I'm sure it was a little bit of marketing bumph, but if you assume "marginal gains", or a more scientific approach to the sport began with Sky in 2009, we've kinda seen a U-shaped performance graph, with a marked dip after the EPO era, and then a...
Pog is the best I've seen since Merckx and I can only barely remember him.
However his performance is absolutely mind-blowing and sadly my first thought is not what an incredible athlete he is but that it is impossible to achieve without drugs...
I suppose this is what I struggle with the most. The Sky era was typified by the whole marginal gains thing, and they were supposed to be the best because of looking under every stone for improvements. Despite this, they were way down on the EPO...
I got into the sport because of Pantani and he always contended that his suspension in 99 was a stitch up because he was too dominant in that year's Giro. He's probably chuckling looking down on the dominance Pogacar shows in every race he rocks...
One thing I find interesting is that, if you look at a proam race, like the Maratona, the times haven't really changed much
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maratona_dles_Dolomites#Recent_results
You would think that those at the sharp end will...
I'm not so sure Dave. The media now are so chummy with the athletes that no one really asks questions. There isn't a David Walsh, and Kimmage is pushed to the sidelines. GCN et al are just cycling PR.
It strikes me as quite funny that Froome, Wiggins and that generation were often tainted by accusations, yet their performances were some way below that from the 90s and 00s, yet since Covid, performances have gone through the roof and people are...
I read an interview where he said that he feels he can't compete with Pog and JV. For a rider with so much talent he looks completely beaten, out of ideas.