State of the Peloton 2024

[AverageWatts]

Froome was clean compared to Pogacar.

Besides that, in terms of personality, Pogacar is the tik tok armstrong.

He is a sneak, who does clown things when he sees a camara, and then at the same time, does arrogant things like this.

🎥 Controversy erupts as Evenepoel and Pogacar take jab at Roglic: "You shouldn't be afraid of him"

Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel have shown they get along well during this Tour de France. The Slovenian leader of UAE-Team Emirates and the Belgian youngster of Soudal-Quick Step met behind the pod...

www.idlprocycling.com

He can't be. He throw a water bottle to a kid.

He probably made that kid believe in miracles.

 

[Forever The Best]

I miss the pre-COVID races of cycling. Started watching in 2011 and between 2011-2019 the Tour was generally predictable (with the exceptions of 2011 which had an amazing final week, 2014 which could have been an amazing 3 way battle without crashes and 2019 where Pinot could have won) but other races were very enjoyable .

2020 changed many things (and actually many races had suspense that year, but basically set the pecking order for the next few years - although signals were already there in 2019 with some of the performances that season)

Nowadays most of the time the winner is already known before the race (or at least the 2-3 potential winners). Lombardia is coming up in a few days, and I can't even get excited because Pogacar is the massive favourite. And everyone talks about how exciting it is, no it is not. (2021-2024 might have been the years with the least surprises).
Oh forgot to say, there are basically only few teams who can win the big races, Rest are trying to get scraps, except they can't get them most of the time either with how dominant Pogacar and co. are throughout the calendar and in races. (Pogacar won 12 GT stages this year lol)

 

[Forever The Best]

For me it's not disgust but disbelief. Since his first TdF victory up to 2023 Pogacar was overall the best rider with outstanding performances but he was also sometimes vulnerable. All that changed in 2024. The giro got me thinking but Plateau de Beille was the real turning point. To be honest, for me it also means that in general I start to have less interest in the sport because I can see the 2000's starting all over again. I was a big fan of Jan Ullrich since his amazing victory on Arcalis in 1997 only to see him struggle year after year against Armstrong. You could sense that something was not right but the show continued for years followed by the inevitable downfall. The only thing on my mind was: "What if those guys were clean? Who would be better? " And at the same time you don't care anymore as you know they were all cheating.

I also agree. He took it to a whole other level this year. I think he can win Sanremo next year too.

 

[E_F_]

I also agree. He took it to a whole other level this year. I think he can win Sanremo next year too.

He might actually solo from the Turchino some day, with his current trajectory...

 

[Rob5091]

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-prudhomme-honest-about-pogacar-doping-doubts

In an interview with La Dépêche du Midi, the race director of the French Grand Tour, Christian Prudhomme was asked to tackle the doping question and whether or not he'd be surprised to find out in future that Pogacar had in fact been cheating.

"Given cycling's past, and not so long ago, the question is not an illegitimate one," admits Prudhomme, choosing his words carefully. "I don't have an answer. I can see that he gives a pretty impressive performance in competitions. The controls exist, we fought with ASO to have independents, and now it's the case with ITA. That's it..."
(Original article in French at https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/10/07...oupcons-qui-entourent-le-slovene-12243847.php )

 

[noob]

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-prudhomme-honest-about-pogacar-doping-doubts

In an interview with La Dépêche du Midi, the race director of the French Grand Tour, Christian Prudhomme was asked to tackle the doping question and whether or not he'd be surprised to find out in future that Pogacar had in fact been cheating.

"Given cycling's past, and not so long ago, the question is not an illegitimate one," admits Prudhomme, choosing his words carefully. "I don't have an answer. I can see that he gives a pretty impressive performance in competitions. The controls exist, we fought with ASO to have independents, and now it's the case with ITA. That's it..."
(Original article in French at https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/10/07...oupcons-qui-entourent-le-slovene-12243847.php )

Am I imagining or is Prudhomme a bit less sneaky than Lappartient?

