State of the peloton 2022

[acm]

Seriously - whats the thing witht he Slovenians. There must be a reason, even if not clinic related. They have the 2 best GC riders (one of which is overall the best cyclist). Mohoric is #5 in the Procyclingstats ranking. So that makes 3 out of 5 of the best cyclists for such a small country. And also Tratnik is way better than ever before. He raced in a CT team in Austria until 26 and did not show that much. Really remarkable.

Coincidence. It's just great generation, after Pog there is no one really outstanding young Slovenian.

 

[SHAD0W93]

They’re doing better then Valjavec did.

 

[fatissimo]

Coincidence. It's just great generation, after Pog there is no one really outstanding young Slovenian.

For sure. Cycling is just full of coincidences.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

For sure. Cycling is just full of coincidences.

What’s the theory? That Slovenians spread across a load of teams have access to some new magic potion that none of their teams or teammates know about? That doesn’t seem terribly likely.

I mean, it’s clearly freakish that a small non traditional cycling power has such good riders at the moment. But, for instance, at one stage in the 80s, Ireland had the then best rider in the world and also the rider who had the most dominant season in the history of the sport by anybody not named Merckx and Ireland at that point had less prior cycling pedigree than Slovenia has. I don’t think anyone has suggested that there was some unique magic potion in Ireland at the time that couldn’t be had elsewhere.

 

[topt]

For sure. Cycling is just full of coincidences.

I am just wondering did you register on this forum just to explain to the world your brillant theory about slovenian super doping.... eh, looking at you entire post collections its more of a rhetorical question..... once again, just brilliant....

 

[fatissimo]

I am just wondering did you register on this forum just to explain to the world your brillant theory about slovenian super doping.... eh, looking at you entire post collections its more of a rhetorical question..... once again, just brilliant....

Given that I registered a decade ago when Roglic was still figuring out how to ride and Pog was in middle school, you're more than a little off. Y

And, if you'll notice, I have not mentioned doping, I've used Slovenia as a talking point about the unlikely nature of tiny countries with modest cycling cultures producing multiple, simultaneous champions. I've got no skin in the game, but Slovenia is a convenient way to discuss my point.

If you don't want to actually discuss things, that's fine. I'm now remembering why I didn't post much previously. People like you.

 

[topt]

Given that I registered a decade ago when Roglic was still figuring out how to ride and Pog was in middle school, you're more than a little off. Y

And, if you'll notice, I have not mentioned doping, I've used Slovenia as a talking point about the unlikely nature of tiny countries with modest cycling cultures producing multiple, simultaneous champions. I've got no skin in the game, but Slovenia is a convenient way to discuss my point.

If you don't want to actually discuss things, that's fine. I'm now remembering why I didn't post much previously. People like you.

you mean you didnt post at all, all you posts are hinting that slovenia has a sophisticated doping programme; just saying kind of strange for a cycling fan to be involved only in clinic.
Also, your theory based on extensive history holds no water. Slovenia is a product of italian cycling, if italians dont have something new, slovenians also dont.

 

[Rico044]

What’s the theory? That Slovenians spread across a load of teams have access to some new magic potion that none of their teams or teammates know about? That doesn’t seem terribly likely.

I mean, it’s clearly freakish that a small non traditional cycling power has such good riders at the moment. But, for instance, at one stage in the 80s, Ireland had the then best rider in the world and also the rider who had the most dominant season in the history of the sport by anybody not named Merckx and Ireland at that point had less prior cycling pedigree than Slovenia has. I don’t think anyone has suggested that there was some unique magic potion in Ireland at the time that couldn’t be had elsewhere.

You saw the same thing with the Americans in the late 90s/early 00s. They were spread across teams, but still, people of the same nationality usually are friends, roommates, and training partners. It isn't a big conspiracy to assume that they might share "tips". One example- JV writes in his book that somewhere around the 2001 season he was riding like crap because he was scared to use EPO due to the new test. Then Christian VdV told him how to microdose in order to evade the test.

That same generation of Americans were WAY overrepresented in the results (specifically grand tours), and we all know what that turned out to be.

 

[saganftw]

slovenia also has generational talent in basketball...and former first lady in white house - what are the odds of that

maybe its just maybelline

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

slovenia also has generational talent in basketball...and former first lady in white house - what are the odds of that

maybe its just maybelline

Now it makes sense why Trump's doctor was astonished by his fitness and declared him as the healthiest president of all time. Probably would've dropped Riis on Hautacam BIGLY if he pursued cycling.

 

[fatissimo]

you mean you didnt post at all, all you posts are hinting that slovenia has a sophisticated doping programme; just saying kind of strange for a cycling fan to be involved only in clinic.
Also, your theory based on extensive history holds no water. Slovenia is a product of italian cycling, if italians dont have something new, slovenians also dont.

