These are the record times for the final Couillole climb today and Pogacar smashed them all while still holding back tons, looking relaxed. And Richie Porte wasn't clean either when he set the record time back on Team Sky with the British team "doctors" that liked to use testosterone.
COL DE LA COUiLLOLE (15.48 km, 7.56 %, 1170 m) 2017 | 41:54 | Richie Porte 2022 | 43:50 | 14x 2023 | 43:51 | Tadej Pogacar 2023 | 46:13 | ~30x 2024 | 42:56 | Lenny Martinez 2024 | 39:17 | Tadej Pogacar
Actually Vingegaard's performance is more amazing than Pogacar's given that he was in hospital for 10 days two months ago.
He is better than Pogacar as he has shown in 2022 and 2023.
The 2024 Pogacar version is much better than the 2022 and 2023 Vingegaard version though and it's not even particularly close. Surely would have been funny to watch another mutant at this level, maybe we can "hope" for it next year
I'm not convinced 2024 Pogi is *much* better than prime VG. I think Pogi's punchy style naturally leads to more people thinking he is doping. Pogi explosively sprints away from competition and can rack up minutes on his opponents who are having decent days. Prime VG breaks his opponents and gains time because they break, fall off and lose time. Pogi's wins usually look like he is gaining time on his opponents. Not sure if this distinction makes a ton of sense in text, but watch the races and everyone knows what I'm talking about, Pogi Flys away from the field, Prime VG has his opponents slowly lose contact with him.
The 2024 Pogacar version is much better than the 2022 and 2023 Vingegaard version though and it's not even particularly close. Surely would have been funny to watch another mutant at this level, maybe we can "hope" for it next year
I'm not convinced 2024 Pogi is *much* better than prime VG. I think Pogi's punchy style naturally leads to more people thinking he is doping. Pogi explosively sprints away from competition and can rack up minutes on his opponents who are having decent days. Prime VG breaks his opponents and gains time because they break, fall off and lose time. Pogi's wins usually look like he is gaining time on his opponents. Not sure if this distinction makes a ton of sense in text, but watch the races and everyone knows what I'm talking about, Pogi Flys away from the field, Prime VG has his opponents slowly lose contact with him.
I made this statement purely based on the Watt estimates which are out there and which are the best indicator to really compare between different years/eras. Before this tour the three best climbing performances based on estimated watts/kg were done by Marco Pantani back in 1995-97 in the golden ages of EPO doping. Now, Pogacar crushed Pantani's long standing numbers twice at Plateau de Beille and Isola 2000, so yeah, basically unheard of and way better than what Vingo has done in 2022 and 2023. Actually, Vingo at Plateau de Beille also managed slightly better numbers than Pantani, so you did basically see prime Vingo on this day. He himself confirmed that the estimated watts were accurate and the best numbers he has ever done.
Pogacar telling lies to journalists today saying he "was really at the limit" despite him "only" averaging 6.52 ᵉW/Kg for 39:24 min up the Couillole when we know from past days his climbing power is at least 7 W/kg for 40 minutes. He took the advice from Lance Armstrong's podcast telling him he needs to ease off to avoid suspicion.
"The last time, when Remco attacked, Jonas did a counter attack directly over, I was really at the limit. I didn’t want to work with Jonas, I wanted to recover on his wheel, and maybe let a chance for Carapaz and Mas to go for the victory. I think Jonas wanted to gain more time on Remco just to be sure."
Lance Armstrong admitted yesterday, the biggest mistake of his career was gapping Pantani by 4 minutes in the 2000 tour. Lance then went onto to say stage 19 was Tadej's biggest mistake of his career. Now, the witch hunt begins just like they did with Lance.
I would add that Lance's other big mistakes, maybe equal to 4 minutes on Pantini, were:
1) Coming out of retirement. Had he walked away after 5 Tour wins he'd still be listed as an official winner of the Tour. There were certainly suspicions surrounding Lance, but the proverbial excrement hitting the oscillation device really happened after he came back to win 2 more Tours.
