LeMond...that is Greg LeMond, recommends sealed power meters on bikes during races and data analyses by physiologists that know what to look for.  Froome turning over "his" power #'s means nothing.  It's like being on the honor system when you are given a take home test.

Marc Bertucco said:

Anyone have any thoughts on why C. Evans is struggling so much this tour? He got dropped from the yellow jersey group when it was still quite large.

Old?

Agree.  Adam Hansen is my new favorite rider.

Ryan J said:

Marc Bertucco said:

Anyone have any thoughts on why C. Evans is struggling so much this tour? He got dropped from the yellow jersey group when it was still quite large.

Old?

Uhm, perhaps because he RACED THE GIRO!?!?

I was wondering about why Evans thought two Grands would work. 

@John I'm not sure he thought it would "work" but he was lacking form and I'm sure the team/sponsors loved the idea of the publicity it might bring...

Cuddles *did* podium in the Giro - he didn't just race it - he did pretty damned well.  

dstearns said:

Cuddles *did* podium in the Giro - he didn't just race it - he did pretty damned well.  

I did say "RACED"....

Still my favorite guy in the "GC" crew...

Jules said:

Still my favorite guy troll doll in the "GC" crew...

Horrible

Re: Evans. Of course, the Giro. That does make sense. I guess every year there will be riders who insist that the best prep for the tour is to race the Giro. Those riders sometimes end up, of course, saying after the tour, "maybe that wasn't the best idea."

I think what really strikes me is how inconsistent riders are from year to year. Remember the year that Radio Shack had 3 leaders in Leipheimer, Horner and Kloden? Well, Kloden had a good day today, but he certainly wasn't ever considered a favorite. Of course I remember too the time when Tom Danielson was the next Lance Armstrong, but now that he's off the juice? Even beloved Thomas Voekler...2011 he was 4th overall, last year the KOM jersey, this year, he's as active as ever, working hard for teammate Roland. But he's getting dropped from the GC group when it's 20-25 riders strong these days. Hejisdal, winner of the 2012 Giro, 6th overall in the 2010 tour. Contador? TJ Van G.? And now?

I mean, I think there are reasonable explanations for many of these individual situations. Injuries, different team objectives etc. If anything it points to how unforgiving this sport is, how you have to live on the razor's edge between superior form and fitness and being flat out, kind of shitty...or average (which is probably worse).

I guess too, I just got used to the drugged years where enough dopers were on enough of a structured program that the same 15 or 20 guys could be seen at the front of the race year after year after year.

Alyosha --transparency? I guess handing-over 18 cherry-picked files does leave a lot of holes in the performance picture... and the holes are transparent. I am not a Froome hater, just skeptical of the sport (and all other sports, probably including Rhythmic Gymnastics and definitely Curling). The onus of proof is not on the riders, it's on those who accuse. However, the nature of Sky/Froome's performances and behavior are so reminiscent of Armstrong and Co.

@John. I bet Jack is fine in .... 24 hours.

<boom boom>

In this pic it looks like Bauer is distraught at only just realizing that Vaughters is his DS: no Jack, that's not just some well-meaning pink-shirt clad W'burg condo-dwelling media exec on vacation, that really is your boss.

tough to prove a negative.  that seems to be what skeptics are asking.  i doubt they'll ever be satisfed

yea, and there is no winner then, why bother watching this shit race where everyone is doped up, oh right, not him cause he's not winning. it's too reminiscent? until now, bike racing a team sport and the tactics are not that difficult, dominance comes in the form of having the strongest possible riders working for an even stronger podium contender. This also holds true in the sprint, a good lead-out train and delivery makes the task that much easier, so I don't know what kind of tactics people are referring to when I hear: this smells and looks like USPS. If you mean the overall strength of the team then I think you're absolutely mistaken. You may point to Kennaugh and Porte but Porte is a beast in himself kinda like Kreuziger is in his own way.

he's a romantic,

Brendan Rigby said:

tough to prove a negative.  that seems to be what skeptics are asking.  i doubt they'll ever be satisfed

Well why would they be satisfied, in the near future? Every shred of evidence shows that exceptional performances = doping. It's not being overly negative, its just being observant and realistic. I suppose you and Alyosha believe the NSA monitors this message board for our own good and that Snack Wells are good for you. They say they are, so it must be true!

