Tadej Pogacar and Mauro Giannetti

[ColonelKidneyBeans]

But why would all the other teams with big budgets, and all the UCI members fear Gianetti ?

That one individual fear Gianetti, that might be one thing. But that all the most powerful members of cycling fear him, that is quite an assumption..

Armsstrong and Bruyneel were feared too, history has a knack for repeating itself.

 

[peterfin]

We help matters by asking questions on what has been brought to the table. I'll look into it.

I do have the impression that all those questions have the intention to riducule people who believe something is going on at UAE. Your quote "Maybe Gianetti got lucky with Pogacar" is telling. Maybe that is not your intention but that's how I and others perceive it. Be aware that, as a moderator, this feeling is amplified.

The point is of course that we don't have clear answers. If we had them, we wouldn't discuss it in this obscure part of the forum. My take on Gianetti is that he just a figure that is used by UAE to reach their goals. UAE's is in the business of sportswashing and cycling is a cheap way to reach many people in the West. However, in order to make impact and visibility it requires them to win big. That goal is more important than how it is achieved. Gianetti is the right guy here, not because he is a mastermind but because he can execute plans without questioning and leaking anything to the media. Doping is not an issue for him. He is focussed on winning and fame. Bruyneel - Pogacar's biggest fan - is probably his example. Bruyneel shows him there is little to fear, even if it all blows up in his face.

 

[BubbaChuck]

their explanation is pog is on superjuice,lmaoo.always remember goat destroyed multiple armstrongs per year. mvp in spring,jonas in summer and remco in autum.and this is crystal clear in any serius watts analyisis.its hilraius to hear debates about doping with zero numbers,lol.for example 90s is such easy story,you could lock them all up in a month.

 

[BubbaChuck]

this era madness started with rogla nad visma in 2019.it started before covid .than pog destroys rog in tour and flood gates were open.

 

[Lorzenz08]

Armsstrong and Bruyneel were feared too, history has a knack for repeating itself.

But because all the biggest teams were on the same boat. There is a reason no winner has been declared in place of Armstrong.

 

[Cookster15]

do have the impression that all those questions have the intention to riducule people who believe something is going on at UAE

Mods are able to have their opinions too. My intention is never to ridicule. Merely to flush out the truth. The rest of your post helps that aim. What it doesn’t explain is why other teams tolerate this situation if true.

e.g. Red Bull are not a small player in global sporting sponsorship. Formula 1?

My comment that maybe Gianetti got lucky with Pogacar relates to him possibly being a super responder and Gianetti stumbled upon him. How else could he predict how he might respond to methods when he was only 18 or 19.

 

[danielovichdk2]

Kenny Rogers made a fine music track. It's called The Gambler.

Gianetti is sitting in his in chalet somewhere in the Swiss mountains, mixing blood and some Swiss precision medication, while he yells "you gotta know when to hoooold 'eeem...lalalalaaa...know when to hooood 'eemmm"...

He never gets to the fold 'em part.

The dealing's done. Pog is went from being a joy to watch to a pain.

 

[YellowSocks]

What it doesn’t explain is why other teams tolerate this situation if true.

Let's try this: because they're not innocent either?

(Nobody here believes that UAE is the only team using magic.)

 

[Extinction]

I obviously missed that - can you link your comment? Filipe Lima Quintas? Why no questions asked about such an obvious conflict of interest?

I basically said, it's irrelavant that Gianetti is not a Dottore Ferrari, because all he has to be (and is) is the gran maestro of the orchestra 🪉, with 60 million euro to work with in his coffers. That's more than enough to engage the best Doctor Frankensteins, even if it may be chanelled through rider salary. And UAE petrol dollars to bewitch the UCI.

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Bruyneel and Contador were feared

Armsstrong and Bruyneel were feared too, history has a knack for repeating itself.

 

[BubbaChuck]

“I could say yes, but honestly, no,” Dumoulin told AS when asked if he thought Vingegaard would one day win multiple Grand Tours. “He was always a great rider, but the step he’s taken is incredible. I really admire his strength and dedication. He changed his mindset completely — from being a support rider to one of the best cyclists in the world.” thats lethal on court in 10 years.

 

[Cookster15]

Let's try this: because they're not innocent either?

(Nobody here believes that UAE is the only team using magic.)

Not at all. Those teams have a big financial penalty if the playing field isn't level*. So those teams have a big financial incentive to ask questions - even if only behind closed doors to avoid a civil suit.

And on sports sponsorship I think Red Bull compares to "petrodollars" - $1.5 billion in 2024. That includes Formula 1 - a much bigger playing field than cycling. $50 mil to run the Red Bull cycling team is chicken feed. They could easily match what we know UAE are spending.

*It is because some fans think Pogacar and UAE have an unfair advantage that we are here discussing. During the 90s that wasn't the case as omertá held - i.e. don't spit in the soup.

 

[Cookster15]

I basically said, it's irrelavant that Gianetti is not a Dottore Ferrari, because all he has to be (and is) is the gran maestro of the orchestra 🪉, with 60 million euro to work with in his coffers. That's more than enough to engage the best Doctor Frankensteins, even if it may be chanelled through rider salary. And UAE petrol dollars to bewitch the UCI.

See my reply to YellowSocks. UAE's (known) budget is 10 million euro (20%) more than the other biggest teams. I just don't think its UAE petrol dollars that enable them to bewitch the UCI. And that won't stop rival teams like similarly cashed up Red Bull asking questions behind closed doors.

 

[Extinction]

See my reply to YellowSocks. UAE's (known) budget is 10 million euro (20%) more than the other biggest teams. I just don't think its UAE petrol dollars that enable them to bewitch the UCI. And that won't stop rival teams like similarly cashed up Red Bull asking questions behind closed doors.

