Did this Gran Fondo winner motor dope?

[trener1]

Gran Fondos pay out some pretty big money these days.
There is a Gran Fondo worlds.
The front end of a Gran Fondo is 100% a race, even if they don't call it that.

[peanutgallery]

It is and always will be a participation event

Wanna dope => go protour. You'll probably find a better responder to whatever drug you're on and can have a real battle

Originally Posted by trener1

Gran Fondos pay out some pretty big money these days.
There is a Gran Fondo worlds.
The front end of a Gran Fondo is 100% a race, even if they don't call it that.

[tomato coupe]

Wow, what the article calls "damning evidence" is pathetic.

[pasadena]

Don't know what the prizes are
It's bad in fondos, like that moron that doped and made the doc about it- and happened to stumble into a story w/ the russian doping doctor...

I think the major ones have drug testing? Not surprised. People dope to win a 45min crit with prizes that wouldn't cover gas money.

Originally Posted by charliedid

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

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by pasadena

Don't know what the prizes are
It's bad in fondos, like that moron that doped and made the doc about it- and happened to stumble into a story w/ the russian doping doctor...

I think the major ones have drug testing? Not surprised. People dope to win a 45min crit with prizes that wouldn't cover gas money.

Weird, I had no idea.

[callmeishmael]

The GF circuit in Europe is huge. At the sharp end of the bigger ones, you’ll have recently retired and semi-pros. The prize money can be good (4 figures in some cases) and the bragging rights are huge. Doping is apparently endemic.

[ripvanrando]

I thought GFs were just fancy centuries, who knew ex-pros with doping histories would still be doping to win a gran fondue.

I must be blind, I cannot see the alleged motor doper do anything untoward with his hands. Putting his hand on the top of the lever? I do that all the time because the reach of my bike isn't sufficient. The solution is simple. IR detectors are cheap, many hunters have them. I think I'm going to the NJ Gran Fondue to poach me some dopers. I'll post pics if I catch any.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by callmeishmael

The GF circuit in Europe is huge. At the sharp end of the bigger ones, you’ll have recently retired and semi-pros. The prize money can be good (4 figures in some cases) and the bragging rights are huge. Doping is apparently endemic.

Huge seems like an exaggeration but I am clueless. Can you give some scope of the size we are talking about? I mean how many people follow this and is a Fondo simply a non sanctioned race? I like others always thought they were just chic centuries with decent food and people on snazzy bikes with snazzy costumes.

Who knew...

[rockdude]

Originally Posted by charliedid

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

The UCI Amateur/Master Road World Championships are Called Gran Fondo's.

[Alistair]

I dunno… he shifts to the big ring early in the video (big left hand shift movement) and the grade seems to even out or turn down a hair.

With money on the line, I’m surprised they don’t inspect the top 5 bikes or so.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by charliedid

Huge seems like an exaggeration but I am clueless. Can you give some scope of the size we are talking about?

This particular race paid $10,000 to P1, $4,000 to P2, and $2,000 to P3 for both genders. Registrants capped at 1,000.

[charliedid]

Thanks ^

[merckxman]

I have done the Maratona dles Dolomites twice. It's intense and beautiful, probably 99% there are not for taking a leisurely "century" ride. Full road closures make for fast riding, I was more mentally destroyed than physically. It's so popular that you enter a lottery to get a spot (8,000-12,000); you can also get in through a limited number of packages.
The start is on grids based on past times or your estimated time, grids open at 0530 and the event begins at 0630 as the sun rises. There are time limits too...if you are on the long course,for example, you must come in within a certain time at a point or you won't be allowed to continue to finish the long course.
Oh, you must submit a medical certificate by a doctor stating you are ok to compete.
For me it was a fantastic experience. Photo from Maratona site.

[windsurfer]

Why call this motor doping?

This is not doping, it is simply cheating.

[Marvinlungwitz]

Originally Posted by merckxman

Photo from Maratona site.

That's beautiful.