Ryan J said:

you and Alyosha believe the NSA monitors this message board for our own good and that Snack Wells are good for you. They say they are, so it must be true!

Wait, wut?  Snackwell no good?  Since when?!?

Rui Costa's power data

http://www.srm.de/news/road-cycling/le-tour-de-france-stage-19/

i don't know enough about the sport to comment on whether anyone's doping.  lacking a power meter for my own bike, i'm hardly qualified to peer into the tea leaves of others' power data.  mostly i was commenting on burden-shifting mechanisms because that's what's on my brain right now.  we're putting the burden on the accused to show he has not done something.  that is difficult.  what proof would satisfy people that froome isn't doping?  it's a kangaroo court!  if he wore a gopro 24 hours a day, people would say he edited the footage or poured EPO into his espresso off the camera.  he released his power data and the accusations go on.  damn you, lance.  i just want to watch a bike race...

Like Valverde's, impressive but not crazy.  Interesting nonetheless!

@Brendan Unfortunately, the only thing that would probably satisfy people is for him to stop turning in super-human performances. If you extract Froome, you've got a fairly competitive and human-looking Tour. Does that mean everyone else is clean? No. But not looking exactly like the dopers of the past means something. A Kangaroo court is exactly what it is. So what? The court of public opinion has different rules than an actual court. And in a dirty sport, where cheating has been the norm for ages, it doesn't seem unfair to me that the burden is on the accused. If they are indeed clean, then sure, it kinda sucks for them to get hated on. But still, let's get real - the worst an accused rider who is actually clean has to endure is some negative speculation while they accumulate yellow jerseys and get rich and famous. Yeah, if he carried around a go pro 24/7 people would say he edited the footage. And, based on history, they'd probably be right! Thinking people are skeptical when given reason to be. Watch the race. Enjoy it. I do. I've watched every stage. But that doesn't mean I turn my brain off to reality. Enjoyment can occur without being a Pollyanna.

Brendan Rigby said:

i don't know enough about the sport to comment on whether anyone's doping.  lacking a power meter for my own bike, i'm hardly qualified to peer into the tea leaves of others' power data.  mostly i was commenting on burden-shifting mechanisms because that's what's on my brain right now.  we're putting the burden on the accused to show he has not done something.  that is difficult.  what proof would satisfy people that froome isn't doping?  it's a kangaroo court!  if he wore a gopro 24 hours a day, people would say he edited the footage or poured EPO into his espresso off the camera.  he released his power data and the accusations go on.  damn you, lance.  i just want to watch a bike race...

Brendan your exuberance is not lost on us.  We get it.  We are all mired in the collateral damage caused by that war profiteering Texan.  Many of us are older than you and have been watching the tour since the 80's....and longer (cough-stokes-cough).  We have been conditioned to mistrust and doubt any performance on two wheels that seems, to quote Big Tex, "not normal".  I believe that we have entered the learned helplessness stage.  Here is where I get my wicki on, "Learned Helplessness is the condition of a human or animal that has learned to behave helplessly, failing to respond even though there are opportunities for it to help itself by avoiding unpleasant circumstances or by gaining positive rewards."  We can not cheer Froome loudly, as our doping radar is up, nor can we protest loudly as it has become tiresome and it falls on deaf ears.  There is an utter lack of both celebration and outrage concerning this years Tour.  The fan base  has become indifferent.  Our emotional power meters are in the active recovery zone, we have bonked.  There are strong indications that the UCI was complicit during the Lance years, which for me personally has been the most distressful revelation.  There are always going to be people who try to cheat...but don't ever tell me a game is rigged.  The UCI is rife with corruption.  If you went to the UCI during the Armstrong heyday and complained that Lance was threatening to shoot you, Verbruggen or McQuaid would likely shoot you themselves as a favor to their golden goose.  What has changed so dramatically that should convince anybody that doping is no longer part of the game?  Here is where I take a big liberty and quote you the last line of Gatsby, as I think it encapsulates the drudgery of my plight as a cycling fan, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

You cannot prove a negative but there are plenty of instances where the burden of proof is reasonably on the accused.