ALpe d'huez info

[creekster]

Here's somethign interesting (Adam, you will like this):

Here is the list (courtesy of Cycling News) of the 10 fastest times to climb Alpe d'huez:

1 Marco Pantani 37'35 (1997)
2 Lance Armstrong 37'36 (2004)
3 Marco Pantani 38'00 (1994)
4 Lance Armstrong 38'01 (2001)
5 Marco Pantani 38'04 (1995)
6 Jan Ullrich 38'23 (1997)
7 Floyd Landis 38'34 (2006)
8 Andreas Klöden 38'35 (2006)
9 Jan Ullrich 38'37 (2004)
10 Richard Virenque 39'02 (1997)

Check that out. Anybody doubt Pantani was doped to the gills? Ullrich has been caught and has admitted, sort of, that he was doping. Landis? Un dopeur. Little Dickie Virenque? Does L'Affaire Festina ring any bells? Virenque eventually admitted to doping and served a two year suspension and then made a late career resurrection based on pimping climbing points on long breaks in transition stages and then hanging on to try to win the climber's jersey like he had really been the best climber. The French absolutely loved him for it, as he was 'combative.' Kloden? Not sure, but he was a teammate with Ullrich for many years. That leaves Lance Armstrong. Hmmm.

Now this can be misleading becaseu, as some of you know, this climb sometimes is at the end of a stage, sometimes is the middle or the beginning, and once was an ITT, so it is hard to put these all in complete context without a lot of research. But still . . .