 

[Rob5091]

Lappi is probably keeping things as calm as possible before his attempt to become IOC chair.

 

[TrekCyclist]

I still kind of hope, Ferrari and Conconi will be on the nominee list for the Medicine Noble Prize one year.

 

[houtdffan]

Mapei needs to turn things up if they want to compete with Saunier-Duval

 

[houtdffan]

next year, get ready for the 45 minute Mt Ventoux and the sub 30 ADH

I suspect the 3 alien teams are bringing out stuff much bigger than monopoles this year.

Anti matter was 2024. Nukes were in the past

 

[Netserk]

I don't see how the state of the peloton can ever get back to what it was just last year. It's looking really bleak for next year, even just in racing terms.

 

[Nick2413]

I guess it’s time to switch entirely to women’s cycling and juniors and hope things aren’t getting just as bad over there.

 

[snipeheem]

next year, get ready for the 45 minute Mt Ventoux and the sub 30 ADH

I suspect the 3 alien teams are bringing out stuff much bigger than monopoles this year.

Anti matter was 2024. Nukes were in the past

AdH maybe sub 35 but i would be very hard to achieve

 

[houtdffan]

AdH maybe sub 35 but i would be very hard to achieve

not with the 3 aliens. You put their times from PDB onto ADH, all 3 would have broke 35 mins. Pog would have been 31-32, Vingo would have been around 32:30-33, while Remco would have been around 34:30

 

[snipeheem]

not with the 3 aliens. You put their times from PDB onto ADH, all 3 would have broke 35 mins. Pog would have been 31-32, Vingo would have been around 32:30-33, while Remco would have been around 34:30

This is crazy…

 

[ashhutch1997]

Mapei needs to turn things up if they want to compete with Saunier-Duval

Same with Rabobank

 

[houtdffan]

Same with Rabobank

oh, the Bank Robbers will without doubt turn up the dial again

Which is why I am predicting a sub 30 minute ADH next year

 

[Rob5091]

Anyone au fait on inhaled exosomes/ lung medications? Is this the new "drug of choice" in the peloton (maybe with some extended release pain killers).

 

[Shakes]

I have been reading up on athletics as well (e.g. marathon). There the explanations are wondershoes (carbon plates), although that hasn't changed in the last few years. In Cycling it's the magical carbs intake which for some reason is not used to explain away performances in the marathon although Maurten is a big sponsor there as well. It seems every sport has their own explanation but what we see across the board are sudden large improvements.

Case in point the WR in the marathon for Women. Suddenly in the last two years (way after introduction of Carbon plated shoes) the progress went from 2h14 (2019) to 2h09 (yesterday) with an intermediate step of 2h11. It was 2h15 from 2003-2014. For the men the progression is much more granular with progression steps being smaller and relatively more frequent. Since it's someone from Africa, Kenya in particular, people obviously have been scream doping as Kenya has not been testing properly anymore as funding for it has also dwindled while there were a lot of positive tests in recent years.

However, with the large steps there but also our own Pogacar which is far better than the rest throughout the year... my uninformed opinion theorizes there might be something new on the block. Large steps are being made across sports and different sports provide different reasons. A common denominator would make more sense though... Whatever it may be. For the sake of athletes, I just hope it's not detrimental to their health.

 

[Salvarani]

I have been reading up on athletics as well (e.g. marathon). There the explanations are wondershoes (carbon plates), although that hasn't changed in the last few years. In Cycling it's the magical carbs intake which for some reason is not used to explain away performances in the marathon although Maurten is a big sponsor there as well. It seems every sport has their own explanation but what we see across the board are sudden large improvements.