Lance Armstrong admitted yesterday, the biggest mistake of his career was gapping Pantani by 4 minutes in the 2000 tour. Lance then went onto to say stage 19 was Tadej's biggest mistake of his career. Now, the witch hunt begins just like they did with Lance.
I would add that Lance's other big mistakes, maybe equal to 4 minutes on Pantini, were:
1) Coming out of retirement. Had he walked away after 5 Tour wins he'd still be listed as an official winner of the Tour. There were certainly suspicions surrounding Lance, but the proverbial excrement hitting the oscillation device really happened after he came back to win 2 more Tours.
2) Being an a**hole.
This is inaccurate. Lance won 7 straight Tours then retired.
He made a mistake in returning but he finished 3rd and then well back in his final year.
The only thing left for Pogacar to win now that matters is the world road championships. I'm betting that in Zurich this year, Pogacar will ride everyone off his wheels with his 7+ W/kg aerobic power on the rolling hills and go solo for an hour. Heck, if he is feels like rubbing it in, he could solo it for 2 hours just to make the point about how many PEDs he has in him.
I would add that Lance's other big mistakes, maybe equal to 4 minutes on Pantini, were:
1) Coming out of retirement. Had he walked away after 5 Tour wins he'd still be listed as an official winner of the Tour. There were certainly suspicions surrounding Lance, but the proverbial excrement hitting the oscillation device really happened after he came back to win 2 more Tours.
2) Being an a**hole.
This is inaccurate. Lance won 7 straight Tours then retired.
He made a mistake in returning but he finished 3rd and then well back in his final year.
Yep, coming out of retirement is effectively what got Armstrong busted, he just couldn't help himself.
Floyd Landis, who was a tour winner in 2006 and had previously helped Armstrong dope his way to some of his titles was retroactively stripped of his title for being caught doping when he won the tour in 2006.
When Armstrong came out of retirement and Landis needed a way back into the sport because he was blackballed, Armstrong told him to piss off, and that's when Landis went to the Feds to confess and it all snowballed from there.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
My memory must be failing, but I've always thought Lance seriously considered retiring in 2003. I'm certainly aware of his 7 consecutive wins, but mistakenly remembered retirement talk after his 5th title and a change of heart to come back in 2004?
The only thing left for Pogacar to win now that matters is the world road championships. I'm betting that in Zurich this year, Pogacar will ride everyone off his wheels with his 7+ W/kg aerobic power on the rolling hills and go solo for an hour. Heck, if he is feels like rubbing it in, he could solo it for 2 hours just to make the point about how many PEDs he has in him.
Serious question, maybe I'm just one of those naive hopeful youngsters but,
Surely if everyone was doing drugs, some whistle-blower somewhere - be it a begrudging under-achieving athlete or a sports scientist questioning the morals would collect evidence and tell the media. Even from a personal perspective the "fame" and money in whistleblowing shouldn't be ignored. Alas all of the athletes caught are from testing or whereabouts queries???
TDF cyclists get daily IV treatments to aid recovery (which is within the rules), Similar to how Mo Farah and NOP took L-carnitine intravenously at x mL/hr. (Or whatever the legal limit is). I doubt athletes watch their doctors mix the drugs and make the IV. Coaches are microdosing athletes intermittently and they have no idea. Helps the athletes keep a clear conscious and remain “innocent”.
Serious question, maybe I'm just one of those naive hopeful youngsters but,
Surely if everyone was doing drugs, some whistle-blower somewhere - be it a begrudging under-achieving athlete or a sports scientist questioning the morals would collect evidence and tell the media. Even from a personal perspective the "fame" and money in whistleblowing shouldn't be ignored. Alas all of the athletes caught are from testing or whereabouts queries???
TDF cyclists get daily IV treatments to aid recovery (which is within the rules), Similar to how Mo Farah and NOP took L-carnitine intravenously at x mL/hr. (Or whatever the legal limit is). I doubt athletes watch their doctors mix the drugs and make the IV. Coaches are microdosing athletes intermittently and they have no idea. Helps the athletes keep a clear conscious and remain “innocent”.
