Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[YavorD]

Oh please... top riders raced every single important race, there wasn't any specialization. Even Merckx told he wasn't the best climber. Nowadays, how many GTs can you win if you are not the best climber in the race? Probably zero

Yup. And Merckx was the best among other all time greats, wasn't he?
While there are certain differences in the level of sport acting like Merckx did it against random plumbers and cab drivers is simply wrong.

 

[Tymek]

Hell of the north is full hectic race, 50 kph in tight cobbled roads, crashes, suffer, fear and glory. Pure cycling! My favourite race in the world!

Honestly i hate this race and only thing I care about this year is Pog starts or not.
Maybe it's bit controversial, but for me crashes and all this stuff is the last thing i want to watch in cycling.
What defines cycling for me is Tour. The most important is the best one. I watch every important race throghout the year and only Tour makes me exciting in a diffrent way.

 

[Tymek]

Pogacar will probably have a 25% chance of winning AGR, FW and LBL

Sorry, but no. More like 95%. 4% is giving win to someone else from UAE, 1% is a crash.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Honestly i hate this race and only thing I care about this year is Pog starts or not.
Maybe it's bit controversial, but for me crashes and all this stuff is the last thing i want to watch in cycling.
What defines cycling for me is Tour. The most important is the best one. I watch every important race throghout the year and only Tour makes me exciting in a diffrent way.

Hating PR is like hating cycling, sorry!

 

[Peyroteo94]

Yup. And Merckx was the best among other all time greats, wasn't he?
While there are certain differences in the level of sport acting like Merckx did it against random plumbers and cab drivers is simply wrong.

But for example classics were like belgian national championship.

 

[hayneplane]

But for example classics were like belgian national championship.

The spread of nationalities at the top in that era is like Cyclocross now.

Hard to treat CX as being in the same conversation as road cycling when you rarely see more than 2 of the top 15 finishers be from a nation other than Belgium or the Netherlands.

 

[Peyroteo94]

The spread of nationalities at the top in that era is like Cyclocross now.

Hard to treat CX as being in the same conversation as road cycling when you rarely see more than 2 of the top 15 finishers be from a nation other than Belgium or the Netherlands.

Yeah. How can anyone say cycling in that era was as tough as this era when we see results from RVV and 8/9 riders are from Belgium...
No one is taking away what Merckx achieved but thinking he would in this era as successful as he was in the 60/70's is just crazy.

 

[YavorD]

But for example classics were like belgian national championship.

And what? If the 10th belgian back then was better than Pedersen now, the competition has been really stiff.

It literally doesn't matter how many nations do you have. All that matters is the level of the top 3 or 5 riders.
If we rate de Vlaeminck higher than Van Der Poel, then Merckx had a tough competition as well

 

[James M]

And what? If the 10th belgian back then was better than Pedersen now, the competition has been really stiff.

It literally doesn't matter how many nations do you have. All that matters is the level of the top 3 or 5 riders.
If we rate de Vlaeminck higher than Van Der Poel, then Merckx had a tough competition as well

You need to seriously stop trying to compare that era to today, you cant be serious and do that. Cycling has become so much more profesional, bigger it literally was a joke compared to today..

Go back as recent as 2010 to today its night and day in terms of profesionalism even and to go back as 60/70 and try to argue the level of the sport is as competetive as today ? What are we doing here.

 

[YavorD]

You need to seriously stop trying to compare that era to today, you cant be serious and do that. Cycling has become so much more profesional, bigger it literally was a joke compared to today..

Go back as recent as 2010 to today its night and day in terms of profesionalism even and to go back as 60/70 and try to argue the level of the sport is as competetive as today ? What are we doing here.

You started comparing eras when you asked "whom Merckx did it against".

Well your simple answer is - all time greats.

 

[Netserk]

You need to seriously stop trying to compare that era to today

Telling others what they need to do would carry more weight if you followed through and stopped so as well.

 

[James M]

Telling others what they need to do would carry more weight if you followed through and stopped so as well.

You started comparing eras when you asked "whom Merckx did it against".

Well your simple answer is - all time greats.

I never said any of this nonsene. Its like saying Kristoff is better than WVA cause he won RVV igoring the competition and try to defend it, you never get the right answer that way, but by all means go on.

Im not even gonne entertain the discussion , I dont care, comparing that era to today and watching cycling with all we know today and seriously think that era is as competetive as today, then its literally no point. All I said its self-explanatory im sorry if that hurts someone feelings, but it is as common sense as it gets. The end.

