Speculation is rife about riders who have abandoned without obvious injury. Moreau comes to mind: French newspaper Le Monde has cast doubts over the former Tour de France stage winner. Confirming that Moreau’s blood values did not present any anomalies prior to the Grande Boucle, the paper however alleged that Moreau was sent a letter from the French federation doctor after Paris-Nice this spring. In the letter, the rider was notified of his too low blood cortisol values and asked to stop competing for a while. Along with hematocrit, haemoglobin and reticulocytes, cortisol is part of the French “suivi longitudinal” anti-doping controls, a system similar to the UCI’s blood passport, but that has been in place since 1999. Low cortisol in the blood is said to be directly related to the intake of corticoids, which block the natural production of cortisol. According to Le Monde, Moreau is the only French rider who was notified with a “counter-indication to the practice of cycling” in this way.

Yes, prolonged use of glucocorticosteroids will suppress natural cortisol levels, but what is the benefit? These drugs will definitely increase your anxiety and bring anger to the surface more readily, which may help you in a sprint… or not. I wouldn’t want to be riding beside an angry or anxious sprinter myself

Alternatively a rider may seek to use these drugs to reduce muscle mass (they are catabolic, not anabolic steroids). Typically you get thinner skin, and lose both muscle and bone minerals. You may therefore get lighter, but they also cause you to retain water… so the benefit is hard to pin down.

Speculation is rife about riders who have abandoned without obvious injury. Moreau comes to mind: French newspaper Le Monde has cast doubts over the former Tour de France stage winner. Confirming that Moreau’s blood values did not present any anomalies prior to the Grande Boucle, the paper however alleged that Moreau was sent a letter from the French federation doctor after Paris-Nice this spring. In the letter, the rider was notified of his too low blood cortisol values and asked to stop competing for a while. Along with hematocrit, haemoglobin and reticulocytes, cortisol is part of the French “suivi longitudinal” anti-doping controls, a system similar to the UCI’s blood passport, but that has been in place since 1999. Low cortisol in the blood is said to be directly related to the intake of corticoids, which block the natural production of cortisol. According to Le Monde, Moreau is the only French rider who was notified with a “counter-indication to the practice of cycling” in this way.

Yes, prolonged use of glucocorticosteroids will suppress natural cortisol levels, but what is the benefit? These drugs will definitely increase your anxiety and bring anger to the surface more readily, which may help you in a sprint… or not. I wouldn’t want to be riding beside an angry or anxious sprinter myself

Alternatively a rider may seek to use these drugs to reduce muscle mass (they are catabolic, not anabolic steroids). Typically you get thinner skin, and lose both muscle and bone minerals. You may therefore get lighter, but they also cause you to retain water… so the benefit is hard to pin down.

Is Contador super-human? Johan Bruyneel says NO, and whilst saying he wouldn’t cast aspersions like this himself, manages to do just that to Moreau. It’s all about VAM. Which is all about climbing speed. Contador’s a climber, Moreau less so. And Simoni beats them all. So what does it all mean? Are they all doping or is it just that on a particular day and on a particular road a rider can get it “just right”? Is it science or nonsense?

It’s more surprising to me that climber Contador turned in a great TT than a great climb, to be honest.

CN reports: Cyclingnews has obtained a document sent by Discovery Channel Sports Manager Johan Bruyneel to members of the International Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) organization where he defends Discovery Channel rider Alberto Contador’s recent Tour de France win from criticism from two French team directors, Vincent Lavenu (Ag2r Prévoyance) and Marc Madiot (Française de Jeux).

Is Contador super-human? Johan Bruyneel says NO, and whilst saying he wouldn’t cast aspersions like this himself, manages to do just that to Moreau. It’s all about VAM. Which is all about climbing speed. Contador’s a climber, Moreau less so. And Simoni beats them all. So what does it all mean? Are they all doping or is it just that on a particular day and on a particular road a rider can get it “just right”? Is it science or nonsense?

