Tadej Pogacar and Mauro Giannetti

[Extinction]

In two minds about the Giro and greediness. If he is clean then it is a completely fine and acceptable thing to do, go ahead and win as many stages as you want, if they can't beat you then that's their problem. If he is doping then it is unbelievably foolish.

There is a misunderstanding floating around about 'gifting' or letting stages go I think, derived from the Contador/Tiralongo dynamic, which is a pretty rare occurrence in cycling, but it isn't quite accurate. The subtext around the discourse of letting the smaller teams and lesser riders have their day isn't about making friends, it's about not making enemies, whether tomorrow on the road or in ten years when you're sat in front of a Grand Jury. Sky understood this and learnt the lessons from Armstrong, win your big race then *** off. Don't draw unwanted attention to yourself.

I think Gianetti has lost the plot personally, seen Jumbo going for it and decided it's open season, dialectical doping. But I could always be wrong and they've found some legal wonder drug that makes him look like he's racing against infants.

More or less you should be prudent in measuring the extent of your success against the pitfalls of incurring the envy of your rivals in a cycling that has always (at least since the EPO era) been done at two speeds. Also because national rivalries and their respective journalists within interteam dynamics (everybody wants a piece of the pie), could create unpleasant outcomes if tyranny becomes unacceptable to wider sponsorship investment concerns.

 

[Red Rick]

Nah, Pogacar is too greedy to fake weakness.

Bonus points for acting insulted if compared to Pantani

 

[Salvarani]

Bonus points for acting insulted if compared to Pantani

Still doesnt top "I thought my watt-meter was broken. Couldnt believe those numbers."

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Bonus points for acting insulted if compared to Pantani

Someone give me a PR answer when somebody compares me to Pantani that is neither disingenuous nor disrespectful. How do I stick to talking about his climbing achievements (especially if I‘m a totally different rider type)?

 

[snipeheem]

Someone give me a PR answer when somebody compares me to Pantani that is neither disingenuous nor disrespectful. How do I stick to talking about his climbing achievements (especially if I‘m a totally different rider type)?

How do I stick to talking about his climbing achievements while i am actually clean

 

[QueenStagiaire]

How do I stick to talking about his climbing achievements while i am actually clean

That‘s very easy, because you‘re not a pro cyclist then.

 

[snipeheem]

That‘s very easy, because you‘re not a pro cyclist then.

Haha i meant Pogi answers about comparisions with Pantani

 

[Froome]

How do I stick to talking about his climbing achievements while i am actually clean

Nobody is clean.

 

[AmRacer]

Nobody is clean.

I think you are now. 😁

 

[Froome]

I think you are now. 😁

I've always been clean. My doping was getting the hard salbutamol.....sorry the hard miles.

 

[Savant12]

I'm excited for this Tour. I expect the Pogenheimer meme to drop on every stage. Don't let me down, Pog!

 

[Forever The Best]

In two minds about the Giro and greediness. If he is clean then it is a completely fine and acceptable thing to do, go ahead and win as many stages as you want, if they can't beat you then that's their problem. If he is doping then it is unbelievably foolish.

There is a misunderstanding floating around about 'gifting' or letting stages go I think, derived from the Contador/Tiralongo dynamic, which is a pretty rare occurrence in cycling, but it isn't quite accurate. The subtext around the discourse of letting the smaller teams and lesser riders have their day isn't about making friends, it's about not making enemies, whether tomorrow on the road or in ten years when you're sat in front of a Grand Jury. Sky understood this and learnt the lessons from Armstrong, win your big race then *** off. Don't draw unwanted attention to yourself.

I think Gianetti has lost the plot personally, seen Jumbo going for it and decided it's open season, dialectical doping. But I could always be wrong and they've found some legal wonder drug that makes him look like he's racing against infants.

Froome won Vuelta after winning Tour. Then next year did a Landis to win Giro. Armstrong didn't even attempt to win those two races in his domination period.

 

[Peyroteo94]

We are going to spend a long time in this thread during the next 3 weeks. Go Tadej! Show us madness!

 

[Tim Cahill]

Froome won Vuelta after winning Tour. Then next year did a Landis to win Giro. Armstrong didn't even attempt to win those two races in his domination period.

I suppose, but within those races he wasn't particularly dominant, 0 stages in the tour, 2 in the Vuelta, 2 in the Giro. The other riders were getting a shot at glory is what I was trying to say, and their PR strategy at least attempted to deviate from Armstrong's ultra combative approach, which managed to irritate the wrong journalists, and his attitudes towards other riders, which would come back to screw him down the line, though Sky were insipid it was in a different way.

Finestere was his last win I think? People were saying he would've pulled it together in 2019 but looking back I have my doubts.

 

[Forever The Best]

I suppose, but within those races he wasn't particularly dominant, 0 stages in the tour, 2 in the Vuelta, 2 in the Giro. The other riders were getting a shot at glory is what I was trying to say, and their PR strategy at least attempted to deviate from Armstrong's ultra combative approach, which managed to irritate the wrong journalists, and his attitudes towards other riders, which would come back to screw him down the line, though Sky were insipid it was in a different way.

Finestere was his last win I think? People were saying he would've pulled it together in 2019 but looking back I have my doubts.

Yeah in race and PR I agree. They learned their lesson from Armstrong.

Though worth noting that Armstrong won what, only 1 stage in' 05 and '03? But '04 was ridiculous he won like 5 stages in the back end of the race. '99, '01, '02 he won a bunch too. Funnily enough he only won the final TT in '00.
Froome won 3 in '13, 1 in '15, 2 in '16.

I think Froome could have won 2019 if he didn't crash. We may have seen a Sky 1-2-3. Field was pretty weak of those who finished, Roglic wasn't there and Pinot abandoned.