Despite his 63 years, Greg LeMondthree-time winner of the Tour de France (1986, 1989, 1990), remains attentive to the evolution of the runners and the watts. For a 40 minute interview with Wheelerthe American gave his opinion on the current runners, from their weight to their performances. For him, the data of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and about Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) remain “within the realm of possibility”.
Video – When Cyrille Guimard spoke about Greg Lemond
“Pogacar, he is perhaps the best cyclist of all time…”
Pour Worldweight has become a problem in the current peloton. “The fundamental thing is that today's runners, forced by teams, emphasize weight. The power to weight ratio has always been there, but you see some of the riders, they don't look like the same species of humans as when I was riding. I think the average weight of a peloton is three or four kilos lighter. I read that runners took sleeping pills just to overcome hunger… There is a huge pressure on weight. For me, this explains the average overall speed which is increasing”he explains.
“If you look at Vingegaard and Pogacar, I think it's not unthinkable to do what they're doing. It's within the realm of possibility.” he continues. “Look at Merckx and Bernard Hinault. I believe that once in a generation, there are one or two riders who have more talent. Pogacar is a monster, he won his first Tour. I mean, he might be the best cyclist ever.”he adds. But to have more certainty, he would like runners to publish their data. “Publish your data. I would love for the UCI to say: OK, it is mandatory twice a year to release your VO2 max and measure your hematocrit [avec] a blood test', andIf you have a VO2 max of 83 and your hematocrit is quite low, you cannot do [ces exploits]. It's easy to have transparency”he concludes.
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