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Ryder Hesjedal's Tour De Victoria cycle race


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#61 hotdoglegz

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Posted 31 October 2013 - 03:22 PM

Exactly! The whole sport is rife with cheaters. Why are we suprised the "home town hero" is a cheater as well.


Every sport is rife with cheaters. Cycling is the one we hear about as the drug testing is done by national federations and by WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. Other sporting bodies like the NHL and NFL do their own testing. Those sporting bodies, or leagues, have it in their best interest that their athletes don't fail testings

#62 mysage

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Posted 31 October 2013 - 07:07 PM

Every sport is rife with cheaters. Cycling is the one we hear about as the drug testing is done by national federations and by WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. Other sporting bodies like the NHL and NFL do their own testing. Those sporting bodies, or leagues, have it in their best interest that their athletes don't fail testings


Perhaps but one would expect that one would have to be a fool to "dope" in the sport of cylcing given how tightly it is monitored. So really you are a cheat or a fool (or you end up in second place). Doesn't seem much like anyone comes out a winner!

#63 hotdoglegz

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Posted 31 October 2013 - 09:16 PM

Perhaps but one would expect that one would have to be a fool to "dope" in the sport of cylcing given how tightly it is monitored. So really you are a cheat or a fool (or you end up in second place). Doesn't seem much like anyone comes out a winner!


much of what we are reading about lately (Ryder, Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, Michael Barry) happened some time ago. These guys didn't necessarily fail drug tests but got caught due to confessions from other cyclists or due to police raids. The sport now uses "blood passports" which tracks an athlete's blood components over the season. Doping will still occur as for some it means the difference between getting a pay cheque or not.

I hope it doesn't seem like I am defending doping as I am not. I'm defending cycling. It has a bad reputation and not entirely undeservedly so. The sport is working on drug testing and catches cheaters.

I often wonder why we almost never hear of North American professional athletes failing drug tests in Hockey, Football or Basketball. Suspensions for recreational drugs maybe but those athletes would benefit from the same drugs as the cyclists do.

#64 Bingo

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Posted 05 July 2015 - 04:05 PM

Hesjedal currently in 132nd position and 6 min 17 sec back after 2 stages of the Tour de France.

http://www.letour.co...ifications.html



#65 Rob Randall

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Posted 05 July 2015 - 04:30 PM

^Tomorrow's episode should be good. He's more suited for the mountains and he'll slowly move up. There are two other people on his team capable of reaching the podium so if he stays upright with that support Ryder will be interesting to watch over the next few weeks.
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#66 Bingo

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Posted 06 July 2015 - 10:15 AM

^Tomorrow's episode should be good. He's more suited for the mountains and he'll slowly move up. There are two other people on his team capable of reaching the podium so if he stays upright with that support Ryder will be interesting to watch over the next few weeks.

 

Ryder came in 24th in stage 3 and is now 49th overall 6 min 15 sec back.



#67 Rob Randall

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Posted 06 July 2015 - 10:33 AM

Crash data from GPS transponders on each bicycle. A massive crash involving up to 30 riders halted the race temporarily. Average speed at the time of the crash was 42 kmh. You can see some bikes briefly relaying 60 kmh + speeds just before halting but I don't know if that's just a glitch or if the GPS was accurately relaying the bikes' speeds as they cartwheeled through the air.

 

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https://mobile.twitt...062170593566720

 

Bikes are also equipped with various data computers, power meters and sometimes, front or back-facing video cameras. Riders don't mind the weight of the electronics since even with all that gear, the bikes still have to be weighted in order to meet the legal 15 pound minimum bike weight.



#68 insanelydeadlydisease

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Posted 07 July 2015 - 08:38 AM

Garmin wasn't even near the front at all yesterday. If they were planning on a podium finish I see no evidence of them trying. 



#69 Rob Randall

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Posted 07 July 2015 - 09:01 AM

It's very early in the Tour. You don't want to peak too early. They are down to 191 riders and Cannondale-Garmin's four fastest riders, including Hesjedal, are in the top 45. They are like sharks circling, waiting to strike.

 

Don't forget, Hesjedal won the 2012 Giro, the second most prestigious tour, without winning a single individual stage. He was biding his time, grinding through the mountains, finishing near the front, building up an insurmountable time advantage and wearing everybody out.



#70 Greg

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Posted 07 July 2015 - 11:23 AM

It's very early in the Tour. You don't want to peak too early. They are down to 191 riders and Cannondale-Garmin's four fastest riders, including Hesjedal, are in the top 45. They are like sharks circling, waiting to strike.