 

[YavorD]

I never said any of this nonsene. Its like saying Kristoff is better than WVA cause he won RVV igoring the competition and try to defend it, you never get the right answer that way, but by all means go on.

Im not even gonne entertain the discussion , I dont care, comparing that era to today and watching cycling with all we know today and seriously think that era is as competetive as today, then its literally no point. All I said its self-explanatory im sorry if that hurts someone feelings, but it is as common sense as it gets. The end.

But you're the one who compared eras and relevant competitions.
Anyway, fair enough.
We wont compare eras and riders Merckx won against. We will only compare palmares from now on.

 

[James M]

But you're the one who compared eras and relevant competitions.
Anyway, fair enough.
We wont compare eras and riders Merckx won against. We will only compare palmares from now on.

Do that if it helps fit your narrative, its all what that talk is about anyway no matter what you think, it comes down to what you value more and thats fine I never said anything else did I, its not based on facts unlike the best wheres it factual. Its all good. Merckx is great I dont think anyone said anything different anytime.

Its better to compare that than to compare the competetiveness of the different eras at least, which shouldnt be needed to having to be explained.

 

[Netserk]

Do that if it helps fit you narrative, its all what that talk is about anyway no matter what you believe its comes down to what you value more and thats fine I never said anything else did I, its not based on facts unlike the best wheres it factual. Its all good. Merckx is great I dont think anyone said anything different anytime.

Its better to compare that than to compare the competetiveness of the different eras at least, which shouldnt be needed to having to be explained.

Hmm:

Cycling has become so much more profesional, bigger it literally was a joke compared to today

 

[YavorD]

Do that if it helps fit you narrative, its all what that talk is about anyway no matter what you believe its comes down to what you value more and thats fine I never said anything else did I, its not based on facts unlike the best wheres it factual. Its all good. Merckx is great I dont think anyone said anything different anytime.

Its better to compare that than to compare the competetiveness of the different eras at least, which shouldnt be needed to having to be explained.

Ending the discussion here.
You said that I shouldn't compare eras (and competitiveness) so you shouldn't as well.
All that we can compare then is palmares.

Or we won't compare anything and we can agree there's no GOAT just best rider in a certain era.

 

[James M]

Ending the discussion here.
You said that I shouldn't compare eras (and competitiveness) so you shouldn't as well.
All that we can compare then is palmares.

Or we won't compare anything and we can agree there's no GOAT just best rider in a certain era.

Sorry but saying its self-explanatory why we cant compare this era to that is common sense wether or not it hurts your feelings and will still be the case wether or not you like it. You do whatever you like and defend it if you will, its still dosent change the fact that its not comparable.

Next part you say is just personal preference how you value things, will never be black and white alone, its more complex than that, Its a reason Jordan is considered the goat in basketball and not Russell. But yeah its all personal preference not with a necessary right or wrong answer.

That last part is the most correct answer and factual way of doing that part.

 

[Lequack]

What a nice couple

 

[Peyroteo94]

What a nice couple

Pogi and his bodyguard.

 

[Peyroteo94]

3 days to go. Silly season is almost over!! Let's see how strong he will be in the first stage. Can he beat Millan and Kooij in the first stage? 600m at 6%.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

What a nice couple

I sure hope that bench remembered to relax and brace itself.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

3 days to go. Silly season is almost over!! Let's see how strong he will be in the first stage. Can he beat Millan and Kooij in the first stage? 600m at 6%.

Off-season was too long. Can't wait to watch our heroes again! (Teddy and also his main rivals)

 

[Lequack]

Off-season was too long. Can't wait to watch our heroes again! (Teddy and also his main rivals)

Teddy and his big rivals Lennert Van Eetvelt and Oscar Onley.
They could have brought Adam Yates who was already over there in the Oman desert, and sent Pog to Algarve to race Roglic and Vingegaard.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Off-season was too long. Can't wait to watch our heroes again! (Teddy and also his main rivals)

I just hope for no crashes. Teddy is riding a lot of hectic races, including these sprint stages in UAE where everyone is sleepy after 4 hours of zone 1 and all of a sudden, riders are on the tarmac.

 

[James M]

I just hope for no crashes. Teddy is riding a lot of hectic races, including these sprint stages in UAE where everyone is sleepy after 4 hours of zone 1 and all of a sudden, riders are on the tarmac.

No Ganna but you get a tier 1 benchmark in the TT nevertheless.