All my passion for the sport has gone :(

[NFTtiddies]

Lets just hope that none of Pogacar, Vingegaard or Remco go to ride the Vuelta and at least we might get something resembling a competitive race next month.

How about a 38-year old nearly beating Roglic for the first place?

 

[velaso montador]

Anybody else feels like this?

Translation: My fav rider didnt win [[content deleted]].

 

[Rackham]

Translation: My fav rider didnt win [[content deleted]]

He's a famous Fausto Masnada fan; so it's not like he's used to his favorite rider ever winning anything (in fact nothing), ergo your theory doesn't really hold water.

And aren't fans of the top 3 all happy anyway? Pog because he won, Vingegaard because he came back from injury & Evenepoel because he got on the podium.

Whoop-de-doo now let's all hold hands & sing kumbaya whilst human evolution, bike tech & nutrition pushes the boundaries of what's humanely possible on a bike... in 3 teams only.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Whoop-de-doo now let's all hold hands & sing kumbaya whilst human evolution, bike tech & nutrition pushes the boundaries of what's humanely possible on a bike... in 3 teams only.

Too good!

 

[armchairclimber]

Nah, still love it. Just know what it is. I did have a crisis in the 2023 tdf ... but got over it soon enough.
I mean it's worth it to tune in just for Visma tears.

 

[Shakes]

Eurosport ends per today. Only had it for cycling but I will just let it auto terminate. I'm disgusted by what is happening in recent years and mostly that no one seems to car but instead everyone is acting like a twelve year old fanboy. The jump in performance is far to large. We can all focus on individual events and try to explain them but the bigger picture can't be explained. It's bizarre. I can't let my son go into cycling if this farce continues as no responsible parent would let their kid go into cycling in 2005, 2000 or 1995.

 

[the delgados]

It is very difficult to align oneself with someone who actually thinks these guys aren't doping. That feels like meeting a seemingly normal person at a party only to learn they are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas eve. End of conversation.

I will never cease to be amazed by people who believe the same stories that have been trotted out over the years, only to be repeated again and again when a doping scandal hits. Marginal gains like rice cakes and aero-bikes have been the mantra of those playing a game of smoke and mirrors for many decades, and people still fall for it.

Check out Phil Gaimon's Youtube page if you wish to go further down the rabbit hole containing those (including Gaimon) who vehemently claim that Pogi and friends are riding clean. At least Gaimon says he's not sure, but the fact he tells everyone not to listen to a word Armstrong says is suspect. Armstrong finally addressed the doping issue by reciting the time he received a voicemail from Ferarri telling him to not make it look so bloody obvious. He was referring to a dominate stage victory and comparing it to Pogi, yet we are told by Gaimon not to listen to a word Armstrong says. Why not?

 

[meat puppet]

Translation: My fav rider didnt win [[content deleted]]

Parody accounts were better back in the days.

Ilmaestro: cycling > pro racing.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

This year was obviously incredibly satisfying for Pogi and his fans. While I can appreciate top performances, I'm generally more interested in some of the mortals in the pack (I blame the Lance years), so I most enjoyed the Campenaerts win. Bini was a great story too.

When comparing this edition to previous ones, however, for me the problem with the top 3 GC guys winning so many stages (mostly by Pogi ofc) is that it sucks some of the life out of the race in terms of exploits by others. In 2015 Pinot could leave the GC guys behind, go up the road and win on Alpe d’Huez. No chance of that sort of thing now it seems, the breaks were made to look like fools on the mountain stages this time.

And whoever one supports, the GC battle is obviously front and centre, so it helps if it is competitive. After 2022 we were talking about tactics, about 2 vs 1 attacks and having options up the road. 2020 was obviously very close and turned around in dramatic fashion. But last year it was all about a crazy TT. And this year things went to another level again, but most of the racing was the strongest team burning off most of the opposition, then Pogi launching and destroying everyone. More dramatic than the Sky train of course, wonderful for fervent Pogi fans, not much real drama though given his only moment of slight weakness this year was losing a stage by 1cm.

But hey, at least it was better than the Giro. And maybe the mortals can fight over the Vuelta.

