Say what you will about one rider dominating creating a boring GC race, but somehow Pogi is just so fun to watch on the bike. He looks like he's having a genuinely great time riding bikes in a way that's different from Jonas or the older sky train eras of domination, and its glorious to watch!
Also lowering the stakes for the others it made room for battles we might not have seen if ineos' train had controlled the whole race for a weakened Thomas.
Solid 7 The winner was known from before the 1st stage bar accidents but... Every other stage was brilliant, hell even the flat stages were interesting. It could've done with a bit more GC action, but when the second best GC rider on paper is Thomas, you know he won't attack much
I don’t think this race was boring at all. Certainly Pog was the dominant racer, but he does it with such panache. We also got to see (I think for the first time) UAE race a grand tour tactically well as a team for their leader.
I think the most memorable thing about this Giro will be Pogacar going full Ken mode. Man's embraced the Maglia Rosa like no one I've ever seen before and I think this will be remembered most about this Giro in the year's to come.
The question good was the giro should be cut into two parts: from an entertainment point of view solid 8. Every stage was good to see, despite lackness of GC battle. From a remembering in the future could be a 3, but if Pogacar get’s the triple crown it will go on a completely different level (like 9)
Thomas was a dog. Complained about other teams "riding for the podium". While he never attacked. He never chased. Made it sound like Arensman was selfish. He just blamed and complained. He is junk.
@@00100Matt totally agree. He literally rolled over when Martinez took his 2nd Pl and literally did nothing to get it back. The whole Ineos team strategy was pure 🤡💩.
Thanks for all the fun content! Recommendation, one of my favorite podcasts does what they call a 'Mailbag" episode. You can eventually layer it behind a membership page or just pull it from comments (to induce more comments to help to Google algorithm overlords). But how I would envision this working would be to have a pod/episode maybe a day or 2 after the last stage or even during the rest days to answer the top X questions. Easily another hour or so of content. Could do top 10 questions and recap of week so far+ predictions for next week for rest days and then a bigger set of questions or getting into more details for the end of the tour.
This giro was way better than last years, but that should not be the criterium for a success. This was a genuinely great GT and has just made the expectations for the TdF even greater.
You touched on it during this episode but would love to hear your take and strategy on how you would rehabilitate the reputation of the Giro. How can they include long mountain stages while it occurs in May? Paying riders to appear is not a sustainable long term strategy. If LRCP were in charge of RCS, how would you change the race for the better? Thanks
Agreed with Patrick's analysis. Great stage winners, high level. The Giro was much better this year - the best I've watched personally. The only thing missing was one or two gc contenders able to compete with pog. Great tour for French riders, which was nice.
Dani Martinez for me the biggest positive surprise at the Giro, never thought that he would be clearly and consistently the second best GC guy here and that pretty much without any climbing domestiques after Lipowitz' illness, although I think Aleotti made also a big jump compared to last year.
Thanks for all the great coverage during the Giro guys. Question: Did something occur with copywrite or something? Both yourselves and the Echolon Cycling Podcast stopped doing watch alongs at the same time.
This year's Giro was way better than last year's, especially because we didn 't have to look at riders freezing to death in the rain. Is the Giro a hard race to run for the organiser? If they put in the big mountains, stages get cancelled, big moaning. If they don't put them in, the parcours is called boring and not up to scratch with the race's history, big moaning. The only way out is to switch the Giro and the Vuelta (which is often too hot) back how they were. What would have happend with ciclamino if a not crashed WVA would have showed up for this race?
The Giro has always been held in late spring (except during the 2020 pandemic) since its founding in 1909. It's the Vuelta that was originally run in April until 1995, when it was moved to september so as to avoid competition with the Giro. I don't think the Giro organizers would accept a switch, since being the first GT in the calendar is clearly more prestigious, while the last one tends often to be a makeshift solution for riders who for whatsoever reason were unable to perform well in the previous races.
An 8 for me. Although Pogi had no competition, I enjoyed a large majority of the stages, and all breakaway and sprints were good. Pogi winning by 3 minutes or whatever was also an incredible performance.
