Clean cyclists 1990-2010

[smutchin]

Being entirely underwhelmed by the Zabel news, I got to wondering which riders from that era who were reasonably successful would actually surprise me by confessing they doped.

Chris Boardman is one. I have total confidence in him.

Brad McGee.

Carlos Sastre.

And... I'm really not sure who else.

Robbie McEwen? Except he was at Rabobank in the late 90s...

I noticed Jan Svorada was given a green light by the French senate report but can we take that as evidence in his favour? I used to like him back in the day, so it would be pleasing to think he's someone I could have confidence in.

Who else would the panel like to nominate for a list of [probably] clean riders? I'm aiming for a bit of positivity here...

 

[Dan B]

Robert Millar ... but overlapping the earlier end of your date range, so I suspect not quite the era you have in mind

 

[Buddfox]

Jens Voigt

 

[smutchin]

Robert Millar ... but overlapping the earlier end of your date range, so I suspect not quite the era you have in mind

I thought about Andy Hampsten, but both he and Millar are "80s riders" in my mind.

 

[smutchin]

Jens Voigt

Difficult. I want to believe in him but as with McEwen, circumstantial evidence complicates the matter.

 

[thom]

Christophe Bassons...
David Moncoutié

 

[smutchin]

Christophe Bassons...

I'm not sure one stage in the Dauphiné qualifies him as successful enough for this list.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

But Moncoutié, definitely.

 

[thom]

I'm not sure one stage in the Dauphiné qualifies him as successful enough for this list.

I missed "reasonably successful" - we've got our work cut out then !

 

[rich p]

There's no dirt on Sastre anywhere? I find it hard to believe but maybe it's true.

 

[smutchin]

we've got our work cut out then !

Exactly!

But Moncoutié, definitely.

Yep, he can go on the list.

There's also a certain Sir Bradley Wiggins, of course, though I probably think of him more as post the era I have in mind.

 

[smutchin]

There's no dirt on Sastre anywhere?

Apparently not. As far as I can see, the only cause for suspicion is that he was on Riis's CSC team along with Basso et al, but he seems to be widely regarded as clean. (Voigt was on the same team, of course.)

 

[thom]

Apparently not. As far as I can see, the only cause for suspicion is that he was on Riis's CSC team along with Basso et al, but he seems to be widely regarded as clean. (Voigt was on the same team, of course.)

Sastre went up Alpe d'Huez very quickly...
but that in itself is nowhere near enough to be conclusive, rather eyebrow raising given the Riis connection in my opinion

 

[smutchin]

rather eyebrow raising given the Riis connection in my opinion

And there's also the Manolo Saiz connection, of course. So I take it few of us would be entirely surprised if Sastre did come out and admit doping... Ho hum. So much for trying to be positive (in a non-doping sense).

What about the man Sastre beat in 2008 - Cadel Evans, anyone?

 

[smutchin]

I'm trawling the internet looking for candidates. Not having much luck. Some more possibles...

Christophe Rinero
Daniele Nardello
Jean-Cyril Robin
Francois Simon
Jerome Pineau
Sandy Casar