Yes this is sport. With cycling as we have learned their one step ahead, but testers can be there between the finish and bus.
A micro dose schedule could manipulate bloods just enough but then also the reason they're undetected since they're riding daily. With all of the Masking agents they're probably onto another that is undetected or that has the ability to mask dope And shuttle out of body.
The profound gains of course are in the pharma off season.
Serious question, maybe I'm just one of those naive hopeful youngsters but,
Surely if everyone was doing drugs, some whistle-blower somewhere - be it a begrudging under-achieving athlete or a sports scientist questioning the morals would collect evidence and tell the media. Even from a personal perspective the "fame" and money in whistleblowing shouldn't be ignored. Alas all of the athletes caught are from testing or whereabouts queries???
TDF cyclists get daily IV treatments to aid recovery (which is within the rules), Similar to how Mo Farah and NOP took L-carnitine intravenously at x mL/hr. (Or whatever the legal limit is). I doubt athletes watch their doctors mix the drugs and make the IV. Coaches are microdosing athletes intermittently and they have no idea. Helps the athletes keep a clear conscious and remain “innocent”.
Not true. Used to. There is a No Needles policy now. Actually been at least 10 f-ing years. Your been under a rock?
Pogacar taking the piss today and winning the final TT stage as his utterly ridiculous 6th stage win this year in the Tour alone along with the overall and the Giro overall and 6 stage wins there also:
"Tadej Pogačar took victory on the final stage of the 2024 Tour de France with another blistering performance in the individual time trial to cap off an utterly dominant race.
An entirely yellow-clad Pogačar was last to set off at 18.45 local time and even had time to showboat in the final kilometre, holding up three fingers to indicate his three Tour victories."
Absolutely farcical, Pogacar now is even denying that he uses caffeine, calling it a "grey area" to divert attention away from his obvious EPO use
"In an interview with French newspaper La Telegramme, David Lappartient said that he is in charge of a "robust anti-doping program". There have been no doping positives at this year's race, but climbing speeds are faster than ever.
At this Tour, Pogačar has also said he steers clear of "grey areas". "I think you should avoid the grey areas by far," he said. "I think a grey area is also caffeine and these kind of things. You just do what the doctors recommend, what is good for the health and follow those guidelines.""
Lance Armstrong admitted yesterday, the biggest mistake of his career was gapping Pantani by 4 minutes in the 2000 tour. Lance then went onto to say stage 19 was Tadej's biggest mistake of his career. Now, the witch hunt begins just like they did with Lance.
I would add that Lance's other big mistakes, maybe equal to 4 minutes on Pantini, were:
1) Coming out of retirement. Had he walked away after 5 Tour wins he'd still be listed as an official winner of the Tour. There were certainly suspicions surrounding Lance, but the proverbial excrement hitting the oscillation device really happened after he came back to win 2 more Tours.
2) Being an a**hole.
1** Lance Armstrong won 7 consecutive 1999-2005 TdF; he came back to grab 3rd in 2009.
Pogacar taking the piss today and winning the final TT stage as his utterly ridiculous 6th stage win this year in the Tour alone along with the overall and the Giro overall and 6 stage wins there also:
"Tadej Pogačar took victory on the final stage of the 2024 Tour de France with another blistering performance in the individual time trial to cap off an utterly dominant race.
An entirely yellow-clad Pogačar was last to set off at 18.45 local time and even had time to showboat in the final kilometre, holding up three fingers to indicate his three Tour victories."
Retrospectively, his Giro performance seems rather soft, he definitely held back if he had the same amount of stage victories here and basically the same margin of victory.
This sport is so chalked. What makes cycling so much fun to watch is that usually tactics and other things are in play that make it difficult to win every stage. Tadej has ruined the last 2 grand tours. I can't even enjoy a breakaway because this mutant (gene-doping) has such an insane ego that he full gas chases breakaways. It's so boring, I could care less if everyone is doping. But if you've been cheating since 15 and are a generational talent you just ruin the sport (Kipyegon ruined Women's mid distance last year).
