Perhaps the most cruel by-product of cycling’s ongoing battle with doping is the growing number of social media sceptics.
These mainly anonymous ‘experts’ sit in their lounge rooms and pass judgement in 140 characters or less. They comment on everything from a rider’s appearance to the reasons why they might have won a race, and everything in between.
Some of it is fun. Some of it is even informative. But a lot of it is just plain lousy. Much of it is mean-spirited.
Great wins are dismissed as dope-fuelled romps. Improvement in a cyclist’s performance over the course of a season or two is red flagged as something sinister. A consistently impressive ride through the Alps or Pyrenees is evidence of an artificial enhancer.
No one is immune to these relentless cyber attacks.
Unfortunately for young cyclists today, they are being judged by the lax standards of the past, and it is marring the enjoyment and enthusiasm they should be feeling for themselves and the future of their sport.
Vincenzo Nibali is the latest to be subjected to endless speculation about his performances. His dominant display throughout the current edition of the Tour de France has sent the faceless hordes into overdrive.
They tap out their one fingered messages faster than a Marcel Kittel sprint, ensuring that their often unfounded doubts are being re-tweeted across the world wide web before the rider or riders in question have even made it to the team buses.
It is ok to be sceptical, in fact cycling deserves the cynicism, and that the disbelievers find it hard to trust in what they are seeing is understandable.
But not everyone is doping. Not everyone deserves to be tarred with the same brush.
The questions being raised about Nibali’s Tour de France are interesting. Most seem to centre around how he is able to get away from his main competitors each time the race kicks up hill. Not just get away from them, but absolutely smash them.
Perhaps he is just the better rider.
Nibali is one of the world’s best stage racers. He has won the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, and has stood on the podium at the Tour de France. His main rivals, Chris Froome and Alberto Contador, are out of the race. The world’s other great mountain goat, new kid on the block Nairo Quintana, isn’t here.
That trio of riders are either the equal of, or better than Nibali. If they were racing through the Alps and Pyrenees, you can bet that the Italian champ wouldn’t be having things all his own way. In fact, if those three were racing, it might be Nibali currently sitting in fourth position on general classification trying to work out how to make up a five minute time deficit.
Guaranteed that if that was the case, the twitter-sphere would be targeting someone else and lamenting that poor old Vincenzo was being dudded by drug cheats.
But that triumvirate of talent are absent, which leaves Nibali as top dog.
The story of his Tour dominance is as much about who is left opposing him as it is his scintillating riding. Put simply he is the best bike rider by far left in this race. Honestly, who can challenge him?
Alejandro Valverde is probably the next best. He claims he is in career-best form but his best years are behind him, as are Chris Horner’s (despite his Vuelta win last year).
Jurgen Van Den Broeck has always been thereabouts in Grand Tours but has never taken the next step.
The experienced Haimar Zulbeldia has ridden in 22 Grand Tours for six top 10 results, but has never finished on the podium.
Frank Schleck is not the rider he was.
Michal Kwiatkowski and Rui Costa can’t get over the big climbs.
Pierre Rolland lacks consistency and is probably better suited to chasing king of the mountain points or stage wins.
Bauke Mollema and Laurens Ten Dam are a step down.
The French duo of Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot are coming along nicely but are still a couple of years off reaching their full potential.
Joaquim Rodiriguez just isn’t interested in the general classification and hasn’t got the legs anyway.
And the jury is still out on the ambitious American, Tejay Van Garderen, whose bark seems to be worse than his bite.
Apart from Valverde and Horner, none of the others have won – or come close to winning – a Grand Tour.
I’ll ask again. Who out of that mob can seriously challenge Nibali? Is it any wonder he looks so good? It is an aligning of the stars, not the spectre of drugs, that has placed Nibali at the top of the Tour tree.
Of course, I can’t categorically state that Nibali is racing clean, but with Contador and Froome crashing out early and Quintana absent, coupled with being in peak physical and mental condition, his dominant performance so far should not come as any great surprise.
Unfortunately though, the doubts – which we are all justified in having – are the sad legacy that modern cycling has left us with.
But sometimes, just sometimes, what we see can be real.
Arto
Guest
@ Kjeltring: Norwegian?
Arto
Guest
@ Tom: Just as an example: http://www.climbing-records.com/2014/07/stunning-hautacam-ascent-by-great-nibali.html
Arto
Guest
@ Colin N: +1!! Also, Nibali was 3mins slower up Hautacam than Bjarne Riis who holds the record for the ascent and won le Tour in '96, later admitting he used drugs to do it. So people need to do a bit more research before they start accusing others of doping! :-)
will sargent
Guest
Wouldn't it be easier to inject everyone publicly at the start of each day and then see who wins? Can I add my vote to the 'don't trust Astana even remotely' and that applies to the whole team, not just Nibali.
riley
Guest
Its not just the comparable times of each finishing climb that you need to look at but the harshness of the stage before they get there and how tough the preceeding days have been ( there were two seriously tough days before Hautacam). Time differentials don't tell you the whole sory either as those who are still doping will most likely be microdosing compared to the times set by 2002-2009 set who were taking as much juice as they could get away with....and sometmies more. My understanding about hematocrit levels is that they drop as the body gets punished through a three week tour ( or at least they should! ), it seems reasonable to suggest that there should be at least dips in a clean performance if not an actual steady drop off. Nibali hasn't missed a beat, and even seemed to put in outstanding performances that weren't required to defend his jersey. That doesn't sound like racing smart as some people have alluded to.........and remember that Astana have been riding in defence of the yellow jersey for pretty much three weeks solid........not exactly the most energy efficient way for a team to ride the tour......................that is a hell of a work load, in press duties alone that robs you of some of your recovery time. Maybe I just like to see riders have bad days to convince me that they are human..............but then there have been too many robots on a programme for me not to be cynical.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Of course he is a "Bradbury" -- who did race smart(ly) -- like Steve Bradbury, he didn't fall over when lots around him did.
