State of the Peloton 2026

[Krzysztof_O]

It looks like guys are really good this year. Seixas showed some thermunuclear form, the second UAE climb was fast by a few guys. Let's see how Teddy fares against the competition this Saturday. This can indicate if he will show off record-breaking numbers this year or if there's hope for others.

 

[Red Rick]

It looks like guys are really good this year. Seixas showed some thermunuclear form, the second UAE climb was fast by a few guys. Let's see how Teddy fares against the competition this Saturday. This can indicate if he will show off record-breaking numbers this year or if there's hope for others.

Luke Plapp beat Pogacar's time on Jebel Hafeet.

The onus is on Pogacar to prove he aint washed.

 

[Rob5091]

A nice warm up .... but I've a feeling that greater things are to come.
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...as-uae-search-for-milano-sanremo-breakthrough

During a training ride on the Ligurian coast, Pogacar recorded a new personal best on the Cipressa. According to Strava data from the ride, he climbed the 5.6-kilometre ascent in 8 minutes 51 seconds, improving his previous benchmark by six seconds.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Luke Plapp beat Pogacar's time on Jebel Hafeet.

The onus is on Pogacar to prove he aint washed.

Gaps should tell the story (as always). If he easily cleans SB against this stacked field then it could indicate the third historic season. If it's closer then who knows what the season brings.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

They've finally caught a Danish guy!

20 year old Mads Schulz Jørgensen, a new signing to Niklas Larsen's former team, BHS-PL Beton Bornholm, has tested positive for Terbutaline at the Danish cyclocross championship in January, where he finished 4th in the elite race. It's allegedly because he's accidentally used his father's asthma inhaler instead of his own.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

They've finally caught a Danish guy!

20 year old Mads Schulz Jørgensen, a new signing to Niklas Larsen's former team, BHS-PL Beton Bornholm, has tested positive for Terbutaline at the Danish cyclocross championship in January, where he finished 4th in the elite race. It's allegedly because he's accidentally used his father's asthma inhaler instead of his own.

Are you sure about the "finally caught" part. Sounds like its a very rare thing.

 

[AmRacer]

Playing at the floor, as usual.

 

[Red Rick]

Vingegaard can't even do 7W/kg for 6 minutes smh

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Vingegaard can't even do 7W/kg for 6 minutes smh

He was overheated. The race was so intense that he didn't have time to take off his long pants.

 

[pastronef]

They've finally caught a Danish guy!

20 year old Mads Schulz Jørgensen, a new signing to Niklas Larsen's former team, BHS-PL Beton Bornholm, has tested positive for Terbutaline at the Danish cyclocross championship in January, where he finished 4th in the elite race. It's allegedly because he's accidentally used his father's asthma inhaler instead of his own.

well, to be precise, if you name former riders there are at least the 2025 riders "JENSEN Andreas Krogh, SCHEBYE Jacob Maegaard, SZOKODY Martin, ØRITSLAND Mikkel and Niklas Larsen's former team"

 

[Rob5091]

Mrs Yates's still-cycling-son says it aint getting easier - Adam talks,
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...ustrates-the-rapid-growth-of-level-in-peloton

"The big difference I'm seeing is that everyone is just full gas from the start of the year. I remember going back a couple of years, and my level wasn't super high at the UAE Tour, but I was still up there on the podium."
"Every year it's getting harder and harder to win races, and even these races now at the start of the year, the level is super, super high, even in Oman I was doing power records, left, right, and centre and there's still guys in the wheel and a lot of guys still fighting, so it's just getting harder and harder."
"A lot of the young guys, well, they know more than me, to be honest. Obviously, maybe they don't have the experience, but in the grand scheme of things, they know most things," said Yates.
"These days, I think you see a lot of juniors coming through and under-23s coming through, and their levels are already like crazy, crazy high. There was a big jump at the beginning of the 2020s, with everyone getting more professional, more focused, even now people are doing altitude in the off-season and not really having off-seasons, and rethinking what is normal in bike riding."

So it's all down to being "more professional"?

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Mrs Yates's still-cycling-son says it aint getting easier - Adam talks,
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...ustrates-the-rapid-growth-of-level-in-peloton

So it's all down to being "more professional"?

Of course, they also discovered eating and drinking for the first time around 2020 as well. I can attest for, that this is quite early, I for example, was living from air and sun all my life, imagine the change after I discovered drinking just 4 days ago!

 

[Red Rick]

Vingegaard can't even do 7W/kg for 6 minutes smh

Vingegaard failed again to hit 7W/kg in a 6 minute effort

Spoiler

	Rider		Time	W/kg	Velocity	VAM
1		Jonas Vingegaard SB	0:06:23	8.10	21.87	2265

 

[Rob5091]

Remember the good ol' days when 7W/kg was a certain sign of doping?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Vingegaard failed again to hit 7W/kg in a 6 minute effort

Spoiler

	Rider		Time	W/kg	Velocity	VAM
1		Jonas Vingegaard SB	0:06:23	8.10	21.87	2265

We still don't know if he would be able to beat Juanito though!

 

[KoopaCycling]

I'm seeing comments in the trend of remco going nowhere fast next couple of years, and that may be partly true if i see what some of his rivals are increasingly capable of doing. Every year they come back with even more watts. Very strange.

But cycling can change fast if the UCI steps up. wether that will also have major repercussions for Remco will remain to be seen. Possibly. I will never claim a cyclist is clean.

Ofcourse, i do not actually expect much change from the UCI next 2-3 years, but we can only hope.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

BTW from efforts like this one can estimate what % of VO2max they can do at threshold (i.e. 60 minute power). In terms of power 80-85% but in terms of VO2 it's 85-90% (assuming 1/6 of VO2max is needed for basic body functions).

 

[kingjr]

I'm seeing comments in the trend of remco going nowhere fast next couple of years, and that may be partly true if i see what some of his rivals are increasingly capable of doing. Every year they come back with even more watts. Very strange.

But cycling can change fast if the UCI steps up. wether that will also have major repercussions for Remco will remain to be seen. Possibly. I will never claim a cyclist is clean.

Yeah, imagine being seen doing that.