 

[Sciatic]

I fully agree with the OP.

The combination of extreme calcification at the top, it being spread to every single race, as well as the extreme idolization of the worst offender in the game make me completely deflated at the sport. And there's various levels to this as well, because to me the levels of mental gymnastics to think this *** is okay are truly astounding.

There's a lot of mental gymnastics about "oh everyone's always doped this isn't different" or "oh Jumbo Visma dominated equally hard last year". Except they didn't. And it's different.

I feel like you're either gonna be happy because you joined a cult of personality within cycling and everything else be damned 'hahahaha we win Pogi go brrrr' or you have to feel disgusted by this.

And I've been at this for a while now too. I basically predicted nearly everything that happened this season, I said I missed the Sky/Ineos days, and people flamed me for it.

“I feel like you're either gonna be happy because you joined a cult of personality within cycling and everything else be damned”

I am happy when I am well entertained—so I thoroughly Im enjoyed the 1st week or 10 days but not the final week so much.

I always knew rock bands were doping but that never changed my opinion of their performances—unless they were so
Bombed that they couldn’t really perform to a decent level.

 

[GuntherL1]

Anybody else feels like this?

No. I've learned that it's perfectly normal to win 12 stages as a non-sprinter in back-to-back grand tours. Besides, Pog is clearly tired as he's skipping the Olympics. Those victories in the three closing stages made me think otherwise, but apparently I was mistaken.

 

[GuntherL1]

It's all self interest. I don't believe a second Gaimon believes it. Pure cycling journalists play along cause it's their livelihood. Meanwhile the ones who speak more honestly are journalists from different sports who know enough history about the sport to know what's up but aren't dependent enough to have to lie.

Which journalists are speaking up?

 

[zlev11]

It is very difficult to align oneself with someone who actually thinks these guys aren't doping. That feels like meeting a seemingly normal person at a party only to learn they are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas eve. End of conversation.

I will never cease to be amazed by people who believe the same stories that have been trotted out over the years, only to be repeated again and again when a doping scandal hits. Marginal gains like rice cakes and aero-bikes have been the mantra of those playing a game of smoke and mirrors for many decades, and people still fall for it.

Check out Phil Gaimon's Youtube page if you wish to go further down the rabbit hole containing those (including Gaimon) who vehemently claim that Pogi and friends are riding clean. At least Gaimon says he's not sure, but the fact he tells everyone not to listen to a word Armstrong says is suspect. Armstrong finally addressed the doping issue by reciting the time he received a voicemail from Ferarri telling him to not make it look so bloody obvious. He was referring to a dominate stage victory and comparing it to Pogi, yet we are told by Gaimon not to listen to a word Armstrong says. Why not?

the cookie man has been a fraud for a long time. the speeds that guy goes on his strava segments is not normal.

 

[GuntherL1]

Dudes like Jack van Gelder. Football journalist. Ofcourse Thijs Zonneveld started to cry

Right. I didn't agree with Van Gelders arguments though. It's the effortless dominance throughout the season that bothers me.

 

[the delgados]

the cookie man has been a fraud for a long time. the speeds that guy goes on his strava segments is not normal.

I tend to agree. I don't care if Phil is juicing to break climbing records, but I find it ironic that he's trying to shut down the voice of the sports most infamous doper.
Why is he trying to shut Armstrong up? I thought Gaimon was a staunch anti-doper, so why not listen to the doping master who is ringing the alarm bells?

 

[Rackham]

if we did a poll on who people support here in this and other clinic thread you all know why you deter to this place deep down well most of you anyway im sure not everyone, be honest. If not if your still watching thats called something you know? What is that word help me. Not saying everyone but I know the majority its not hard to figure out its very simple.

Its beyond beta embarassing behaviour nothing else sorry for calling it as I see it from beeing here 5min and while you dont agree im sure part of all of you know this to be somewhat true. Thats what I think anyway, just be better.

Be better then you chill on a yacht instead and life is good - Not everything bad happening in your life is a conspiracy though it sure helps to hear other agree with you since yeah somewhat feelings got hurt.