I think you're possibly underrating Roglic at the tour, he could genuinely be up with Jonas challenging Pogi (depending on how well he recovers after this Giro). I know he was nowhere at Paris Nice but he looked good at Basque Country before the crashes, beating all the other contenders in the TT despite going the wrong way. Also of the main contenders it looks like he was least affected by that big crash and has probably had the best prep since then. If he can stay on his bike for the full three weeks I think he really has a chance
I really hope Jonas in good form can ride a grand tour. But I think what made him beat Pog the last 2 times can't be his strenght because he won't have that much depth in his training this year as he had.
For me, a 7 or even 8 out of 10 Giro. Vast majority of individual stages were more interesting than expected. Superb break formations and thrilling sprints, throughout. Awfully weak competition for all jerseys - none was really exciting or unpredictable - but a memorable and historic exhibition by the world’s best rider. Fabulous podcasts from the get go!😂
In my opinion the issue is to give TDF as much importance. Last decade Giro was by far better than the tour and if I did not watch the Giro I don't think I will enjoy watching the sport. Giro and TDF should be given about the same importance and the riders should be motivated for that to have good GC battle like before.
It's not about 'giving' TDF as much importance. TDF is and will always remain more important. Just look at the start-list, it's obvious that riders/teams hold the TDF in higher regards than for example the Giro. How would you go about "giving" the Giro the same amount of importance? More UCI points? Like what is your solution? Sounds to me like you're complaining about something that has never been any different without giving actual solutions
Benji's most memorable stage was stage 1 with a sprint between Narvaez and Pogacar, where Pogacar manages to get a third place. Seems like not that memorable. 😂
UAE nuking the 2nd to last climb, suddenly losing control in the valley, getting help from funny places like Scaroni, and then Pog's nuking that 1k climb and Narvaez sticking to his wheel was the most exciting 20 minutes in the race... those last couple of minutes when we knew it was going to be a sprint my heart rate was at tempo.
Stage 1 honestly for me aswell. Vinegaard at TDF with the Pogacar preparation of last year and then Pogi doing the Giro before..., i see Rogla and Remco with serious chances. Also i think, the Giro riders tend to have problems in the third week of TDF, not at the beginning.
They should cut the sprint stages from GT's altogether and put them all in a 2-week sprint-stages-only race in the Netherlands and Denmark. That was we don't have to waste time following boring AF stages. Pog made the Giro worth watching as far as I'm concerned.
Mateo can be marked by yates. Yates seats on the wheel. Will Mateo keep pushing? Ayuso will jump with Jai's wheel. UAE can mark some guys with tier units like yates and ayuso and have 2 tractors + sivakov and soler for medium mountain and Almeida doing insane long pulls. If yates attacks, wich teams will counter with whom? if Pogi has the leggs, wich i have doubts, UAE will be all-out attacking.
I enjoyed this Giro. However, it would be nice if another top 5 in the world GC rider showed up (barring injury) - e.g., Jonas, Remco, Roglic, Bilbao, Rodriguez, even Hindley. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen at the Giro due to scheduling. It’s too close to the TdF, except for Pogi.
Benji/Patrick How about 'Il Minotauro' for Milan? Share the "Mi-" sound, it's a literal monster combination of a bull and man. As a Purple People Eater in Ciclamino jersey we're already aware that he eats people. I don't think there has ever been a minotaur pro cyclist.
People underestimate how much harder the TdF is raced than the Giro or Vuelta…I think this is the difference and I think Pogi will struggle again if Jonas gets to close to top shape in the high mountains…but that’s why we race and watch
according to data from the riders the livigno stage was one of the hardest since they register this stuff. i believe that performance was a impressive improvement by pogacar but of course against the top dogs is another thing
I think Almeida will slip out of the top 5 or 10 and be relegated to super domestique. I don’t see ayuso pulling at all unless it’s an emergency. It’ll be really interesting how the hierarchy plays out.
@@bartekbiadasiewicz2953 your point is good BUT the management of UAE need to be clear come mid June once they’ve checked Pogacar’s recovery. The conversation goes like this : “Juan you’re great but not this year… you ride for Poggi”. Almeida will ride for Pogacar anyway.
