Tadej Pogacar and Mauro Giannetti

[ashhutch1997]

The worst part is the fact the cameras were on Gianetti after the race. Get this vampire away from the sport.

 

[110]

Its not difficult. The wheels and bottom bracket are in plain sight. If the UCI is following its own rules his bike would be checked by a qualified mechanic after the finish. And all types of possible electro mechanical assistance will be seen if they look at wheels and disassemble the bottom bracket.

Plus the UCI claim to use x-ray machines. If all of this is not happening for major races then people need to be screaming - including rival teams as I've said before here.

It is far, far more difficult to scrutineer formula one cars for illegal devices and software.

use your eyes and logic
instead of this dead end path nonsense
about UCI (UAE) claims

https://twitter.com/x/status/2040798304187867378

View: https://x.com/cyclingontnt/status/2040798304187867378/

 

[Cookster15]

it is not difficult to bribe people with money

see for example Hein Verbruggen
UAE = UCI
checking means nothing when everything is rotten to bottom
and full of corruption

perhaps you mean cheque

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Of course corruption is possible. People say this can happen as rival teams are satisfied with the status quo and to complain raises the risk of massive litigation if you cannot prove your public claims.

But Red Bull play, and win, in Formula One and have an enormous global marketing budget - up to $US3.7 billion. They would not like the proportion of that investment in cycling compromised by a rival team who cheats. Sure $60 mil invested in cycling is chump's change for Red Bull but that value is still being diluted if Pogacar and Gianetti are using motors to win the TdF and Monuments like today.

But I just don't believe what we are seeing is motors. I also prefer the microscope be placed upon how the UCI's doctors are monitoring blood doping. I don't think there is enough scrutiny of that.

 

[ashhutch1997]

There's NO expectation as to him winning Paris Roubaix, but he will. 60kg climber dropping almost 80kg riders on the flat. I'm sorry I can't see how that's possible. This has become a clownshow.

 

[SorelyBoy]

MVDP said he was pushing 650 watts when Pogi rode away

Move along, move along, nothing to see here. Ffs 😂

 

[SorelyBoy]

use your eyes and logic
instead of this dead end path nonsense
about UCI (UAE) claims

https://twitter.com/x/status/2040798304187867378

View: https://x.com/cyclingontnt/status/2040798304187867378/

Femke Van den Driessche probably feeling a bit annoyed to be fair.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I was sick today and burnt out from singing the Easter triduum, so I sat down and watched it. It was exciting until it wasn't. I didn't like the result. Moto pacing and MvdP's lack of tactics wouldn't have changed the result. Pogacar would have just dropped a bigger bomb if necessary. Pog rode well within himself. He's thinking about next week. I tried to stop watching cycling but I haven't been able to quit yet. I think I might need an intervention. Next week could be it.

They should bring back the Tour of Ireland. We need some real and pure racing.

 

[Ulle97]

Can somebody please explain what people are complaining about from the above video.

What is the issue with Pogačar’s back wheel???

 

[E_F_]

We've been through this so many times. They. Don't. Check. The. Bikes. Yes they could make motor doping impossible easy, peasy... But they aren't doing that. It is possible. But because it could be impossible, I guess every single time anyone mentions it, we need to go over it again, because the onus is on "us" to explain why it would be possible, if they actually did make it impossible. I'm not even too keen on the motor theory any longer - the arguments for obviously aren't strong at all - but none of the arguments for ruling it out are either.

 

[Ulle97]

We've been through this so many times. They. Don't. Check. The. Bikes. Yes they could make motor doping impossible easy, peasy... But they aren't doing that. It is possible. But because it could be impossible, I guess every single time anyone mentions it, we need to go over it again, because the onus is on "us" to explain why it would be possible, if they actually did make it impossible. I'm not even too keen on the motor theory any longer - the arguments for obviously aren't strong at all - but none of the arguments for ruling it out aren't at all either.

So based on the video, what can we gather that may indicate he has a motor propelling him forward?
This doesn't resemble Cancellara style suspicions.

