Pog may be a generational talent, and potentially one of the best cyclists in history.Sure, it seems like it is impossible to be so much better than all the rest... But then I sometimes remind myself of, e.g., Magnus Carlsen. He seems to be dominating chess on a similar level. So, at the end of the day, I do not quite know what to think...
Pog is doped to the gills.
Both of these things can be true! For the record, I have no position on the matter. If you look historically at the margins of victory in the TDF results prior to the advent of o2 vector doping, and guys won be massive margins. Yes, the sport was different, blah blah, but the reality of sports is that some people are better than others. Some people are really good. And some people are dominant in the sport.
The reality is the Pog isn't really that dominant in stage racing though. JVV is definitely his equal, and yes, this includes this year. The guy was in the ICU 90 days ago and had roughly 45 days to prepare--for a 3 week stage race!? When you factor that in, and the 6 minute margin of victory, if I'm putting money down on next year's TDF, I'm not putting it on Pog...
The bigger issue is that the top 10 guys are riding at Indurain/Pantani levels, or higher, and that flatland helpers are shelling climbers, riding at a pace that would make George Hincapie blush.