Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
How about 'Tell me it's not true' from the musical Blood Brothersdammit! a quick google produced no blood transfusion related songs that i could chuck in to the mix
La Vuelta 2013 (24 Aug - 15 Sept) **SPOILERS**
- Thread starter smutchin
- Start date
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Sorry Smutch, I must have missed that!
Foghat
Freight-train-groove-rider
An interesting contrast to the untroubled and impassive ice-robot look usually on his face when driving on the climbs for miles for Wiggins and Froome.
And I see Liggett seems to have finally worked out how to pronounce Boasson-Hagen!
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
Horner's performance in this race has definitely crossed into the unbelievable realm now. I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt before but the sustained day-after-day peak performances at his age - it just doesn't wash. It's one thing when you're in your late twenties and at the top of your physical abilities, but in your early 40s? No.
Spartak
Powered by M&M's
- Location
- Bristolian
.... but I wish somebody would tell him that its Nicholas Roche not Stephen Roche !!!
Strathlubnaig
Guru
- Location
- Alberta
I saw that Brian Smith tweeted to Ligget to please say "Net App ENDURA" not just Net App.
And I hear Horner wears an "Old Guys Rule" tee shirt in the hotel of an evening.
And I hear Horner wears an "Old Guys Rule" tee shirt in the hotel of an evening.
Noodley
Guest
And that he should stop getting a semi when he mentions Jensie, the nobber that he is
Noodley
Guest
Old Guys Dope
Phyllosan ... hmmm.... Rich P, sir, I am very interested in your amazing tonic, please tell me more
I don't take it anymore as it only fortifies the over-forties. I need an over-fifties product.
OP
OP
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
I think everyone did! I thought it was widely known that Horner was believed to be "Rider 15" but he seems to be very good at slipping under the radar.
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
The way I see it is Horner has to be proved to have doped before I will be sceptical (edit might have better said "very sceptical"). There are arguments that can explain his performance for me.
1) He is a seasoned pro who knows his body and just as long distance runners in the 40's can steadily put in high quality performances, so might Horner. Over the past few years he regularly puts in top 20 Grand Tour performances (unlike Cobo).
2) The drug testing is better than ever - I really think they will find out the majority of people
3) We say his performance looks dodgy but I don't see anyone looking at data (which can be interpreted in various ways of course) the important thing is
4) This is the only Grand tour he has done this year. Why is it not possible for him to have nailed his preparation for this year and that to have put him physically on a par with younger guys at the very end of this race. 3 weeks of racing is about endurance - old guys can have very high capacity in this regard - it is not the explosive first week that he has been outstanding as such - he just seems to be a steady performer while other levels of performance drop off. Take a look at his competitors in the top 10. 4 of them did the Giro, 4 did the Tour and the other is Konig who is breaking through as a GC rider.
ITA 1 NIBALI, Vincenzo Giro
USA 2 HORNER, Christopher
ESP 3 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro Tour de France
ESP 4 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin Tour de France
IRL 5 ROCHE, Nicolas Tour de France
ITA 6 POZZOVIVO, Domenico Giro
FRA 7 PINOT, Thibaut Tour de France
CZE 8 KONIG, Leopold
ESP 9 SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, Samuel Giro
EST 10 KANGERT, Tanel Giro
We have to judge him against this and not the past. Bike racing has changed.
To say his performance is not normal is palpably true for the Vuelta: we maybe only have last year of Contador's comeback as a comparable "clean" race for comparison so nobody really knows what normal is any more and we ought to be open to the possibility that this is it.
1) He is a seasoned pro who knows his body and just as long distance runners in the 40's can steadily put in high quality performances, so might Horner. Over the past few years he regularly puts in top 20 Grand Tour performances (unlike Cobo).
2) The drug testing is better than ever - I really think they will find out the majority of people
3) We say his performance looks dodgy but I don't see anyone looking at data (which can be interpreted in various ways of course) the important thing is
4) This is the only Grand tour he has done this year. Why is it not possible for him to have nailed his preparation for this year and that to have put him physically on a par with younger guys at the very end of this race. 3 weeks of racing is about endurance - old guys can have very high capacity in this regard - it is not the explosive first week that he has been outstanding as such - he just seems to be a steady performer while other levels of performance drop off. Take a look at his competitors in the top 10. 4 of them did the Giro, 4 did the Tour and the other is Konig who is breaking through as a GC rider.
ITA 1 NIBALI, Vincenzo Giro
USA 2 HORNER, Christopher
ESP 3 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro Tour de France
ESP 4 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin Tour de France
IRL 5 ROCHE, Nicolas Tour de France
ITA 6 POZZOVIVO, Domenico Giro
FRA 7 PINOT, Thibaut Tour de France
CZE 8 KONIG, Leopold
ESP 9 SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, Samuel Giro
EST 10 KANGERT, Tanel Giro
We have to judge him against this and not the past. Bike racing has changed.
To say his performance is not normal is palpably true for the Vuelta: we maybe only have last year of Contador's comeback as a comparable "clean" race for comparison so nobody really knows what normal is any more and we ought to be open to the possibility that this is it.
Last edited:
Old Tom
Member
- Location
- Poynton, Cheshire
You want to get some of Horner's special Sanatogen down you. And was that a Stannah bike I saw him riding yesterday?
Whatever bike it was, he could have saved himself some weight by throwing away the saddle