 

[E_F_]

So based on the video, what can we gather that may indicate he has a motor propelling him forward?
This doesn't resemble Cancellara style suspicions.

I'm not talking about the video, but the claim that we need to prove that it's (not im)possible, when we've already done that many times over. I'm as lost as you with the video!

 

[jotafap]

So based on the video, what can we gather that may indicate he has a motor propelling him forward?
This doesn't resemble Cancellara style suspicions.

Absolutely nothing is possible to conclude, just people trying to cope in the most hilarious ways.

 

[aphronesis]

Of course corruption is possible. People say this can happen as rival teams are satisfied with the status quo and to complain raises the risk of massive litigation if you cannot prove your public claims.

But Red Bull play, and win, in Formula One and have an enormous global marketing budget - up to $US3.7 billion. They would not like the proportion of that investment in cycling compromised by a rival team who cheats. Sure $60 mil invested in cycling is chump's change for Red Bull but that value is still being diluted if Pogacar and Gianetti are using motors to win the TdF and Monuments like today.

But I just don't believe what we are seeing is motors. I also prefer the microscope be placed upon how the UCI's doctors are monitoring blood doping. I don't think there is enough scrutiny of that.

Wasn’t this touched on a few months ago in that external testers report irregularities or fluctuations to the UCI, who then decide what to do with the results?

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

There's NO expectation as to him winning Paris Roubaix, but he will. 60kg climber dropping almost 80kg riders on the flat. I'm sorry I can't see how that's possible. This has become a clownshow.

He's not a 60kg climber though. UAE and PCS list him as 66kg. It's the classic season, so he might be heavier.

 

[Unchained]

I don't know what it looked like in each country but the Spanish and French Eurosport coverage even had a graphic on the screen after large selection was made, the graphic showing how many riders from each team were in the extra large breakaway.
Visma and Bora had obvious good quality with a really racing well Laporte and Remco who looked great all day. Wout looked good, MvdP looking good, and veteran Gianni Vermeersch rolling nicely..
Why did anyone other than UAE pull for Pogacar and race using his tactics, why did the entire break race against themselves and contribute to Tadej when he is the only guy in bike racing that doesn't need additional gifts..It was crazy to take important pulls helping Pog and not sending rabbits like Laporte to be chased.. If he rode a minute or 90+ seconds off the front, most of the time, that is out of sight given roads, with bumps and curves. Why did teams have meeting after meeting, yelling in the radio, don't help Pogacar, don't work for or with him..but they all still did it

 

[Cookster15]

Wasn’t this touched on a few months ago in that external testers report irregularities or fluctuations to the UCI, who then decide what to do with the results?

Well if so, then that it what should be discussed and pursued. Not far fetched theories about motors.

Listening to Remco Evenepoel interviewed after the finish he didn't sound like someone who thinks he was cheated? He seemed tranquillo and happy with his performance - as he should be.

 

[onefortheroad]

Who even watches this stuff anymore. That's my question.

It seems like you could just re-watch last year's Flanders and it's the same thing. Or any race he's in really. He just inexorably blows everyone off his wheel.

Maybe some people though this sort of stuff was fun half a decade ago but this is getting old now.

2026 will be even more tedious and greedy. I dare say he won't lose a single one.

 

[onefortheroad]

There was a time when Flanders was my favourite race, I always set aside the time to watch the last 100km, loving it.

Last 3 years I barely even watch and just check in. Today I had big dinner with family instead of sitting to watch the race. Right choice.

Yes. Total predictable tedium. I didn't even bother to take a peek. I only found out through the news.

Money, sponsors, and prizes keep them chained. Deep down, the other titans must just want to race where he isn’t... leaving him to salivate in a vacuum of his own making. But without someone to drop constantly, there’s no fun left, even for him.

 

[onefortheroad]

I was sick today and burnt out from singing the Easter triduum, so I sat down and watched it. It was exciting until it wasn't. I didn't like the result. Moto pacing and MvdP's lack of tactics wouldn't have changed the result. Pogacar would have just dropped a bigger bomb if necessary. Pog rode well within himself. He's thinking about next week. I tried to stop watching cycling but I haven't been able to quit yet. I think I might need an intervention. Next week could be it.

