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He broke a vertebrae during recon for the Giro I think?
Not selected for tour and vuelta, told his contract wasn’t going to be renewed in June while he was recovering, does seem like a desperate ploy.
Maybe with the aim to perform well but not so well as to be tested as race leader or stage winner, (I don’t think domestiques get tested very often?) and then got popped with a targeted test based on bio passport?
Obviously not condoning it, but a bit sad as it seems like doping to not get fired, rather than to win.
Acliff-
does seem like a desperate ploy
Except he won the Tour of Croatia in April.
I don't see any other stage races in his palmares. Sorry, Tour of Georgia 10 years earlier, where he beat Trent Lowe, who used to train out where I did but was just a little bit faster than me... https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-georgia/2008
hippy
He’s been injured this year too, so potentially took a short cut to try and get some form before the end of the season in order to earn a contract for next year.