. From a medical point of view, if a doctor thinks you need that, then you have to say that the doc should be pulling them from the competition as unfit. Ethically, if you need it to get by (with rare exceptions eg insulin, asthma inhalers etc.) then you aren't in a shape to compete.

I guarantee you, as you are saying, you could put an identical headline of X takes Y to survive competition. Cycling and Athletics, they would be hung, most other sports they are heroes.

Whose right, who knows. Most cycling fans from outside this part of the world don't care as much as we do. Who is right, again, everyone is right from their point of view.

I've met plenty of amateurs who think that it's fine, plenty who'd hang you from a tree. In recent years, while against it, I'm not going to let it make me bitter and just enjoy it, life is to short for it to stress me past the point of saying I don't agree.

Dr. Bre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494636#Comment_119494636

Also tennis players

griffin100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119488028#Comment_119488028

Is there a league code?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119495655#Comment_119495655

use the numbers at the end of the url

mewso

Also worth noting (yes this again) that Van Barle gets to go to a Grand Tour even though he is leaving Ineos. Can we get rid of this notion that it's fair enough to leave out a rider that is leaving the team?

eagle eye

How could Tramadol be performance enhancing. It makes you tired and less inclined to work hard.

at1withmyself

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119496303#Comment_119496303

What notion? Loads of teams have riders racing the Veulta that are transferring next season. Carapaz probably the biggest name and DSM's Arensman is a dark horse for a podium.

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119496544#Comment_119496544

Plenty on here suggested that there was no way Dunbar would be selected for the Vuelta “as he’s off at the end of the season”

I didn’t subscribe to that idea myself but it was mentioned a bit.

at1withmyself

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119496731#Comment_119496731

Ah I get ya, I don't agree either that teams won't use riders unless there is a bad fallout.

breezy1985

Evidence would suggest Ineos didn't rate Dunbar for GTs either way.

Eurosport should have got the 2 lads from Redbull TV to commentate on the MTB racing. The climb looks brutal with poor grip due to the conditions.

Great finish in Germany there!!!!

Squidgy Black

Seeing WvA in a regular Jumbo jersey and not the Belgian national champs version feels weird

Dodge

I’ve a list of all grand tour stages won by Irish cyclists. Yesterday was the 50th

https://statsthatarepointless.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/irish-stage-wins-cycling-grand-tours/

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506066#Comment_119506066

Couldn't have named all 50 wins but got the riders right except for Early. Never knew he won stages.

Macy0161

On the Tramadol/ comparisons to other sports, only last year Southgate hadn't a second thought about saying a player was taking injections to play. Ian Wright last week on the OTB/ Cadbury thing spoke about Wenger bringing in much more stuff, like injections. iirc, he mentioned vitamins, but UCI has a no needle policy so even that could be an issue.

I think it's right that we hold cycling to higher standards, but it really does just give more ammo to the naysayers. Getting hammered for this, and even legal food supplements like ketones.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119496767#Comment_119496767

A few examples from the Tour this year, and Vaughters has outright admitted in the past too. But I would say it's often to do with the relationships in the team. But I'm not sure Ineos ever really rated Dunbar, given his race programmes.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506211#Comment_119506211

I assume when the UCI say they are worried about side effects it's the "heavy machinery" warning that comes with painkillers and they don't want a drowsy rider in the pack.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506273#Comment_119506273

"Finishing Bottles" were at one point blamed for a lot of the crashes, so yes that's the justification for the medical ban. WADA don't see it as a PED, so no ban. The CAS case will be interesting, as it's being used as a pain killer, so it's not like it's being used for something other than it's intended medical use.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119510640#Comment_119510640

Nairo's legal team are claiming their was no Tramadol in his system

De Lie easily out sprinting Demare there in Belgium. I think De Lie has amassed the most points for lotto this year, another 125 for that win.