Giro d'Italia Giro d’Italia 2024, Stage 9: Avezzano – Napoli, 214.0k

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Mar 19, 2009
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I don't think I freely asserted that. I do think it's a plausible partial motivation, but that is of course not based on his interview, but on how he races.

I admit I may have mixed your statement a bit with my general dissatisfaction with such arguments and proceeded to argue that point more than your point exactly. I assumed you took that as a fact not as a possibility to ponder. I thought the edit in the one post made clear that I didn't mean such a case, so I also assumed you wanted to argue against this.
 
Mar 19, 2009
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"lying" is too strong a word maybe, but to me it's seems like stuff he says to the media to present himself in a better way, not like the killer he is on the bike, who wants to win everything he can. He said it didn't work out because Ineos went fast - which maybe factually was correct, but the part they speeded up was always going to be fast. UAE didn't give the break enough of a gap before.

That's a possibility of course, but he may just also not be a killer off the bike, and he can easily seem like a killer, as he simply is so strong that he suceeds very often where others would fail, yet still try. Sprinters don't get accused of being greedy when they win 5 stages based on the fact, that they happen to be the strongest at the very end.

And I also seriously doubt that Mikkel Bjerg made the decision to chase down the break yesterday, for example. That's just not how it works, not even in a team as badly organized as UAE.

I don't think so either, but it's also not what he said. He stated, that Bjerg came back and motivated to chase so they decided to go for the win. Given that he needs to go on what his comrades can actually to that does not seem absurd to me.
 
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Aug 29, 2009
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By the way which were the IPT/Decathlon riders trying to attack and pull Narvaez back?

Frigo for Israel
I think APP tried to follow from Ag2r, and when he didn't manage to, it looked like Baudin who tried to jump to the front.

edit: having another look at it: it was Baudin at 1st actually, and then someone bridged to Kamp. Not sure who.
 
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Apr 30, 2011
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And I also seriously doubt that Mikkel Bjerg made the decision to chase down the break yesterday, for example. That's just not how it works, not even in a team as badly organized as UAE.
I think it was somewhat "true", but of course also spun in a way that distances Pogi from the image of a cannibal.

From the Danish broadcast:
Mikkel Bjerg, først og fremmest, gårsdagens etape, vi kunne høre på Pogacar i går, at det faktisk var dig og norske Vegard Stake Laengen, der tog beslutningen om at I skulle køre efter etapen? Prøv at fortælle om det moment, hvor du siger til Tadej, at vi går efter det.

- Jamen, jeg kæmpede lidt med det på anden stigning. Ja, det ben med bistikkene, det dunkede bare helt vildt, og så da jeg kom tilbage til feltet, så satte vi os jo bare frem og førte. Og vi kunne ligesom hurtigt regne ud at vi ikke fik nogen hjælp fra de andre hold, og så, ja, kunne vi lige så godt gøre det på den hårde måde.

Jeg ved at det på en eller anden måde også motiverer dig at sidde der og dunke forrest. Kan du ikke prøve at beskrive den følelse, når du sidder der og du tager tid på udbruddet?

- Jo, Tadej, han spurgte 'hvad gør vi, hvad er planen, kører vi efter etapen?' Og han sidder jo lige bag mig, så jeg rakte bare hånden ud og med tommelen op. Og så var det fedt, for etapen var kort, så jeg tror vi førte i to og en halv time, mig og Stake Laengen, hvor vi bare førte i bund, og det kan man godt holde til. Det var noget andet, hvis etapen havde været 210 km, så havde det været lidt anderledes at skulle føre i måske fire timer. Så jeg synes, vi fik det maksimale ud af dagen i går, og jeg synes, at holdet kører rigtig godt.
Basically, Pogi asked his team to chase for the stage win, and Bjerg responded that he was up for it.
 
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Dec 2, 2020
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All of this media talk about Pogacar being too greedy is why I expect him to “only” win 4 stages max this Giro. His image needs to stay the kid who loves having fun on his bike, not a greedy cannibal. As seemingly disorganized as UAE are I think they understand this and will keep it in line.
 
Jul 10, 2014
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All of this media talk about Pogacar being too greedy is why I expect him to “only” win 4 stages max this Giro. His image needs to stay the kid who loves having fun on his bike, not a greedy cannibal. As seemingly disorganized as UAE are I think they understand this and will keep it in line.

They should send some of their riders in the break, if Bjerg, Majka and others are so strong they are sure to challenge for the stage win.
 
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Mar 20, 2022
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All of this media talk about Pogacar being too greedy is why I expect him to “only” win 4 stages max this Giro. His image needs to stay the kid who loves having fun on his bike, not a greedy cannibal. As seemingly disorganized as UAE are I think they understand this and will keep it in line.
Pogacar will win 1 or 2 more. It will depend a lot on race dynamics, maybe Decathlon will help UAE later in the race to try the podium.
 
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Jun 20, 2015
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the way the english cycling media treats non-english speaking riders is hilarious sometimes. did team sky ever gift anyone anything?