Case in point the WR in the marathon for Women. Suddenly in the last two years (way after introduction of Carbon plated shoes) the progress went from 2h14 (2019) to 2h09 (yesterday) with an intermediate step of 2h11. It was 2h15 from 2003-2014. For the men the progression is much more granular with progression steps being smaller and relatively more frequent. Since it's someone from Africa, Kenya in particular, people obviously have been scream doping as Kenya has not been testing properly anymore as funding for it has also dwindled while there were a lot of positive tests in recent years.

However, with the large steps there but also our own Pogacar which is far better than the rest throughout the year... my uninformed opinion theorizes there might be something new on the block. Large steps are being made across sports and different sports provide different reasons. A common denominator would make more sense though... Whatever it may be. For the sake of athletes, I just hope it's not detrimental to their health.

Maybe they have put something in our food or it was the vaccine.

 

[Rob5091]

Mathias Flückiger after 2 years gets acquited ...
https://cyclinguptodate.com/mountai...arded-over-43000-swiss-francs-in-compensation

After more than two years of fighting, Flückiger has now been officially acquitted of the charge. "The pressure over the last two years has been unbelievably great. Dealing with this case, with countless obstacles, was by far the hardest and longest competition in my career," Flückiger was quoted as saying on Friday by Blick. "I am grateful that I had my family, my girlfriend and an incredibly good team by my side. They made it possible for the truth to prevail in the end."
In an added bonus for the now 36-year-old Swiss talent, Flückiger, he has also been awarded a not inconsiderable sum of 43,380 Swiss francs, plus the Swiss Sports Integrity SSI have been ordered to pay Flückiger's 3,000 francs legal cost fee.

According to the Swiss however, this is simply not enough compensation for the damage caused. This amount "does not come close to covering the actual costs that Mathias Flückiger has had to spend over the last two years, let alone the lost bonuses and sponsorship income as well as personal expenses," his team claim in a statement. "Actual financial damage suffered must be fully compensated." As such, we may not have seen the last of this drama just yet.

Original article at https://www.blick.ch/sport/rad/dopi...ger-endgueltig-freigesprochen-id20236522.html

 

[Rob5091]

Clicky bait or actual info?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1847337675814039733

View: https://x.com/unclecycling/status/1847337675814039733?s=19

CyclingHighlights

@unclecycling

"Since 45 days I know one of the biggest doping secrets in World Tour. It will be disappointing for a lot of fans who think actual cycling is clean. But I have to wait guys, that’s how it works. This info has a great value but we don’t sell nothing to the press."

 

[pastronef]

Clicky bait or actual info?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1847337675814039733

View: https://x.com/unclecycling/status/1847337675814039733?s=19

CyclingHighlights
@unclecycling

"Since 45 days I know one of the biggest doping secrets in World Tour. It will be disappointing for a lot of fans who think actual cycling is clean. But I have to wait guys, that’s how it works. This info has a great value but we don’t sell nothing to the press."

I wonder who this Uncle is. he's bilingual, speaks both Spanish and English (but I think his first language is Spanish) he's similar to the twitter antidopers in his way of wanting us all to open our eyes, like they are prophets shouting in the desert and we are deaf. same as his other antidopers friends takes pleasure in every mishap/controversy happening to any cyclist/team. doesn't seem to enjoy the sport and only tweets about doping or bad/weird stuff happening.

 

[E_F_]

Oh dear, I'm not sure I dare watch this... Time to extinguish some doping suspicions for GCN?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNFLWoRuHWo

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FAUB04kwPxM&pp=ygUSY3ljbGluZyBoaWdobGlnaHRz


Most of these videos are well written and although completely stupid majority of the time, spoken in over the top sarcasm, they avoid legal consequences in markets like US.
This video title for example is click bait plainly.....
And most of the videos never have data, rather just a string of data points that you are supposed to conclude something sinister is going on.
The social media algorithms steer me to all these and I occasionally click and watch and almost always regret it.
So w the image and title, what do most people think.. Guilty of something.. And cycling has made itself a sports ground zero for doping conspiracy theories, because many of them were true.. Too many