Tadej Pogacar and Mauro Giannetti

[cnort]

The multi-terrain ability is less worrying to me than the constant on-form status...

On reflection - of you look at the best seasons of riders like Merckx, Maertens and Kelly - they were winning every month of the season, with maybe a three or four week spell out of racing in there somewhere. Maybe we need to take into account that our illustrious Tadej has fewer race days - his palmares give the impression of a higher win rate but is by being more targeted.

None of this helps with the question of whether he rides clean or not, but more to emphasize that his exploits are not unprecedented in cycling - albeit you have look back a bit further in time. Of course, saying he sits comfortably at the high table has connotations of how that is achieved...

 

[Stablo]

Started to think about the Finestre record from Pablo Torres on Tour de l'Avenir last year. The best climb performance by a teenager ever, beating the time of champions like Froome&Contador and quite clearly. Not sure what Pablo's best performance was before that, but since then he has not been even close to that level. Actually this season has been quite bad considering the expectations.

Then to the main point that i started to think.
It really seems like UAE has some sort of super juice or motor that can significally boost your performance and Torres got it on that stage, because the day before was bad for him. The big bosses surely weren't there at Tour de l'Avenir and maybe they weren't allowed to do what they did there. That climb brought Torres/UAE a lot of, propably unwanted attention, cause Poggies season had already started to lift eyebrows. Whatever they did use that day, Torres is not allowed to use anymore hence a lot lower level ever since.
So imho the thing that made the major leap on Pablo's level, is the same juice/motor our main man is using around the year and produces the miraculous seated fresh as a daisy performances.

 

[Gianetti_Is_The_Goat]

On reflection - of you look at the best seasons of riders like Merckx, Maertens and Kelly - they were winning every month of the season, with maybe a three or four week spell out of racing in there somewhere. Maybe we need to take into account that our illustrious Tadej has fewer race days - his palmares give the impression of a higher win rate but is by being more targeted.

None of this helps with the question of whether he rides clean or not, but more to emphasize that his exploits are not unprecedented in cycling - albeit you have look back a bit further in time. Of course, saying he sits comfortably at the high table has connotations of how that is achieved...

That was against the same (nearly exclusively western European) peloton all season. There was no specialization.

 

[cnort]

I see David Walsh has a full page article in The Sunday Times today [behind a paywall], titled "I don't judge Pogacar by past of his boss - but seeing them together makes me wince". It's mostly an overview of Gianetti's murky past (PFC case, Mayo, Ricco, Piepoli, Cobo), leading onto managing Pogacar. For me the telling quote is:

"The more important question, though, is whether Gianetti's presence lessens our trust in Pogacar? I don't believe it should. Certainly for me it doesn't. Pogacar should be judged on what he does."

Yes and no. I suspect that Walsh is no longer interested in doping in cycling. Chasing Armstrong gave him a couple of books and a movie, and he moved on, got pally with Froome, and writes articles on a variety of sports.

It's disappointing in one way, but equally, the only muck thrown at Pogacar that sticks are the bits clinging to his support team. If that is a good measure, then we could not trust any rider. I'd prefer if Walsh had left it open, as in, it's not a good look...

 

[Netserk]

It's a classic apophasis. The point is to talk about Gianetti's background, not the superficial denial of its import.

 

[dr.eve]

Saying it shouldn't lessen our trust in Pogacar is rather naive... imagine Armstrong being the head of a WT team with the highest performing cyclist as teammember. Nah of course that would not lessen our trust.🤣

 

[Stablo]

Saying it shouldn't lessen our trust in Pogacar is rather naive... imagine Armstrong being the head of a WT team with the highest performing cyclist as teammember. Nah of course that would not lessen our trust.🤣

This exactly, that's incredibly naive. Why on earth shouldn't it lessen our trust in Poggie, keeping in mind what he has been doing for some years now. And yes most of the teams have personel with shady past ik their ranks, but unless Bruyneel makes a comeback, imho none of them are close to Gianetti&Matxin duo. Combine that with the stuff Poggie is pulling of around the year and yes Gianetti(UAE) behind it sure as hell lessens my trust.