Tadej Pogacar and Mauro Giannetti

[Cookster15]

Well, broken or not, I think there’s something *very* special about that bike. Pidcock even asked after the race who would do his motor pacing in next year’s race if Pogacar wasn’t doing it. To be fair, he has a point.

I think in 2024 it was suggested his Colnago V4Rs were suspect for motors. What happened to that theory?

 

[Rob5091]

It's all Visma's fault! George "he-did-a-Landis" Bennett talks,
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...nd-how-a-tour-de-france-climb-was-the-trigger
(original article at https://www.marca.com/ciclismo/2026/03/25/george-bennett-pogacar-col-du-granon-desperto-bestia.html )

"I met him when we lost the Tour de France on the Col du Granon. I think that moment was pivotal in his career. Back then, he already had enormous talent, but he wasn't working as hard as others," Bennett said in an interview with Marca.
He believes that was what was missing at the time which, when fixed, led to his further development as a rider. "Now he's completely focused: he trains incredibly hard, he's changed his diet… He has the greatest talent in the world and a very strong mentality. He's unstoppable [...] Yes, exactly. Granon awakened the beast".

 

[AlpRaid]

It's all Visma's fault! George "he-did-a-Landis" Bennett talks,
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...nd-how-a-tour-de-france-climb-was-the-trigger
(original article at https://www.marca.com/ciclismo/2026/03/25/george-bennett-pogacar-col-du-granon-desperto-bestia.html )

The amount of articles that are coming out now with attempted explanations for the huge jump he has made is really Armstrong-esque.

 

[SorelyBoy]

The amount of articles that are coming out now with attempted reasons for the huge jump he has made is really Armstrong-esque.

Agreed. The furious and ongoing PR effort indicates that there’s at least an awareness that this is all being perceived as being implausible (gee, I wonder why?). So practically every week someone from his side comes out with a singular explanation. Zone 2 training. Crank shaft development. Seat placement. Sit ups. Food. Superior Slovenian genetics. His opponents annoyed him. Yeah, whatever, they obviously think we’re all gullible idiots who will swallow any old bollocks . It’s all bs of course. The lad is so superior to everyone else across all race types that he’s literally in another class of rider altogether. It’s like a top level world tour rider competing against the juniors while being allowed to dose EPO and huff anything else that might enhance performances. And that can’t be possible never mind natural.