Cyclists’ Alpine Times May Hint at Past Doping

By JULIET MACUR
NYT

LES ROUSSES, France — When the riders in the Tour de France head into the Alps on Sunday, tackling the first high mountains of this year’s race, all eyes will be on them. Stopwatches will be ticking.

“I think the simplest way to figure out if the sport is clean or not is to time some of the climbs,” said Jonathan Vaughters, the team director of Garmin-Transitions, who is an outspoken antidoping advocate. “It’s not an exact science, but it gives you an idea of what’s going on. For me, it’s something I pay attention to. I want to know whether I’m wasting my time.”

Vaughters watched the Critérium du Dauphiné in June and timed the defending Tour winner Alberto Contador as he raced up L’Alpe d’Huez, a route with 21 switchbacks and one of the legendary climbs in cycling. Vaughters looked at his stopwatch and was satisfied. “It was about four minutes slower than the winning time in 2001,” he said. “Ah, good.”

In most sports, progress is measured by advancement. Runners go faster on the track. Athletes strive to break records

(More here.)