It's about context. This Tour de France isn't an isolated incident.

In 2024 we've had the worst GT's, classics & monuments in years, by quite a long shot. Why? Because the culminative effect of having one rider blow away the field & win by minutes in the 'fastest ever edition" of just about every race has become the new standard. It's expected now. The "super performance" has become the usual performance. The "generational talent" now grows on trees, i.e. we have 3 of them in the TdF at the same time. There's another dominating monuments like Roubaix & Flanders (VdP).

Speaking of Roubaix, it was the most boring edition in years because watching one rider ride around without adversity or threat is not a fun viewing experience, despite how much the TV commentators say we're "watching history being made".

What's the point when it's boring? The boom/bust cycle of doping is the equivalent of Ouroboros, i.e. a snake eating its own tail. It starts with "ooh ahh what a performance!" & then devolves into "oh god this sh*t is boring as hell".

Every time.

 

[kingjr]

Eurosport ends per today. Only had it for cycling but I will just let it auto terminate. I'm disgusted by what is happening in recent years and mostly that no one seems to car but instead everyone is acting like a twelve year old fanboy. The jump in performance is far to large. We can all focus on individual events and try to explain them but the bigger picture can't be explained. It's bizarre. I can't let my son go into cycling if this farce continues as no responsible parent would let their kid go into cycling in 2005, 2000 or 1995.

No responsible parent would let their kid get into a sport this dangerous anyway. If you love your kid, choose something that's both relatively safe and helps them fit in with the cool kids.

 

[AmRacer]

No responsible parent would let their kid get into a sport this dangerous anyway. If you love your kid, choose something that's both relatively safe and helps them fit in with the cool kids.

Street fighting? 🤔

 

[kingjr]

Street fighting? 🤔

I don't get it

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Nah, still love it. Just know what it is. I did have a crisis in the 2023 tdf ... but got over it soon enough.
I mean it's worth it to tune in just for Visma tears.

I mean, this is a fair take. I am bored to tears of this F1-ization and a péloton à deux vitesses where almost the entire field are the deuxième vitesse, but from a sporting and sports administration perspective at least, I will never not get on board with laughing at misfortune happening to Richard Plugge.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Anybody else feels like this?

I'm about 50/50 right now, watching the third week of the Tour frankly made me queasy and uncomfortable because I knew what I was watching wasn't real because I had seen this kind of appalling thing before. (In various sports over the years, not just in cycling.)

Right now I'm not a fan of professional cycling as we had witnessed it in the Tour, hopefully something changes and I'll look forward to enjoying it again.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Translation: My fav rider didnt win in fact he got a smackdown of the century and im a grown adult how do I handle this..Haha kinda sad to watch beta army be better.

My favourite rider most recent result was 162nd in the prologue of tour de suoisse.

 

[velaso montador]

My favourite rider most recent result was 162nd in the prologue of tour de suoisse.

Hope Vingegaard spanks Tadej hard in the mountains

So clearly nothing to do with this? [[content deleted]]

@Rackham what does the jury say, still dont hold water? Are we ready to conclude with some objectivity or not? Just have fun ive said what ive said its true took me 2min after the lies continued to check it and woops who woulda thought...

 

[ashhutch1997]

I'd just like to point out, prior to this season I was literally one of the biggest Pogi fan boys out there, but that quickly changed. Strade Bianche one of the best races of the year was totally destroyed because of a 80km attack. Catalunya was a joke, LBL was predictable and the Giro although expected was still not worth watching after stage 2, this then the TDF.... Cycling is slowly becoming F1, and I'm also getting sick of having to listen to people like Rob Hatch constantly shouting that 'were going to remember this performance forever' every 5 minutes.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Just do a Skijumper Roglic fan, seems to have watched Vuelta a Murcia in February, slapped his hand on his knee and decided well that's enough cycling for me for the year, and dipped out. Didn't want to imagine a world of cycling where Alex Vlasov and Brandon Mcnulty weren't the main protagonists. Keen cycling observers know that March to December is the real off season anyway, see you next year.

It would be a bit sad, if that person actually quit cycling right before Girmay's eye finally healed.