Team Sky was super generous - Once they got the GC lead in the TDF, then it was a 90% chance for the break in a hilly or mountain stage.
 
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Sep 1, 2023
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I think it was somewhat "true", but of course also spun in a way that distances Pogi from the image of a cannibal.

From the Danish broadcast:

Basically, Pogi asked his team to chase for the stage win, and Bjerg responded that he was up for it.
Pogi asked his team, 'What do we do?', 'What's the plan?', 'Are we riding for the stage win?'
 
May 6, 2021
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Given that he's going for the double you would think there is some sort of fatigue-management plan in place, it doesn't make much sense that they would just be winging it out on the road, especially since Bjerg was dropped on the first climb and came back later on I'm not sure he would be approaching Pogacar asking to pace for the stage.
 
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Apr 30, 2011
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Pogi asked his team, 'What do we do?', 'What's the plan?', 'Are we riding for the stage win?'
If the captain asks his donkeys 'Do we go for the stage win?', the implication is quite obvious in that situation. It's a polite way to ask them to pull in the break if they have the strength for it.
 
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zlev11

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Jan 23, 2011
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Team Sky was super generous - Once they got the GC lead in the TDF, then it was a 90% chance for the break in a hilly or mountain stage.

but that's not the same as gifting, they were saving their energy
 
Feb 20, 2012
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Team Sky was super generous - Once they got the GC lead in the TDF, then it was a 90% chance for the break in a hilly or mountain stage.
It's literally the one thing you can criticize Sky/Ineos the least for. They would pick 1 or 2 MTFs they really wanted, and they might win an ITT or two with their rider, but they basically almost never went full crazy on the stage wins and KoM and all that.

The one exception is 2012 when they didn't only have Froome and Wiggins, but they also had Cavendish. And that year they still let the break have nearly every mountain stage.
 
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Jul 4, 2016
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It's literally the one thing you can criticize Sky/Ineos the least for. They would pick 1 or 2 MTFs they really wanted, and they might win an ITT or two with their rider, but they basically almost never went full crazy on the stage wins and KoM and all that.

The one exception is 2012 when they didn't only have Froome and Wiggins, but they also had Cavendish. And that year they still let the break have nearly every mountain stage.
2017 vuelta Froome won the gc, the points classification and the aaf classification. A bit greedy for my taste.
 
Mar 13, 2013
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Given that he's going for the double you would think there is some sort of fatigue-management plan in place, it doesn't make much sense that they would just be winging it out on the road, especially since Bjerg was dropped on the first climb and came back later on I'm not sure he would be approaching Pogacar asking to pace for the stage.
I don't think Pogacar ever thinks in terms of conserving energy or even has any race craft strategy, he just has a thought to win, pushes the pedals and 9/10 times it works. The last week could of course have a surprise bad day, but UAE seem to have sorted nutrition out now after their few disasters. He won't have a near 3 minute single bad day for his care-free energy expenditure, put it that way
 
Mar 20, 2022
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I don't think Pogacar ever thinks in terms of conserving energy or even has any race craft strategy, he just has a thought to win, pushes the pedals and 9/10 times it works. The last week could of course have a surprise bad day, but UAE seem to have sorted nutrition out now after their few disasters. He won't have a near 3 minute single bad day for his care-free energy expenditure, put it that way
Pogacar on a bad day wins stages with this field. C'mon he is not racing against Vingegaard, he is still the second best rider when we talk about recovery.
 
May 6, 2021
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2017 vuelta Froome won the gc, the points classification and the aaf classification. A bit greedy for my taste.
Yeah that one was a bit ridiculous, 11th in a bunch sprint to go for points when he was in red was wild.

Edit: He actually beat Molano in that sprint, maybe if he had Pogacar leading him out instead of Manzana Postobon's finest he might've stood a chance at beating Dawg.
 
Jun 7, 2010
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I don't think Pogacar ever thinks in terms of conserving energy or even has any race craft strategy, he just has a thought to win, pushes the pedals and 9/10 times it works. The last week could of course have a surprise bad day, but UAE seem to have sorted nutrition out now after their few disasters. He won't have a near 3 minute single bad day for his care-free energy expenditure, put it that way

Pogacar won on Saturday not hitting the front until the sprint.
 
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Mar 8, 2024
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Here the thing about Pog for me ..He likes people and he goes out of his way to talk to other riders (say unlike Froome or Quintana) and he has gathered around him a bunch of friends among the older riders in Monaco. He is friendly outgoing , smiling and want to make people happy

But when he is on a bike he wants to win all the time..no matter what he or others say ...he wants to win. partly because he wants to make history as a bike rider who won the most or the best races.

There is nothing wrong with that per se but he is smart enough to know that wining all the time and not giving others a bite of the cherry can seem greedy so its 'Mikkel Berg told me'

As for lying most bike riders lie...they seem so honest but they never revel tactics and say the opposite when asked about plans for the day in interviews

Mikkel Berg is the fall guy, the beard , the guy who really wants to win here ..I blame him for everything , the greedy so and so :p