That wasn't really a personal dig imho, just my way of saying you were making this bigger than it needed to be. I think there are enough riders still in contention for the podium, who have actually proven to be able to compete for a podium, so that i don't see a rider who's best GC achievement was a 2nd place in a 1 week stagerace where Pogacar forfeited his own chances, automatically being a podium contender. It's an opinion at this point, nothing more. And i'm sure i could be proven wrong. But only 3 guys fit on a podium, and you could make the same case for a guy like Gaudu, for instance. You could also easily rate Van Aert's Tirreno/TDF combo higher than anything Vingegaard has done so far. And I wouldn't have said Van Aert were a podium contender even without his surgery, any more than i am Vingegaard.Would it be possible to have a discussion without so often resorting to personal digs?
As for getting personal, unfortunately it seems being best friends isn't in the cards for us. But if i may be so bold to make some observations, you seem to be rather quick in dishing out jabs, but less keen on receiving them. You perceive my comment as a personal dig, but i remember you telling someone yesterday that he was not being mature. I'm sure we all do it, have different/double standards when it comes to our own opinion vs that of another, but i just thought i'd let you know. To me your posts often come across as drive-by troll one-liners, trying to ridicule others (posters, riders...), and trying to win arguments on semantics rather than content while being rather aggressive in style. I'm sure you have your opinion of me, likely being overly opiniated and argumentative... or whatever you think, that's your opinion as well and you're entitled to it. But for my part, that's why i often take issue with your posts.