Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Doper's Classic?

I was watching LBL 09 on the trainer and it got me thinking. Even after the EPO fueled Gewiss team put their supercharged stamp on the Ardennes classics, Liege Bastogne Liege remains a race you may not want to win if you don't want to get busted down the line
Year Winner Busted
1999 VDB RIP Which time?
2000 Bettini No
2001 Oscar Camerzind Multiple from Festina on. Now a Postman
2002 Bettini No
2003 Hamilton Twice
2004 Rebellin Doomed
2005 Vino He's back
2006 Valverde He's hanging on
2007 DiLuca Gone baby Gone
2008 Valverde Busted, but racing
2009 Andy Schelck -maybe there's a reason the Italian cops
were searching your dad?

So out of ten years there are 3 years and 2 riders that have not been sanctioned
for doping. Not a good winning percentage for clean riders.....
This also highlights the winning tradition of late 20s/early 30s thinning hair'd euro pros Bettini/Valverde/Rebellin. If he hadn't got caught, Schumacher was a shoe in for the podium!
La Doyenne or La Dopage?

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