Think again, it's not budget per say but the leverage petrol versus the Red Bull soft drink has upon global markets and the consequences for image management it implies. Secondly, Gianetti is like the alchemical Mercury who, in its living form, performs certain works; after its death it performs its greatest works. It is the serpent charming itself, fertilizing itself, giving birth in one day, killing all metals with its poison. Gianetti is smarter than Bruyneel and even Riis.

 

[Netserk]

And yet ... US Postal and Armstrong probably were institutionally privileged, despite any interest of their competitors to the contrary.

 

[Extinction]

And yet ... US Postal and Armstrong probably were institutionally privileged, despite any interest of their competitors to the contrary.

Soft power

 

[YellowSocks]

Not at all. Those teams have a big financial penalty if the playing field isn't level*. So those teams have a big financial incentive to ask questions - even if only behind closed doors to avoid a civil suit.

And on sports sponsorship I think Red Bull compares to "petrodollars" - $1.5 billion in 2024. That includes Formula 1 - a much bigger playing field than cycling. $50 mil to run the Red Bull cycling team is chicken feed. They could easily match what we know UAE are spending.

*It is because some fans think Pogacar and UAE have an unfair advantage that we are here discussing. During the 90s that wasn't the case as omertá held - i.e. don't spit in the soup.

I'm sorry, but this is a real dialogue of the deaf. You keep repeating the same things without reading what people are writing. I skip my turn.

By the way, you should have written 'in my opinion, not at all'.

 

[ColonelKidneyBeans]

But because all the biggest teams were on the same boat. There is a reason no winner has been declared in place of Armstrong.

And now it ain't so? Pogacar/UAE are the most obvious offender, but most everyone is going crazy fast too...

 

[Salvarani]

See my reply to YellowSocks. UAE's (known) budget is 10 million euro (20%) more than the other biggest teams. I just don't think its UAE petrol dollars that enable them to bewitch the UCI. And that won't stop rival teams like similarly cashed up Red Bull asking questions behind closed doors.

It is baffling to imagine or suggest petrol dollars even caring or being applied to bewitch the UCI.

You can only laugh at such conspiracy theories.

 

[peterfin]

It is baffling to imagine or suggest petrol dollars even caring or being applied to bewitch the UCI.

You can only laugh at such conspiracy theories.

Most likely "bewitching" the UCI won't be a top level decision but it's easy to see how sportswashing fits in a general approach to make UAE more attractive for investors, turism and people from democratic states in general. They know that their dependency on petro dollars is fragile and as an authoritarian state they can play the long game funding whatever fits the bigger picture.

The partnerships between the UCI and UAE goes beyond the UAE team so there are multiple ways in how influence happens that makes it much more difficult for the UCI to act independently. For example, I can imagine that a Lazkano case might never happen with top riders at UAE simply because the UCI knows the negative impact could be huge (not just for the sport, also for the UCI). They could even decide to actively work with UAE to give explanations to the anomalies to ensure that any future review of the data does not result in red flags.

In the mean time, the UCI gives other teams clear warnings that they take things seriously. Even if Red Bull has concerns, having one of their own riders suspended gives them less authority to act. The UCI can say: "We do our job. Do yours too and don't sign cheaters."

 

[Salvarani]

Most likely "bewitching" the UCI won't be a top level decision but it's easy to see how sportswashing fits in a general approach to make UAE more attractive for investors, turism and people from democratic states in general. They know that their dependency on petro dollars is fragile and as an authoritarian state they can play the long game funding whatever fits the bigger picture.

The partnerships between the UCI and UAE goes beyond the UAE team so there are multiple ways in how influence happens that makes it much more difficult for the UCI to act independently. For example, I can imagine that a Lazkano case might never happen with top riders at UAE simply because the UCI knows the negative impact could be huge (not just for the sport, also for the UCI). They could even decide to actively work with UAE to give explanations to the anomalies to ensure that any future review of the data does not result in red flags.

In the mean time, the UCI gives other teams clear warnings that they take things seriously. Even if Red Bull has concerns, having one of their own riders suspended gives them less authority to act. The UCI can say: "We do our job. Do yours too and don't sign cheaters."

Yes, that imagine word again.

 

[Rob5091]

See my reply to YellowSocks. UAE's (known) budget is 10 million euro (20%) more than the other biggest teams. I just don't think its UAE petrol dollars that enable them to bewitch the UCI. And that won't stop rival teams like similarly cashed up Red Bull asking questions behind closed doors.

10 million Euro? Nah, that can not be correct. AG2R-Decathlon for 2024 had a 31 million Euro budget
https://inrng.com/2025/11/decathlon-ag2r-team-2024-budget/#more-46754
So it's probably nearer 40 million if not more.

 

[BubbaChuck]

10 million more and whole cycling world is bewitched or eddie was a chump.history will tell.

 

[BubbaChuck]

now lets breakdown expenses for ballers and see,how much leftover money there is for juice.

 

[Cookster15]

10 million Euro? Nah, that can not be correct. AG2R-Decathlon for 2024 had a 31 million Euro budget
https://inrng.com/2025/11/decathlon-ag2r-team-2024-budget/#more-46754
So it's probably nearer 40 million if not more.

I wrote 10 million Euro more. I just checked again and confirmed the below:

• UAE Between €55 and €60 million for 2024 and 2025
• Visma Lease a bike €50 to €55 million
• Red Bull Between €45 and €50 million
• Decathlon AG2R €40 million in 2026 (€28 million in 2025)

I think potentially UAE or even Red Bull (based upon Red Bull's spend across all global sports) could spend more on cycling if they wanted too.