Kjeltring
Guest
Sure, not everyone is doping, but the Tour de France is grueling and long- at least that is what two riders who were riders on the Tour on two different teams have told me. the problem is that Nibali shows no fatigue as he comes from behind nearly each stage at this years Tour. I haven't seen that sort of strength since Floyd Landis or Lance Armstrong (whose name isn't even whispered by commentators anymore). In running even the professional marathoners are exhausted. Maybe this is another case of "tainted meat".
Colin N
Guest
Nibali went faster than Piepoli and Cobo on Hautacam and people said that was confirmation of doping but Nibali is a better cyclist and a more talented cyclist. Why shouldn't he beat those times?
Colin N
Guest
It's right to be suspicious but it's wrong to be throwing around unfounded accusations. It's been interesting because the numbers have been what most 'scientists' consider 'human' levels, so these guys now have to find other ways to condemn him, which is the way he looks on the bike (ie his emotion never changes) Well, if you look at Quintana, his emotion never changes whether he cracks or not. I remember when he won that epic stage in the Giro he barely had any energy to celebrate.
Jono
Guest
There seemed to be a real lack of belief in the pelaton that they could beat Nibali once Froome and Contador went out. Those behind him from 2 - 6 seemed to default to fighting over the lower steps on the podium pretty quickly. It's easier to look great when others are focused on limiting their losses/protecting their position.
Sean Lee
Expert
Ah yes, but this article is about Nibali, not the riders you mention. We can't say that because Contador or Vinokourov or Armstrong had doping bans, so to must Nibali be cheating! Nibali's performance at the Tour has been exceptional, all I am saying is that there could be reasons for it other than doping. My argument is that he hasn't done anything so outrageously out of the ordinary that red flags need to be raised. Scepticism is fine, but if we are going to be suspicious of every single performance, the peloton may as well ride along at 25km hour all day with no breakaways or sprint finishes. Maybe that would be believable?
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Not sure how you can say that suggesting he's a drug cheat is categorically wrong. It may well be right, and no-one outside of Nibali himself can have 100% confidence that they know the truth. It's the nature of the sport at the moment, and it will take decades to fully rid itself of the stain. And that's if it stays relatively clean in the meantime. Is that unfair on Nibali? Probably. If he is actually clean.
Tim Renowden
Expert
One the one hand, Nibali is way in front, has looked like it's been easy, and his ride on Hautacam was dominant. On the other hand, his team is a member of the MPCC, he is tested and subject to biopassport controls, his improvement has been steady through his career, he's only taken relatively small amounts of time each day (but done it consistently), the best riders are missing, and his times on the Tourmalet and Hautacam are noticeably slower than Riis or Armstrong era times (for what that comparison is worth, which probably isn't much). Source: http://www.climbing-records.com/2014/07/stunning-hautacam-ascent-by-great-nibali.html So I'm treating this Tour as "be alert, but not alarmed" unless further evidence comes to light.
kippa
Guest
4 weeks ago it was all who can really beat the sky team. Sky were the favorites and no pne else was in contention.
Tom
Guest
Nibali actually impressed me that he didn't have a whinge a la Chris Froome when asked about doping in a press conference, and accepted that it comes with the rather sordid history of the sport. However, you have to be somewhat suspicious of anyone riding in a team where Vinokourov is the DS. That said, I suspect his climbs would have actually been quite slow compared to Armstrong, Contador et al; as you correctly point out, the 3 best riders in the world at present aren't at the race.
le blanc
Guest
How can we not be sceptical: Its a beatiful sport but lets be clear its still rotten with cheats. Until the current cohort of doping DS/Management leave the sport there is a shadow. Impey was the last straw for me - I naively thought Greenedge was clean. Theres no yellow jersey last year for green edge without him. Contador - had a doping ban F Schleck - had a doping ban Valverde - had a doping ban Tiernan Locke - banned for 2 years Impey - under review for failled A + B tests Vinokurov - management of Leaders team - had a doping ban Rui Costa - world champion - had a doping ban Kreuzinger - anolmolies in Bio Passport, pulled from the tour Rogers - Stage winner ooooohh yeah it was the clenbuterol in the meat. Where have we heard that before. Matt White - Great bloke but a doper, didnt admit it until he got caught out It goes on and on.
Sean Lee
Expert
Cobbles and maybe the odd stretch of strade bianche!
Sean Lee
Expert
You are right Andy. There may be 200 riders at the Grand Depart, but of those only a mere handful are genuine contenders. It doesn't take much for the field to be whittled down.
Sean Lee
Expert
Jakob Fuglsang has worked tirelessly, even after suffering a nasty crash. He has looked after his leader right from the start. Nibali owes him a beer or three!
Sean Lee
Expert
Ha Bondy. Can we have some before and after photos please? Or perhaps not.....!