La Vuelta/ Tour of Britain

[louise_a]

I am quite getting into watching these on ITV4, I am sure there are others watching too

La Vuelta is similar to the Tor de France, with lots of climbs and different stage winners but every stage on the Tour of Britain has come down to a sprint finish. Now I know we don't have the same mountains has Spain and France but I would have thought they would have at least one stage in the Lake District or Snowdonia or even the Highlands.

It seems that has long as the winner of the time trial finishes in the peleton he will win the Tour.

I have enjoyed watching it, today's stage was a good but again a sprint finish,, what do the cyclists on here think?

 

[Hobbit]

Watched the Vuelta with great interest, especially as it went past our village. Horrendous weather last week through Andalucia,

 

[Dasit]

Love the Vuelta watching every day. Plenty of brutal climbs perfect viewing.


Tour of Britain is boring don't bother with it personally.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Think Froome should deserve at least top 3 in SPOTY. But for a number of reasons I suspect he'll do well to get nominated.

 

[Kellfire]

Froome returns an "adverse" result from a test in Vuelta.

Such a dirty, dirty sport.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Froome returns an "adverse" result from a test in Vuelta.

Such a dirty, dirty sport.

Do you really think Froome would knowingly cheat?
Cant help but feel this is another anti British cycling campaign by the big French teams and a media looking to dis someone they don’t like.

 

[Kellfire]

Do you really think Froome would knowingly cheat?

True - it's not like the sport is historically riddled with cheats at its upper echelons...

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Seems the result is due to increased use of an asthma inhaler salbutamol and it was under his team docs instructions as he has asthma to increase the use of the inhaler as his symptoms got worse but would still be within the allowed limit

 

[pbrown7582]

it appears he had double the allowed limit and is facing a 1 year ban.....

 

[User101]

I do laugh at those who call cycling such a dirty sport yet say very little about the caught cheats in other sports. Cycling has a poor reputation and deservedly so, other sports have a good reputation, often undeserving.

I'm a huge cycling fan and have been since the late 80s but it doesn't help itself. I don't have any facts but I had heard that 80% of the peloton have asthma, what are the chances of that eh ? I bet no other professional sport has such a high percentage.

 

[louise_a]

Funny thing Asthma, there are so many degrees of it, I have it but only very mild, it only really affects me when I am lying down.
However I do have a Salbutamol inhaler and if I have done something strenuous and am a bit out of breath, a quick blast helps get my breathe back quicker than normal.

 

[azazel]

Around 8% of the population are asthmatic. Isn't it an amazing coincidence that we produce two Tour de France winners in recent years and they both happen to have asthma?

 

[Dan2501]

Nah, he just had bad asthma that week, British athletes would never cheat, right guys?........ guys?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Froome has been a confirmed asthmatic since childhood and has been on salbutamol for decades and it’s always been administered by doctors for years correctly and above board - sometimes I understand the salbutamol goes through the system a bit strangely. I always had to declare my asthma medication at any drugs test

 

[Beezerk]

it appears he had double the allowed limit and is facing a 1 year ban.....

Not necessarily, it was Team Sky who released the news so you’d imagine they’d have covered their bases first. The substance in question isn’t banned either, however I’m watching this one with interest.

 

[Dan2501]

Not necessarily, it was Team Sky who released the news so you’d imagine they’d have covered their bases first. The substance in question isn’t banned either, however I’m watching this one with interest.

It is if you have over 1000ng in your system. Froome had double that.

 

[User62651]

Whatever Froome has unintentionally done, twice the limit is twice the limit of this drug that may (or may not) affect performance, opinion seems divided there. That being said levels of 1920 and even 1320 have resulted in bans for other cyclists where the dose is unexplained. He's got 2000 so could work out badly for him.

Probably unfair but they have to manage very very carefully what they are taking, Alain Baxter lost an Olympic bronze from sniffing a Vicks Inhaler for a cold, the US version having ephydrine in it I think, which it was claimed was unknown to him which I believe.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Froome was notified over 2 months ago (27 Sep) Team Sky have released the information because of questions through the media. He took it under Doctors advice.
Personally think Team Sky are not worried about a ban and surely the authorities will carry out no action once their investigation is finished.

 

[Beezerk]

It is if you have over 1000ng in your system. Froome had double that.

According to the guy on 5 live this morning he “secreted” that amount, whatever that means lol and there are many factors which can affect the levels produced while “secreting”.

 

[pokerjoke]

Is there anything Phil you don't actually know.Your actually claiming you know he has been on it for decades or are you just believing everything you read?