Giro withdrawal

[chengher87]

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/05/news/hesjedal-withdraws-from-the-giro-ditalia_287204

With Wiggins now officially out of the Giro, it will be a very interesting Tour for SKY..

[mktng]

biological warfare within the peloton.
who's gunna be the whistle blower on this one :P

[jpw]

biological warfare within the peloton.
who's gunna be the whistle blower on this one :P

i would not be shocked to discover that someone has been up to no good.

there's a long history of 'fixing' in Italian pro sports.

[Lewis Moon]

i would not be shocked to discover that someone has been up to no good.

there's a long history of 'fixing' in Italian pro sports.

I didn't see a smiley face so....
Jeebus, somebody's kid brought a cold home from kindergarten. If you want a conspiracy, blame it on Darwin.

[slidey]

My first reaction was that of incredulity at your post - how could someone fix up both Wiggins and Hesjedal?!

But, thinking about it a little bit more...hmm, I'm not too sure. Virus going round is ringing mini alarm bells for me. Hopefully I'm wrong here!

Only thing I am reasonably sure of is that Hesjedal definitely is sick...losing 20 minutes on a single day is akin to performing a couple of standard deviations below his usual average, and that can only mean sickness.

i would not be shocked to discover that someone has been up to no good.

there's a long history of 'fixing' in Italian pro sports.

[chengher87]

i would not be shocked to discover that someone has been up to no good.

there's a long history of 'fixing' in Italian pro sports.

Don't forget Spain and Cuddles at the Vuelta and his..ahem "wheel change" by Neutral support.

[CunegoFan]

I didn't see a smiley face so....
Jeebus, somebody's kid brought a cold home from kindergarten. If you want a conspiracy, blame it on Darwin.

He is not sick. He came into the Giro 3 kgs lighter than last year. The Watts/kg were great initially but his recovery was compromised.. His form crumbled under the stress of racing. Vaughters' theory in the days prior to Hesjedal's withdrawal was they overdid it with the weight loss.

Funny that Dr. Ferrari wrote this after last year's Tour:

"As if the lack of a really challenging uphill finish was not enough, even the weather has not proposed a single day of rain or the stifling heat typical of many past editions of the TdF. The only time that there was a partly wet descent, the stage was "neutralized" due to the nails on the road."

"Tall and skinny seems to be the prototype of the upcoming generation of riders, all around 190 cm, very performing but also probably rather weak when confronted with the many contingencies that may arise in a three-week stage race."

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . some years ago. Garzelli tested positive for Probenicid (I think), a diuretic. The whole team had eaten together the night before and many team members testified that everybody was peeing like racehorses all night.

Nothing I would see in pro cycling like that would surprise me any more. But many of the teams now have their own chefs that travel with thme partyl to make sure those typse of "accidents" don't happen. :rolleyes:

BBD

[Lewis Moon]

Wiggins is.
I agree with your point, though. You can only hammer and shave a body so much before the immune system cracks....and if the guy you just shook hands with has a kid in daycare....

He is not sick. He came into the Giro 3 kgs lighter than last year. The Watts/kg were great initially but his recovery was compromised.. His form crumbled under the stress of racing. Vaughters' theory in the days prior to Hesjedal's withdrawal was they overdid it with the weight loss.

Funny that Dr. Ferrari wrote this after last year's Tour:

"As if the lack of a really challenging uphill finish was not enough, even the weather has not proposed a single day of rain or the stifling heat typical of many past editions of the TdF. The only time that there was a partly wet descent, the stage was "neutralized" due to the nails on the road."

"Tall and skinny seems to be the prototype of the upcoming generation of riders, all around 190 cm, very performing but also probably rather weak when confronted with the many contingencies that may arise in a three-week stage race."

[CunegoFan]

Wiggins is.
I agree with your point, though. You can only hammer and shave a body so much before the immune system cracks....and if the guy you just shook hands with has a kid in daycare....

I am not sure I believe Sky. I lost track of how many excuses they had for Wiggins before settling on sickness. The team has a history of lying to the press. I think Wiggins mentally lost it when things did not go as expected and he did not want to put up with the weather.

Contrast Wiggins' response to "sickness" with Basso's in 2005.

[MattTuck]

He is not sick. He came into the Giro 3 kgs lighter than last year. The Watts/kg were great initially but his recovery was compromised.. His form crumbled under the stress of racing. Vaughters' theory in the days prior to Hesjedal's withdrawal was they overdid it with the weight loss.


Are you saying that he isn't sick, or that his sickness is attributed to his weakened constitution because of weight loss?

It certainly makes sense if you're trying to walk the edge of the razor. Gives hope to us fat guys. Maybe I can start a tour and ride myself into shape... you know, like this guy ;)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4UTgRzevh0/TWZ5R1J1vzI/AAAAAAAADH8/MwNpQ8qCdQA/s1600/Jan+Ullrich+funny.jpg

[gavingould]

Hesjedal out too along with Bouhanni

[jpw]

Cav was mysteriously weak on the day of Milan San Remo 2012.

[rnhood]

Now that he is back on his Venge, he appears to be back in the drivers seat.

[ericssonboi]

It's all in the water

[Lovetoclimb]

From the grainy Eurosport feeds and the photo galleries I have perused thus far, Nibali and Evans look(ed) far less skinny and wiry than Hesjedal and Wiggins. Granted they are both much shorter respectively, but a bodyfat % and overall composition comparison would be interesting. I doubt anyone who has seen a recent picture of Wiggins and Hesjedal would NOT say they look sickly thin. Froome can go right up there in the tall and possibly too skinny category, but I would not put Contador in there (again a bit shorter than the others).

Also of note is the huge difference in prep between 2012 and 2013 for Wiggins. A race heavy schedule vs a training heavy schedule produced some very different results for him. I have always been of the opinion that racing is the best training for racing. Of course it has its own risks . . .

[bikingshearer]

there's a long history of 'fixing' in Italian pro sports.

You mean like the year Moser beat Fignon? Having the biggest mountain stage over the Stelvio cancelled due to weather on a sunny day (thereby negating Moser's biggest weakness) and the curiously placed helicopter during the time trial (blowing wind in Fignon's face) were just coincidences.

Keep in mind, though, that the Italians hardly have the market cornered on home-town shennanigans.