Pross
Guru
It’s also quite hard to gift a TT without potentially losing time to rivals. I get people find his dominance frustrating / boring but the level of criticism he gets for doing his job and winning races is getting ridiculous.
La Vuelta 2026 ***Spoilers***
- Thread starter wakemalcolm
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It’s also quite hard to gift a TT without potentially losing time to rivals. I get people find his dominance frustrating / boring but the level of criticism he gets for doing his job and winning races is getting ridiculous.
mididoctors
Veteran
He's so bl00dy good
mididoctors
Veteran
Not fast enough
Blazing Saddles
Über Member
Busy swallowing his pride?
CarbonClem
Senior Member
mididoctors
Veteran
I was in Monaco today. Casino looked good with the riders coming out and straight into a fast uphill section.
Shame for JT, then a shame for Hayter. What can you do?
Heading out to Grasse for the stage tomorrow.
Great pics
mididoctors
Veteran
Stage 2 Monaco > Manosqu 214.3 km
Tough day long too. Mads looks a bit tired imo .
Tough day long too. Mads looks a bit tired imo .
No Ta Doctor
Veteran
I think Pog could have given a minute or two away to his closest GC rivals and still have been the overwhelming favourite for the rest of the race.
We're also not talking about "gifting" a TT, just riding it conservatively, saving energy, not taking risks. He might have gifted it to Tarling but he'd already heard Hayter was ahead. He didn't ride it chill because he wanted the stage win in his current home town. I've got zero problem with that, I just wish it wasn't so easy for him, I wish he needed to measure his efforts across the three weeks and I wish he'd take up golf instead.
What happened to the Mad Doctor not selecting Pog in velo games? Gifted the win away.
Me? I haven't picked him (or any other UAE rider all season!) - not done me all that good, but I was third going into the last two races!
matticus
Guru
Imagine if Pog had flatted!!!
matticus
Guru
MadMalx
Senior Member
- Location
- Settle, Yorkshire Dales
Hadn’t realised than Josh Tarling took the White Jersey, so sime reward.
Dogtrousers
Lefty tighty. Get it righty.
What bugs me is the rather condescending message that we get from some of the meeja that we should feel honoured to be witness to the GOAT at work, and expressing any other opinion would make us shallow and not proper followers of cycling.
I bear Pog no ill will, and I certainly don't want him munificently gifting wins to others, that would really grate. Would his beneficiaries have to say thank you nicely?
I found his attempts to manufacture wins for del Toro in the tour a bit sick making and I was heartily pleased when Remco messed up one such attempt.
No, if Pog's there he should race to win. But this does tend to turn stage races into a tedious procession. That's not his fault, and you can't criticise him for It.
It comes to something when the KoM competition in the Tour is more exciting than the GC.
I bear Pog no ill will, and I certainly don't want him munificently gifting wins to others, that would really grate. Would his beneficiaries have to say thank you nicely?
I found his attempts to manufacture wins for del Toro in the tour a bit sick making and I was heartily pleased when Remco messed up one such attempt.
No, if Pog's there he should race to win. But this does tend to turn stage races into a tedious procession. That's not his fault, and you can't criticise him for It.
It comes to something when the KoM competition in the Tour is more exciting than the GC.
