The Roadman Cycling Podcast

Pogačar Beat Pantani's EPO Record - Is He Doping?

8 snips
Sep 20, 2026
Tadej Pogačar’s Alpe d’Huez ascent surpassed Marco Pantani’s famous mark, reigniting questions about modern cycling and doping. The discussion unpacks why historical climbing comparisons are tricky, examining equipment, fuelling, training, wind, tactics, fatigue and rider durability. It also explores the limits of estimated power and why a faster time alone cannot settle the debate.
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INSIGHT

Why The Alpe d’Huez Comparison Is Uncertain

  • Pogačar’s Alpe d’Huez advantage cannot be reduced to a stopwatch gap because start points, tactics, shelter, weather, and accumulated fatigue differed.
  • Adam Yates paced Pogačar mid-climb after an attack, while Pantani faced a completely different race context decades earlier.
INSIGHT

Why Climbing Power Estimates Can Mislead

  • A climb time, estimated power output, and recorded power file answer different questions and require different levels of evidence.
  • Weight, tyres, aerodynamics, shelter, weather, and pacing assumptions can dramatically change estimated power from the same finishing time.
ANECDOTE

Why Marketing Watt Claims Do Not Add Up

  • Anthony Walsh mocks the practice of adding every equipment marketing claim into one giant performance gain.
  • A supposed 20-watt saving at 40 km/h becomes roughly 2.5 watts at 20 km/h, showing why flat-test gains do not transfer directly uphill.
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