- Jul 7, 2013
- 8,617
- 15,516
- 23,180
There's Van der Poel, whose sole mission is to prevent "the end of cycling"
There's Van der Poel, whose sole mission is to prevent "the end of cycling"
- Jul 31, 2024
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- 1,064
- 5,680
They will just sing his praises, and say we gotta enjoy this lifetime athlete while we can...
- Jul 15, 2023
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Marginal gains? Pogacar and UAE don't appear to 'do' marginal gains, at least not in the sense we actually understand them, or came to understand them from the Brailsford Team Sky era. UAE and Pogacar are doing something else, something that has turned top level professional cycling from a competitive sport into a series of mere processions. However his watts are measured, whatever the physics, Pogacar is currently able to destroy his world class opponents, entire pelotons in fact, in almost every type of race. Usually by very large margins, or as large as he wishes to make them. Not only that, but he's apparently able to do this without exhibiting any of the traditional signs of stress or effort that normally accompanies the sport of cycling at the highest level. Similarly, Pogacar does not appear to suffer from putting himself into oxygen debt after accelerating away from opponents, even on brutal climbs. He doesn't have a red zone. How likely is it that another human being would be so superior and in such a comprehensive fashion to everyone else? Not just in particular race types, which would be difficult enough given the competition, but across all race types, and entire length of the cycling season, bar the odd break in the schedule? Not only that, but how likely is it that such a rider exhibits next to no significant dips in form, or periods of illness, as would be normally expected given the intensity of the workload and its impact on the human body? And is it just a coincidence that such an unlikely cyclist just happens to be in a team managed by a certain Gianetti and Matxin? I mean, almost anything is possible in this crazy world, but come on, this is ludicrous.
- May 22, 2024
- 570
- 747
- 3,780
- Sep 20, 2017
- 12,864
- 24,068
- 28,180
Asked about Seixas, Domen Novak just revealed the following. I wonder how the 'climbing times exploded in 2020 because of nUtrItIoN' crowd will try to explain this...
Link
- Jul 31, 2024
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- May 9, 2025
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I was coming here to post that quote. lol. They r out in force trying to explain the jump he made between 23 and 24.
- Sep 26, 2020
- 26,206
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Ok, cool and all, but will he be able to do it again when he's almost 42?
View: https://x.com/hornerakg/status/1701972908195631356
View: https://x.com/hornerakg/status/1701972908195631356
- Jul 31, 2024
- 1,151
- 1,064
- 5,680
I too expect an UAE special this year. UCI seems to have given them the green light. So Pogacar & Del Toro will go about their races without restrain.
- Oct 25, 2020
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Do you feel that Pogacar gets an easy time from the press??
Has he ever had a journalist like Kimmage face up to him with a direct question like 'Your climbing times are lightyears ahead of men who were convicted dopers, do you see how people might be suspicious?'
Like him or not, Armstrong had to face very direct and difficult questions in press conferences. As well as in the French media.
It appears Pogacar is immune to this scrutiny. Do the media see his angelic-like and innocent face and just give him a pass? Is he not allowed to be questioned??
Has he ever had a journalist like Kimmage face up to him with a direct question like 'Your climbing times are lightyears ahead of men who were convicted dopers, do you see how people might be suspicious?'
Like him or not, Armstrong had to face very direct and difficult questions in press conferences. As well as in the French media.
It appears Pogacar is immune to this scrutiny. Do the media see his angelic-like and innocent face and just give him a pass? Is he not allowed to be questioned??
- Jul 31, 2024
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He tested positive during his the very first Tour he won, that may have something to do with it. Just a thought.
- Feb 20, 2012
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And when did that come out?
I'm gonna assert bluntly that it didn't cause 10% of the scrutiny Armstrong had.
- Jul 30, 2011
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I’ve posted elsewhere that the sport (its infrastructure) media and values aren’t really what they were then. No more than compared to earlier decades.
I wonder what French media and press conferences would have been like, regarding Pogacar, if the sport had faced one of the biggest doping scandals in its history in 2019, involving the most popular French rider of the time.
- Jul 30, 2011
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- Jul 30, 2011
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It's so strange that people detach from reality.
Pogacar is asked by many, pointed questions he has multiple sit down interviews, coaches also consult with media and talk as much as possible to public about training.
A point of controversy was the CO2 rebreathing devices .
Pogacar would be foolish to subject himself to questions without data.
Great example would be Seixas, how did he break course records and why was he only a minute behind Pogacar?
Why are Pellizzari's numbers so high?
In fact why are the top @20% of finishers faster than ever?
If cycling was to open up again to a Paul Kimmage or David Walsh style investigative reporting you would need to make sure that they were legally bound in case of error.
Armstrong was is the example, the UCI, most of Armstrong's sponsors, including Trek, Gatorade and Nike were all found to be complicit but never punished..2 different UCI presidents knew of Armstrong- US Postal program and helped it succeed.
The first line of any questioning in modern era would be results in hand from individual drug testing and bio passport information provided by the UCI.
Any and all riders should have access to their personal data before starting a conversation with anyone.. It can't happen by UCI rules, they have a bizzare, insane policy, that by allowing riders their own data it will allow them to cheat more effectively.
Same with insane policy of " catching " cheating riders by piecing together multiple years of testing data.. So an abnormal bio passport from years ago and most current irregular somehow are over their irregular threshold for punishment..
No other sport does it this way, no other sport would ever dream up a drug testing protocol that could take a year or two for a conclusive result.
The UCI not Tadej or any other rider needs to provide data about guilt or innocence. What a bizarre love triangle, were a rider and journalist engage and the 3rd critical party, the UCI isn't involved for rider or journalist..
Why would a rider like Pogacar need to answer the question of why the UCI hasn't caught him for anything, and the journalist asks the UCI why they haven't caught Pogacar for anything and either get nothing or a blank stare.
A valid answer to any journalist from Pogacar is...those are my numbers.. I train, race, eat, sleep and those are my numbers, it's what I produce, it's great for me, good for team, good for the UCI, so Mr.Journalism, you asked me and my team, we answered the best we can, now you need to ask the UCI why you don't like my numbers and they like them, after testing don't find a problem.
All this sounds like a dog chasing it's tail.. The answers for Pogacars numbers and test results need to be addressed by UCI not riders who don't have information by design. Why is there not a @60 day turnaround on rider drug testing? Why don't riders have timely results after giving their DNA? Why does everything take so long? Why is the chain of custody for riders DNA not confirmed to rider at every step? Riders have rules about location, making themselves available for tests, once sample is taken, process and results go into a black hole..
Riders being accused of cheating and they don't have test data to clear themselves, When journalists asked pointed questions, it's not with test data in hand, they can't get it. Journalist wants data, Rider wants data.. Who has the data? The UCI, why are they not giving it to interested parties, but especially to riders who surrender their DNA in good faith.
To put things in context is impossible when Kimmage was looking around for data and details, there was no internet, there was no social media, no public rider data like Strava, nobody was calculating wattage as an indicator of something abnormal or illegal. Given that wriers, reporters have some data but nothing official they have a head start on people like Walsh and Kimmage era people, riders need to use modern tactics to avoid giving these " journalists " anything. If I were Pogacar I would do required media at races all other interviews would be done by appointment only with people who disclose what they want to talk about in advance the entire world culture is conspiracy crazy and why give ammunition to distract away from training, racing and family, what is the upside by talking with " journalists "..absolutely nothing, A waste of time.
Here's an example of what can go wrong with an interview.. You have to do your own search for this guy
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