I get it, your grandma is Slovenian. Chill!

 

[fatissimo]

slovenia also has generational talent in basketball...and former first lady in white house - what are the odds of that

maybe its just maybelline

How many Slovenian's in the NBA? As for beautiful women, agreed, Slovenia does pretty well, odds are pretty good to be honest, even with only 2 million people (and I'm assuming 1 million women?).

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

You saw the same thing with the Americans in the late 90s/early 00s. They were spread across teams, but still, people of the same nationality usually are friends, roommates, and training partners. It isn't a big conspiracy to assume that they might share "tips". One example- JV writes in his book that somewhere around the 2001 season he was riding like crap because he was scared to use EPO due to the new test. Then Christian VdV told him how to microdose in order to evade the test.

It’s in no way a big conspiracy theory to suggest that riders from one country might be friends or training partners and might therefore share “tips”. The unbelievable part is that these “tips” would never be shared with any other riders who are friends and training partners and that if these “tips” worked that other riders and teams would somehow never find out about them. I’m quite sure, to use your own example, that many riders from many countries found out about microdosing.

 

[topt]

It’s in no way a big conspiracy theory to suggest that riders from one country might be friends or training partners and might therefore share “tips”. The unbelievable part is that these “tips” would never be shared with any other riders who are friends and training partners and that if these “tips” worked that other riders and teams would somehow never find out about them. I’m quite sure, to use your own example, that many riders from many countries found out about microdosing.

also I guess Novak and Mezgec are not part of this close group

 

[acm]

Yeah, Rog and Pog are in real life best friends and they share these tips and dope together. Omg

 

[Rico044]

Yeah, Rog and Pog are in real life best friends and they share these tips and dope together. Omg

I have no clue if the 2 are friends, but they definitely have connections. They race together on the national team and one of Pogs coaches used to coach Rog as well. That coach is Slovenian Andrej Hauptman.

 

[fmk_RoI]

This is getting into the territory of the Irish blood boosting story, how Shay Elliott got the knowledge from Jacques Anquetil and passed it on to Pat McQuaid's da, who passed it on to Pat, who passed it on to Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche who in turn brought Dan Martin and Nico Roche into the club. History is full of crap like this, it's unbelievable.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I have no clue if the 2 are friends, but they definitely have connections. They race together on the national team and one of Pogs coaches used to coach Rog as well. That coach is Slovenian Andrej Hauptman.

He's the link between those 2, the link between the rest of the Slowenian riders is Milan Erzen, nearly all of them have ridden for one of his teams at some point.

 

[acm]

He's the link between those 2, the link between the rest of the Slowenian riders is Milan Erzen, nearly all of them have ridden for one of his teams at some point.

No, he's not anymore. Hauptman is Pog's coach.

 

[pastronef]

MPCC smashing Tour of the Alps. winning 3 stages and taking the whole podium, defeating Bahrain-Ineos-Astana in the last stage.

FDJ and DSM super strong with the French good boys

 

[ppanther92]

MPCC smashing Tour of the Alps. winning 3 stages and taking the whole podium, defeating Bahrain-Ineos-Astana in the last stage.

FDJ and DSM super strong with the French good boys

And yet in the big races they will fail again.

 

[Mayomaniac]

And yet in the big races they will fail again.

Something different, how many of the heart related peoblems in the last 2-3 years have happened on Mpcc teams?
I can't remember too many. What if the long term abuse of stimulants (mainly on non-Mpcc teams) is behind the recent rise of heart problems?

 

[fmk_RoI]

I can't remember too many. What if the long term abuse of stimulants (mainly on non-Mpcc teams) is behind the recent rise of heart problems?

What recent rise? Stats, please.

 

[fmk_RoI]

What recent rise? Stats, please.

But answer came there none - and this was scarcely odd. Could it be cause there hasn't been a recent rise in cardiac problems, despite the expected implications of Covid?

We've been tracking the data for several years now, we don't have top rely on goldfish memories and confirmation bias. It speaks for itself.

 

[Mayomaniac]

But answer came there none - and this was scarcely odd. Could it be cause there hasn't been a recent rise in cardiac problems, despite the expected implications of Covid?

We've been tracking the data for several years now, we don't have top rely on goldfish memories and confirmation bias. It speaks for itself.

Fair point, for me it was mainly that we had 3 of italy's top 10 cyclists (Colbrelli, Viviani and Ulissi) having heart related problems over the last 2 years, when Italy has a history of strict medical check-ups (compared to other countries), so maybe that was a reason why I was thinking about a potential rise.
Still, looking at the data it seems to me that it happens way more often to riders on non-MPCC teams, so potential stimulant abuse and it's long term effects on the heart could play a role.