 

Don't forget, Hesjedal won the 2012 Giro, the second most prestigious tour, without winning a single individual stage. He was biding his time, grinding through the mountains, finishing near the front, building up an insurmountable time advantage and wearing everybody out.

Losing six minutes on a flat second stage is not biding your time, it is tossing away the tour. Real shame, but for some reason he likes to ride at the back of the peloton, so when there is a crash or crosswinds he is just far too likely to miss the move and take big losses. I expect he'll do well in the mountains (he looked great in the second half of the Giro), but he has already given away any shot at a podium.



#71 insanelydeadlydisease

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Posted 07 July 2015 - 11:27 AM

You can't lose 6 minutes this early and get on the podium at all. The only chance Garmin has at this point is some kind of catastrophic crash involving Contador, Froom and Nibali. Garmin was supposed to be making  a bid for GC this year but they've done nothing. Not sure what the issue is here because they have good talent.



#72 Bingo

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Posted 07 July 2015 - 12:04 PM

They are down to 191 riders and Cannondale-Garmin's four fastest riders, including Hesjedal, are in the top 45.

 

Three of those four team riders are minutes ahead of Hesjedal after 4 stages, so it doesn't look like they see him as the guy to wait around for and help to the front of the field.



#73 North Shore

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Posted 07 July 2015 - 07:14 PM

I don't think that 6 minutes is insurmountable - one bad stage in the mountains, and a competitor could lose way more than that.  It does, however, beg the question 'what's up with Ryder?'  Why is he 6 min down?  Did he have a bad day? Crash? Miss a break?

 

WRT Rob's link - I've just skimmed it, and see no sign of further links to telemetry, which is a shame.  I remember watching Landis' break a few years back, and they had telemetry including the wattage he was producing, which was really impressive...


Say, what's that mountain goat doing up here in the mist?

#74 Bingo

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Posted 07 July 2015 - 07:24 PM

I don't think that 6 minutes is insurmountable - one bad stage in the mountains, and a competitor could lose way more than that.  It does, however, beg the question 'what's up with Ryder?'  Why is he 6 min down?  Did he have a bad day? Crash? Miss a break?

 

WRT Rob's link - I've just skimmed it, and see no sign of further links to telemetry, which is a shame.  I remember watching Landis' break a few years back, and they had telemetry including the wattage he was producing, which was really impressive...

 

Landis was on some stuff at the time.



#75 Greg

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Posted 08 July 2015 - 08:10 AM

Hesjedal lost another 14 minutes today. You aren't a GC contender if you insist on riding at the back of the peloton. Not sure if he has developed an issue with being tight in the pack, or something, but this is a recurring theme in his career. He does not lose time on mountain stages, he is competitive in TTs, and he repeatedly loses loads of time on "easy" stages. It is very frustrating to be a Ryder fan.



#76 North Shore

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Posted 08 July 2015 - 12:51 PM

Landis was on some stuff at the time.

Oh, yes, absolutely - the day I'm specifically thinking about was the day he tested positive.  But, at that level of training, the EPO/Testosterone only adds (I'm guessing? about 5%) if that, to performance, so at 400 watts unaided, our juicer is pumping out 420 or so.  Either way, those are impressive numbers, especially as they are sustained for the duration of the major climbs..


Say, what's that mountain goat doing up here in the mist?

#77 Mike K.

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Posted 08 July 2015 - 01:53 PM

Doesn't the entire sport juice once you get to those levels?


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#78 Bingo

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Posted 08 July 2015 - 06:22 PM

Doesn't the entire sport juice once you get to those levels?

 

Sure, the riders are always one step ahead of the next test.

I think the officials look the other way as the tour every year in France is good for the economy and is leaps and bounds ahead of getting to hold the Olympics in your country just once.



#79 Rob Randall

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Posted 09 July 2015 - 08:40 AM

Canadian eyes are on Hesjedal but there is one more Canadian in the TdF: Svein Tuft, a low-level domestique from Langley, BC. He placed last of all finishers in the Tour de France last year, which is actually an honour of sorts. The Lantern Rouge title signifies toughness and tenacity in the face of certain failure. If he stays upright till the end he may repeat the title.


Edited by Rob Randall, 09 July 2015 - 08:41 AM.

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#80 Mike K.

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Posted 09 July 2015 - 11:00 AM

Would you say that guys compete to be last, if it's kind of an honour and gets you a little bit of play in the press?


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