For me it was a 9, taking away one point for the lack of GC competition. Otherwise, an absolutely gorgeous and challenging parkours and a thoroughly entertaining race. Favorite stage was the first ITT.
I think what makes Pogi's dominance so much more entertaining than riders in the past is his willingness to attack at all times. He'll even help lead out his sprinter, cause it looks like he just loves racing his bike. For context on his aggression, he already has 6 more individual grand tour stage wins than Froome.
There is no way Vingegaard is going to be competitive against Pogacar at this years TDF. I doubt that he will even be at the start and if he is I don't think he will be on the Podium. If anyone is going to be able to challenge Pogacar it is going to be Roglic.
If Remco brings a cadre of good Lt. and they play thier cards right, Quickstep will bring a bonafied dogfight to the table. I think he's just as good as any of the favorites _ incl Tadej.
6/10 Best stage: tie between stage 1 and stage 5 for me On the one hand one would expect Pogi will be hard to beat at le tour but you never know. The fact that peak Chris Froome, who had been invincible for 5 years, failed at winning the double in 2018 (albeit to his teammate) says a lot about how hard it really is
Perspective. In 2023 Pog was number 1 in the world Bardet at 26 was next best. Thomas at 35 was third best.Danny Martinez was not in the top 100. Pog still favourite for TDF but it should not be total domination.
6.5 for this Giro. The bad. Zero GC competition. Dani Martinez on the podium says how pathetic it was. Sprints predictable once Olaf left. Half the stages won by 3 riders. The good. Liked the parcour .Excellent weather for the first 2 weeks. JaJa win was a memorable stage. A few first time stage winners.
So a top ranked sprinter in Merlier has ridden the TDF only once and on this occasion he won the only sprint he contested. For the rest of that TDF he lead out Philipsen. Such a waste.
There's no doubt Pogi is a wonder on a bike, but he never did anything in this Giro I didn't expect him to do with that level of competition. It would be wrong to call it a freebie, but let's be fair -- he could never have ridden it like that if Vingegaard were there or even Rog or Remco.
You say stage 1 was the best cuz it seemed Pogi has a challenge, but then 2024 was better than 2023 eventhough the rest 20 stage no challenge whatsoever xD
I thought it was a pretty fun Giro, ultimately. I’d say between 6-7. Breakaways were good, stage 1 was awesome, and I really appreciated that Pog put on a show on the days where GC action should have happened. It would have been really boring without him and it was exciting to watch him do his exploits in the context of wondering if he’s gotten better for the Tour etc. Better than the last 2 giros by far imo.
4/10. Nothing too exciting in this Giro. For me any grand tour where you know the winner after less than 5 stages is not that good. Last year was pretty poor too as no one was really attacking but at least we had a battle til the end. The Geogenhart giro (2020) and was a great one, but with 3rd tier leaders. 2021 and 2022 were not bad either. The issue we have now in 2024 is that it has been 2-3 years we know that Pog and Vingegaard and way better than any other and dominate anything they enter in. All the grand tours I have preferred are generally the ones in between dominating eras: Tour de france 2008-2011, 2018-2021 were pretty good. For Vueltas and Giros it really depend on start list and whther the dominating rider is a pure climber or a time trial guy.
For me it was at least a 7/10, I don’t mind the Pogi dominance. He’s such a likeable character. It would’ve been nice to see more teams attack UAE, but can’t blame them for not trying. Ineos’s early stage winning attempts were really great to see too
How the smuck can be a race BETTER aka more exciting where you know who is gonna win after stage 1, whereas in 2023 you didnt know for 20 stages. Also behind Pogacar it was the same staring contest as in 2023 lol. Also in 2023 there were many exciting breakaway wins, here almost nothing cuz Mr. Shark has to win everything (which is fine tbh)
What? Not anyone's fault, but this race was terrible. We knew what was going to happen, it happened, and then it was over. Lookng forward to the tdf and hopefully more intrigue.
Well thank goodness that Giro's over, I managed to avoid watching all stages due to the world of pro road cycling becoming totally boring due to the 100% predictability of the outcome.
