Tadej Pogacar and Mauro Giannetti

[Krzysztof_O]

Let's face it, weak competition. Sure Roglic was good, but in the end caved into the pressure. Gianetti-Maxtin were already, on much less funding, poised to net a Tour with Riccò, but then the floor dropped out from under their feet. But with UAE behind the project, success was ensured.

Look at the numbers of Tour 2020 or even Vuelta 2019. Weak competition? Come on. The performance stuff was very good then in other teams too and so were the riders. My point is that Pog likely didn't have some magical advantage over other teams back then (therefore his big talent can't be denied). 2024-2025 could be a different story who knows but that's not the point of this particular exchange (as you basically questioned his natural aerobic efficiency, which is nuts).

 

[Cookster15]

It means that Seixas and others are far more talented than Pogacar.

That's not what the science says. Different riders mature at different ages. There is a bell curve and some mature early but then decline early. Pogacar is still one of the youngest, winning the 2018 Tour de l'Avenir aged 20.

Paul Seixas is an obvious outlier. It remains to be seen if Seixas career trajectory continues and for how long?

 

[Cookster15]

Gianetti-Maxtin were already, on much less funding, poised to net a Tour with Riccò, but then the floor dropped out from under their feet.

That's your opinion. Most watching the 2008 TdF didn't take Riccò seriously as a GC threat. Riccò was backing up from the Giro too. Riccò was no Pogacar (or Pantani).

If Gianetti thought Riccò was his best chance to net a Tour he would have had Riccò instead of Piepoli and Cobo winning on the Hautacam stage (Riccò finished 2 minutes down in the Evans and Sastre group).

 

[Extinction]

Look at the numbers of Tour 2020 or even Vuelta 2019. Weak competition? Come on. The performance stuff was very good then in other teams too and so were the riders. My point is that Pog likely didn't have some magical advantage over other teams back then (therefore his big talent can't be denied). 2024-2025 could be a different story who knows but that's not the point of this particular exchange (as you basically questioned his natural aerobic efficiency, which is nuts).

I wasn't dismissing his big talent, as already mentioned, however, Pog's meteoric rise under Gianetti will ever remain suspect, as would any "new Merckx" riding for the Swiss vampire.

 

[Extinction]

That's your opinion. Most watching the 2008 TdF didn't take Riccò seriously as a GC threat. Riccò was backing up from the Giro too. Riccò was no Pogacar (or Pantani).

If Gianetti thought Riccò was his best chance to net a Tour he would have had Riccò instead of Piepoli and Cobo winning on the Hautacam stage (Riccò finished 2 minutes down in the Evans and Sastre group).

This was already rehearsed up-thread. So you think Piepoli or Cobo was the horse Gianetti was betting on? Or just trying to keep Evans and Sastre with too many guys to cover?

 

[Cookster15]

This was already rehearsed up-thread. So you think Piepoli or Cobo was the horse Gianetti was betting on? Or just trying to keep Evans and Sastre with too many guys to cover?

Yes and I shared my opinion and I disagree as I think you are redacting history. You are entitled to your opinion.

In the 2008 Tour Sastre's team were not worried about Riccò and neither was Cadel Evans. Evans was watching Saxo Bank and rightly so. He wasn't worried about anyone in Saunier Duval. None of them were good TTers either.

 

[Extinction]

Yes and I shared my opinion and I disagree as I think you are redacting history. You are entitled to your opinion.

In the 2008 Tour Sastre's team were not worried about Riccò and neither was Cadel Evans. Evans was watching Saxo Bank and rightly so. He wasn't worried about anyone in Saunier Duval. None of them were good TTers either.

Perhaps, but I had the sense at the time that Riccò was the best climber in the world in that moment. Whether he would have pulled a Pantani in the Alpes remains unknowable. However, it was strange under Gianetti how, without ever showing truly phenomenal talent in the junior and under-23 ranks, suddenly a new Pantani seemed to be on the rise. Riccò just needed another year with Gianetti-Maxtin to ripen from lead to gold. On the other hand, you still had Bruyneel and Contador with Kazaki financial backing, while Riis and Saxo were still in the game, so it's not at all clear. But this is why I've said give Gianetti UAE petrol dollars and a guy like Pogi, who obviously is a better specimen to work on than was Riccò, and you eventually get the performances we've seen from Tadej over the past two seasons. Although this doesn't boil down to just more talent if you ask me. There is an alchemy at work any time Gianetti is involved. To think otherwise is simply daft.