Maybe they all had equal opportunity but not all chose to dabble to the same extent in bribes, fraud, various forms of intimidation .......not all cheaters were/are equal (present tense can be used for some still in the WT).

From Dev's post, I gather that you rode for Astana. So, are you the fastest cyclist in any tri you enter??? Have you been able to catch on to swimming??? How's your running??? How long did you ride for Astana??? Did you literally have to gorge on food in the TdF??? You could do an "Ask Me Anything" thread if you wanted. Or you could PM me if you prefer to keep it low key. Or of course you can just ignore this post, but I'm always interested in first person accounts from top cyclists, swimmers, and runners. :)

LOL. No, I worked for Argon that sponsored Astana from 2016 to 2019. I worked quite a bit with the team. I did do the TDF with the team in 2017 so got to ride the bus and see first hand what it's like. That was the year Aru wore yellow for a while so quite the event. No they don't gorge although I did con Aru into drinking beer on the team bus. "Have a another beer". "No if I have another beer I will be allowed to less pasta for dinner". That is what he said

We all eat together, although the riders have their own table. The riders can come and sit with you and you cannot go sit with the riders.

I did spend a lot of time with the staff. Many of them were there during the Lance years as well. A lot of them lived through several champions..Nibali, Contador, Vino, Lance, Landa.....over beers some pretty interesting stories. The most gentleman of the lot is unanimous : Nibali. There is unanimity at the other end of the spectrum :-)

When I started I knew NOTHING of Vino's past. I was actually a big Lance fan. So one day during beers after a stage, I asked the awkward question, "Vino, did you ride with Lance at Astana"......awkward silence. I got a kick from under the table....."No Vino was on his sabbatical". Everyone broke out in laughter.

There were a few ex riders on the team doing tri. I did run with them now and then. I aero tested Vino pre his Kona win.

I did see some pretty interesting things while with the team. I made some good friendships and stay in contact with several riders and staff now dispersed on many teams.

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Yep..I have the same thoughts.