Did this Gran Fondo winner motor dope?

[Veloo]

The finger movement does look a bit odd. And then the acceleration.

https://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/...ndo-in-europe/

[fourflys]

agree, you can see him shift the front ring, shift the rear and then use his thumb to seemingly press something on top of the hood prior to "motoring" up the hill.. odd indeed..

[makoti]

He clearly pushed something on the top of that hood. Or had an interesting twitch

[Upcountry]

Maybe he's running a mechanical front derailleur and di2 rear.... totally sarcastic.
There's definitely more to the story though. He's trying to defend his insane top times against some really high end climbers in the world tour who raced up some of these mountains individually, yet somehow he managed to string them all together in one ride. I find it hard to imagine that in the days where data is everywhere, and teams are constantly on the lookout for talent, that this guy slipped through the cracks.

Oh yeah, and his bike was taken away immediately by his buddies post race, to avoid it getting stolen.

[pasadena]

Di2 has buttons in the top of the hoods where he pressed. They can be programmed for multiple things, like shifting.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by pasadena

Di2 has buttons in the top of the hoods where he pressed. They can be programmed for multiple things, like shifting.

the article says he did NOT have a Di2 bike.. plus it wouldn't make sense to shift with the paddle 2 or 3 shifts and then with the button once..

[Spdntrxi]

he looks like someone peddling to keep up with something..rather then the force doing the propelling. I think he cheated.

[Upcountry]

Originally Posted by pasadena

Di2 has buttons in the top of the hoods where he pressed. They can be programmed for multiple things, like shifting.

Nah, he's clearly running a mechanical Shimano groupset, as evident by the shift with his left hand prior to pushing on the hood with his right hand... Di2 Brake/shift levers don't swing inwards...

Also, the excuse for no power meter is pathetic...

[pasadena]

ok, didnt read the article but I see now.

He seems to be cresting, puts it in the big ring and shifts - then pushes the top button, and then his legs speed up when the motor kicks in

also his system of swapping bikes, which he seems to be doing for several fondos is a big red flag

Originally Posted by fourflys

the article says he did NOT have a Di2 bike.. plus it wouldn't make sense to shift with the paddle 2 or 3 shifts and then with the button once..

[charliedid]

I thought Gran Fondos were rides not races, was there prize money involved in this?

[pasadena]

There have been many doping and motor doping cases in gran fondos

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by pasadena

There have been many doping and motor doping cases in gran fondos

Got it...still just bragging rights even if it's lame right?

[EB]

Originally Posted by charliedid

Got it...still just bragging rights even if it's lame right?

There are a surprising number of results when googling “GFNY doping.”

[peanutgallery]

Motor doping aside...it's a fondue. Why cheat?

An actual meaningful competition I can understand the need...participating events...not so much

This is like cheating at bingo

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Eli Bingham

There are a surprising number of results when googling “GFNY doping.”

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

Motor doping aside...it's a fondue. Why cheat?

An actual meaningful competition I can understand the need...participating events...not so much

This is like cheating at bingo

Pathetic ain't it?