Pogacar wouldn't have won the Tour on a 10-year-old bike, according to Luke Rowe. In 2015, as throughout his career, the Welshman raced for Team Sky. 85 meters tall and weighing 72 kilos, the current sporting director of the Decathlon Ag2R He embodied the model of the perfect domestique for Froome and that year, for the first time, he escorted him to victory. He would do so again in 2016 and 2017. He helped Thomas in 2018, while he retired in 2019 when Bernal won the Tour, in the first year in which the team became Team Ineos.
Speaking at Watts Occurring podcast, where he was a guest together with his former captain Geraint Thomas, The Welshman ended up talking about Pogacar and his victories. And he uttered words that reverberated across social media and dozens of other news platforms.
"We've reached the point where aerodynamic bikes," he said, "are so light that we can even use them in mountain stages. I've seen some numbers, some wind tunnel data, that, compared to the bikes we used before, show enormous differences. Aerodynamic improvements are constantly being achieved. If we put someone like “Pogi” on a bike from six or eight years ago, the gap would be huge.. The progress that bicycles have made in recent years is enormous."
What was happening in the cycling world ten years ago? And what differences are there between those of then and those of today? Is Rowe right? While there has certainly been progress, what has been the most significant? We asked Giuseppe Archetti, the national team's chief mechanic, currently at Lidl-Trek, after a very long career. In 2015 he was at IAM Cycling, his first stop after the Liquigas years and before arriving at Lampre and from there to UAE Emirates which resulted from it. Archetti knows Pogacar well, having also worked with him.
What was different ten years ago compared to today?
The only thing different that can be is the wheels and tiresBecause Shimano still has electronic groupsets like they did back then. Carbon frames are a different concept, but they were still carbon. If we look closely, the big difference is the wheels and tires.
What specific factors make the difference?
In my opinion, the fact of having the widest channel, using tubeless with current sizes, can make the differenceWe're given numbers that show wheels are performing better now. Compared to those of ten years ago, instead of tubulars there are tubeless onesInstead of 15" wheels, there are 60" ones. This has been the biggest development. Frame geometry, however, is another matter...
That means?
The positioning of the riders prompted a review of the measures. The riding setups have been turned upside down. Once in 10 riders, we would have 2 seat posts at zero degrees, now we have 8 because they are all moved forward. It's all at the limit and even the disc brake contributes…
What does the disc brake have to do with it?
It can make a difference, but we could talk about it for a long time. I'm convinced that because of disc brakes we're getting closer and closer to the limit.It comes off at the last moment and with your weight all forward, you have no margin to recover from a mistake.
Rowe says aerodynamic frames make the difference.
I see that when they go to the wind tunnel, the last thing they investigate is the bikeIt might seem counterintuitive, but it actually means that the difference is made by what's on top of the bike. The fact that they've made all these new high-performance designs, based on what appears on paper, is a fact. They are really fast, but in my opinion Pogacar would win even with the GraziellaIt's him who makes the difference, not the bicycle.
From memory, Team Sky were very jealous of the grease and lubricants they used…
Even now they are coming back into fashion the waxed chainsAnd if before they were things for a few, today they are an established standard: everyone has them. Of course, bikes are important, but the truth is that they go faster because everyone they have the trainer and the nutritionist and because they know how to manage themselves by reading the wattsThe level of the entire group has risen, and the averages have risen. It makes me laugh when people emphasize this fact.
Why?
Once upon a time, they'd set off at 50 miles per hour for 40 kilometers. Then they'd do 150 kilometers at an average speed of 32, and finally they'd fly the last 50 kilometers at 55 miles per hour. Of course, averages are higher today, because everyone is faster and everyone is better prepared.Plus, they start off strong and never give up. And then there are the bikes. Certainly, mechanically, something has improved, but in my opinion, it's not the bike that makes them fly. In fact, in my opinion, it's the bikes that sometimes make them fall..
In terms of sensations, what are the differences for the new rider when he receives the bike for the following year?
The first thing they notice are the wheels. Then we talk about the feeling with the tyres, which is a question of habit.Because if someone comes from Continental and has to switch to Pirelli, it takes time to get used to it. As for the riding position, however, there aren't any big differences.
We talked about wheels, and the riders agreed that the thru axle was the main thing.
Of course, because the wheel is stiffer and you can drive differentlyYou may have greater control over the bike, but you'll still have to push it, unless you're taking it for a ride. The wiring is also different; bikes work better now, but the big difference is made by the rider on top. If you move it 3 centimeters from where it was before, the values change from day to night.
So the bike matters, but it's not that decisive?
In terms of numbers, some bikes are better than others, I'm not arguing. But if you put Ciccone or Formolo on Pogacar's time trial bike, are we sure they'd make such huge improvements?
Is Rowe right? It's hard to say, maybe yes, maybe no. Pogacar's advantage over his rivals is so vast that the seconds he loses daily to a slower bike wouldn't be enough to cancel it out. On everyone, but not on Vingegaard. Maybe with a bike from 10 years ago, together with a jersey and helmet less aerodynamic than the current bodysuit and MET, his advantage over the Dane would no longer be very reassuringIt would be a handicap race, completely anachronistic and untenable. It's done to talk and get people talking, obviously. But what's the point of such a comparison?
