Please, anything but Lance and doping!

My guess: Beloki for Tour, Heras for Vuelta..

If he rides the Vuelta then he rides to support Heras (unless he's ill/injured etc). But I agree - I think that crash damaged him far worse psychologically than anyone realised.

Oh, and sorry about this - but you do know why he left Brioche le Boulangere, don't you? Bernadeau didn't like the fact that he was using (legal) inhalers that are known to be used as masking agents and Bernadeau has a strict no doping policy so Beloki had to go. Back to Spain, where blind eyes are turned...

But I wish him well - he was beginning to show signs of developing a more attacking style and, god knows, we could do with fewer riders who are content to just follow the wheels in the big Tours. However, at 31 time might be running out...

He couldn`t use pulmicort, astma medication, which is banned by French cycling federation and so he went back to Spain, where it`s not banned.

micron said:

Oh, and sorry about this - but you do know why he left Brioche le Boulangere, don't you? Bernadeau didn't like the fact that he was using (legal) inhalers that are known to be used as masking agents and Bernadeau has a strict no doping policy so Beloki had to go. Back to Spain, where blind eyes are turned...

I knew that's why he left Brioches, but I didn't know it was a masking agent. I thought it was a mild steroid (like many inhalers)... Or is it both?

But anyway, I agree that the crash put up a big psychological barrier. Personally, I'd have some issues, especially with fast descents, after something like that.

I don`t think there is any big psychological barrier! These guys are inured to everything and I believe that his only barrier is physiological..