Lance did not even come close to what Pantani was in terms of climbing. That one day on Hautacam vs a shadow of the old Pantani

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7 W/kg for 50 minutes like in Montecampione 1998 or 36:40 - 36:50 up Alpe d' Huez are numbers Lance could dream of. Lance going against vintage Pantani would have made the control freak paranoid ( well, he still almost went paranoid calling Dr.Ferrari during the TdF 2000). I just don't want to start another discussion as this isn't the right thread.
All in all...LeMond had an incredible talent (in general)....Pantani also (climbing) ...and if we go back...most people who lived in that age swear that Coppi was out of this world...he recorded some climbing times which were unbelievable if you consider the fact how bad the roads and how heavy the bikes were.