Next week, the big day. The only one he hasn't conquered yet. Last year’s nightmare...the epic piece still missing from his collection is finally on the horizon. He can't fail. He won't fail. And doing it on MVDP’s home turf just to make it hurt more. Sickeningly predictable.

 

[onefortheroad]

A little stronger? Have you watched the race? He attacked time after time and whenever the world champion ITT came too close, he just distanced him whenever he wanted. He then dropped MvdP and took 30 (!) seconds on him after the Paterberg. He performs the same superhuman performances every single time, whether it's a monster solo in Strade Bianche or an insane catch up in MSR. When do performances become too insane to believe? I'd love to know.

I don't care about women's cycling, but I'm pretty sure Vollering doesn't have Pogacars results of the past few seasons. Not by a long shot.

Spot on. He doesn’t just race. He toys with the world's elite like they’re on a Sunday club ride. Dropping MvdP and gapping an ITT World Champ whenever the mood strikes... Cycling yet?!

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

use your eyes and logic
instead of this dead end path nonsense
about UCI (UAE) claims

https://twitter.com/x/status/2040798304187867378

View: https://x.com/cyclingontnt/status/2040798304187867378/

The good thing about logic is that it can be easily spelled out. In combination with a clearly described phenomenon one can use it to spell out an explanation. If you don't provide this "logic" is just an empty word.

Using your eyes is a good thing because it provides us with an easy way to objectify shared visual experiences, if given an instruction of what to look for and how to look for it. If you don't provide this it's just an empty phrase.

 

[Rob5091]

Doing 650 watts and still getting dropped sounds unusual ...

 

[TheKidsCallMeBoss]

that wheel doesn't convince me... a hybrid energy accumulator like kers is not impossible.

Do you even know what KERS stands for? It’s the kinetic energy recovered during braking. Do you see him slamming on the brakes every 50 meters to recover energy? Not to mention that you don’t win a bike race by braking all the time. This isn’t F1, where you’re constantly slamming on the brakes in the corners.

Doing 650 watts and still getting dropped sounds unusual ...

Dude, the second Kwaremont was much faster than the third, and he wasn't dropped. There's nothing unusual about a tired rider being dropped.

He did get tired, why else did he slow down on the last kwaremont?

And he was quite similar to last year on the climbs today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2040842917804142929

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/2040842917804142929?s=20

I'm sure MvdP was the fastest on Kwaremont. On the second Kwaremont, he started well behind Pog and finished right behind him at the top of the climb.

 

[Pozzovivo]

Do you even know what KERS stands for? It’s the kinetic energy recovered during braking. Do you see him slamming on the brakes every 50 meters to recover energy? Not to mention that you don’t win a bike race by braking all the time. This isn’t F1, where you’re constantly slamming on the brakes in the corners.

The motor conspiracies are just "out there" and not even worth responding to in my opinion.

Dude, the second Kwaremont was much faster than the third, and he wasn't dropped. There's nothing unusual about a tired rider being dropped.

Agree.

I'm sure MvdP was the fastest on Kwaremont. On the second Kwaremont, he started well behind Pog and finished right behind him at the top of the climb.

He was the fastest by 2 seconds.

 

[Pozzovivo]

Just to follow up on my earlier comments: Vollering was much more dominant than Pogacar on the Kwaremont relative to the rest of the field. The comparison is obviously imperfect, but the point still stands. Where were the “motor in the wheels” claims and the UCI-FDJ-Kahoot conspiracy theories then?

This is what cycling looks like when one rider is clearly stronger than the others on a hard, hilly course like the Ronde van Vlaanderen. The strongest rider rides away on the decisive part of the race. That happens in junior races, in pro races, in WorldTour men’s races, and in women’s races at every level. It is a normal feature of the sport.

What is it even supposed to look like if every rider is completely clean? Using visual impressions of a performance as proof of wrongdoing gets us nowhere. It would be better to move the discussion forward in a more serious way.

There are many things worth debating and be sceptical off, like @AttaqueDeRolland mentioned earlier.