Pereiros other three top ten were all 10th and with an average time loss of around 17 1/2 minute. When 10th in 2004 he didn’t finish top 10 on a single mountain stage. When 10th in 2005 he was 24th heading into the last week and gained like 13-15 minutes in 3 breakaways. When 10th in 2007 he was top 10 on one mountain stage, a 9th place.Also, Pereiro takes some flak from cycling fans, but he is a tour winner, and finished in the top ten four times.
Sepp kuss has never finished in the top ten, and is unlikely to now, and his only grand tour victory, in the inferior vuelta was gifted to him even more so than Pereiros tour!
Pereiro is far ahead of a guy like him.
And of course when he won he was gifted more than 30 minutes in a break on a flat stage.
Everyone who watched those tours know that Pereiro wasn’t really that good. But I guess you either forgot or don’t care just to try to score a cheap point.
(Kuss also been 8th in the Vuelta, gained less than 3 minutes in the break and was legit a top 3 climber in the Vuelta he won. Of course gifted, but much less than Pereiro. He would’ve also finished the Tour that year in the top 10 without a massive crash on stage 20)