# British Track Called Out?



## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

Did I detect an undertone in this article from the French?

"Peaking at the right time" every four years? That's some real next-level performance management.


----------



## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Well, it's the French way.....


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Unlike the french FDJ cyclists that suddenly peaked during TDF winning stages like they never do?


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I'm sorry you guys don't believe in miracles.


----------



## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

It'd be naive to think that none of them dope at this level of competition. If you're not doping at this level, you're not giving yourself a shot.


----------



## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

I don't believe in miracles either. Hard work, motivation, added to some old fashioned British spirit.


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

What are they on? They're on their bikes.


----------



## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Bradley and co are on fire. 2 WR in 2 days.


----------



## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

Marc said:


> Unlike the french FDJ cyclists that suddenly peaked during TDF winning stages like they never do?


Europcar anyone? Always there or thereabouts after a rest day in the Tour.

I've always had a soft spot for the French....Romney Marshes. C'est la guerre...


----------



## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

I did not like Wiggins initially, until he started to rebel from the Sky program and act like himself. Partially that was due to my general dislike of Garmin and Sky.

Now, he's kinda grown on me. He's another one I hope is clean, because he's... human. Or at least as close to human as a guy with his palmarès can be. If nothing else, these Olympics have been good swan songs for cyclists.

I still view Sky and British cycling with a skeptical eye, but that may just be cause I'm an 'Murican and I'm going to build a wall and make GB pay for it.


----------



## sir duke (Mar 24, 2006)

Alaska Mike said:


> I did not like Wiggins initially, until he started to rebel from the Sky program and act like himself. Partially that was due to my general dislike of Garmin and Sky.
> 
> Now, he's kinda grown on me. He's another one I hope is clean, because he's... human. Or at least as close to human as a guy with his palmarès can be. If nothing else, these Olympics have been good swan songs for cyclists.
> 
> I still view Sky and British cycling with a skeptical eye, but that may just be cause I'm an 'Murican and I'm going to build a wall and make GB pay for it.


Wiggins has his detractors but to me he comes across as a 'decent bloke' as we say in England. A bit moody, not always a ray of sunshine, can hold a grudge if people rub him the wrong way. I like the way he tends to write his own scripts. Reminds me of a certain Frenchman who dominated the Tour back in the late 70's/early 80's. 

That article made me laugh. Imagine if the French had had the Olympic successes to match their wins at the WC's, everyone and their dog would be pointing fingers and saying they were on a program, and they'd be entitled to. That doesn't guarantee Team GB are clean, but if they were doping wouldn't it make sense to 'prepare' for the Worlds as well? Sounds suspiciously like Gallic sour grapes to me. Our dopers are better than their dopers.


----------



## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

Nate Diaz know the deal

https://youtu.be/59BSOlAZAW8

He goes into detail here


----------



## Handbrake (May 29, 2012)

bikerjulio said:


> I don't believe in miracles either. Hard work, motivation, added to some old fashioned British spirit.


They have the oldest secret in the book: hard work.


----------



## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

If only the French could have thought of such a revolutionary idea. Hard work... who'd a thunk?

Sorry, post Festina, Puerto, and Postal, plus a mounting number of similar cases from any number of other sports and nationalities, skepticism of the "old fashioned British spirit" is to be expected.

Fool me once shame on you. Fool me 1,000 times... well, maybe I'll start asking questions.

Not saying British Cycling/Sky are dirty. Not saying they aren't. Just saying such questions are natural in the current environment.


----------



## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Alaska Mike said:


> If only the French could have thought of such a revolutionary idea. Hard work... who'd a thunk?
> 
> Sorry, post Festina, Puerto, and Postal, plus a mounting number of similar cases from any number of other sports and nationalities, skepticism of the "old fashioned British spirit" is to be expected.
> 
> ...


Why not start with the country leading in the medal standings. Highly suspicious.


----------



## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

bikerjulio said:


> Why not start with the country leading in the medal standings. Highly suspicious.


Sure, why not?

You'd be wasting your time, though. No US athlete has ever doped, especially not a cyclist. I'd swear that on stack of Lances, Floyds, Tylers, Georges, Daves, Christians...

I'll throw in a Ryder and a Michael, too, just so Canada doesn't feel left out. 

My coach, Chris Carmichael, says it's all due to higher cadence and other sports science advances that nobody has ever thought of. That, and the American spirit.


----------



## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Alaska Mike said:


> Sure, why not?
> 
> You'd be wasting your time, though. No US athlete has ever doped, especially not a cyclist. I'd swear that on stack of Lances, Floyds, Tylers, Georges, Daves, Christians...
> 
> ...


It's sad that we can no longer look at our winners in the same way.

Tyler was a breaking point for me.

What I would say is that in the UK there has been an effort to channel money into athletes and sports where there was a good chance of success.

Today Cav got silver. Has there ever been any doubt around him? Wiggins?


----------



## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

For the 2010 Tour, L'Equipe leaked a UCI "index of suspicion" memo. All the riders in the 2010 Tour de France were scored on a scale from 0 to 10 based on their biological passport data. On the scale, 0 means no suspicion of doping – a clean passport. Scores between 6 and 10 indicate large fluctuations in the passport data.

Wiggins was a 5, the same as Contador and Vinokourov. Lance was 4.

Obviously not foolproof.

I don't believe Cavendish or Wiggins are doping (I should say hope), although they certainly rode behind a lot of doped riders over the years.

Everyone knows British Cycling/Sky have a crap-ton of money thrown their way. They can buy the best, and they can develop the best. The same could have been said for Postal. The "grind the competition into the dirt" strategy is certainly the same, so comparisons are inevitable. 

Those French complaints were from before Wiggins and Cavendish ever hit the track.


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Handbrake said:


> They have the oldest secret in the book: hard work.


Yes, nobody else is working hard. That's the ticket.


----------



## Aadub (May 30, 2015)

Its the ketogenic diet.


----------



## bellzisu (May 1, 2013)

I always thought this represented the French

http://https://youtu.be/JMK6lzmSk2o


----------



## Handbrake (May 29, 2012)

spade2you said:


> Yes, nobody else is working hard. That's the ticket.


Sorry you don't believe.


----------



## SFTifoso (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm not a fan of the British, but the French and everyone else needs to shut up, step up, and get with the "program".


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

SFTifoso said:


> I'm not a fan of the British, but the French and everyone else needs to shut up, step up, and get with the "program".


Agreed and the Aussies are changing their approach and priorities wrt Worlds vs Olympics. One of the British team coaches (the New Zealander - can't remember his name) left his job with the French team because of complaints that he was working them too hard


----------