It’s more surprising to me that climber Contador turned in a great TT than a great climb, to be honest.

CN reports: Cyclingnews has obtained a document sent by Discovery Channel Sports Manager Johan Bruyneel to members of the International Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) organization where he defends Discovery Channel rider Alberto Contador’s recent Tour de France win from criticism from two French team directors, Vincent Lavenu (Ag2r Prévoyance) and Marc Madiot (Française de Jeux).

Well he had to win eventually, especially with that other Robbie out of the frame and Boonen down in a fall. Nice to see Cancellara continuing to ‘have a go’, too. The lesson of the day is ‘don’t give up’. The other lesson is ‘go hard’. The breaks happened when the pace was continually forced – the winner’s time meaning a very fast 48km/h average over the 180-plus kilometres. Given the pace, the crashes and the crosswinds it was inevitable the elastic would break, and it did. With the splits in the peleton tactics became confused and gaps grew.

Those who lost out were some of the sprinters, like Hushovd and Zabel, and overall contender Moreau, who lost time after a crash and broken cleat. Of course it was bad timing – especially so as Astana chose that moment to attack – and some were upset about it, not least of all being Moreau. But that’s racing. It’s a funny thing, these team radios – you’d think they’d communicate something like ‘Moreau in crash, do the respectful thing and wait for him to bridge back’ but instead it seems they fall back on ‘but we didn’t even know he was dropped’. Now if we didn’t have these rider radios that’d be true, but we do.. so it was ‘that’s racing’, wasn’t it?

Well he had to win eventually, especially with that other Robbie out of the frame and Boonen down in a fall. Nice to see Cancellara continuing to ‘have a go’, too. The lesson of the day is ‘don’t give up’. The other lesson is ‘go hard’. The breaks happened when the pace was continually forced – the winner’s time meaning a very fast 48km/h average over the 180-plus kilometres. Given the pace, the crashes and the crosswinds it was inevitable the elastic would break, and it did. With the splits in the peleton tactics became confused and gaps grew.

Those who lost out were some of the sprinters, like Hushovd and Zabel, and overall contender Moreau, who lost time after a crash and broken cleat. Of course it was bad timing – especially so as Astana chose that moment to attack – and some were upset about it, not least of all being Moreau. But that’s racing. It’s a funny thing, these team radios – you’d think they’d communicate something like ‘Moreau in crash, do the respectful thing and wait for him to bridge back’ but instead it seems they fall back on ‘but we didn’t even know he was dropped’. Now if we didn’t have these rider radios that’d be true, but we do.. so it was ‘that’s racing’, wasn’t it?

Dramatic, exciting, close and maybe even a touch dangerous…. what more could you want? The Dauphine Libere pulled some surprises this year. Moreau on Ventoux. Haussler’s sprint. Astana’s broad strength. And not only did Moreau get the GC, we had a dramatic final stage where Leipheimer got away, only to crash, leaving Vino alone to win the stage. And overall it was Cadel Evans just 14 secs back from the winner.

Meanwhile in Switzerland Zabel is flying! Another stage win, with a Cat 3 col taking the sting out of McEwen’s legs. Bring on Le Tour!

And Ben Day won Beauce on GC in what was an impressive defensive action by the Navigators squad.

Dramatic, exciting, close and maybe even a touch dangerous…. what more could you want? The Dauphine Libere pulled some surprises this year. Moreau on Ventoux. Haussler’s sprint. Astana’s broad strength. And not only did Moreau get the GC, we had a dramatic final stage where Leipheimer got away, only to crash, leaving Vino alone to win the stage. And overall it was Cadel Evans just 14 secs back from the winner.

Meanwhile in Switzerland Zabel is flying! Another stage win, with a Cat 3 col taking the sting out of McEwen’s legs. Bring on Le Tour!

And Ben Day won Beauce on GC in what was an impressive defensive action by the Navigators squad.