Maybe he can be second when Pogacar is there<\/a>. Winning when Tadej doesn\u2019t race, yes.\u201d<\/p>\nHe then underlined the current level of the Slovenian star. \u201cTo beat the Slovenian right now is impossible. Maybe when his decline begins in a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s riders are robots\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the strongest parts of the interview came when he compared modern cycling to his own era. For Di Luca, the sport has lost spontaneity and humanity. \u201cThe riders of today are robots.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his view, everything revolves around numbers, data and total control. \u201cWhat matters now are values: watts, kilometres, how much they ate during the race\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
By contrast, he described the peloton of his era as more unpredictable. \u201cWe were more human. We looked more at our rivals than at numbers. It was more beautiful for the fans. There were attacks from one hundred kilometres out, there was improvisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also believes winners are easier to predict now. \u201cIf Pogacar is there, he wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Italy and Spain have fallen behind<\/p>\n
Di Luca also expressed concern about the decline of cycling in countries that historically dominated the sport, such as Italy and Spain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is very little to work with. Everything has changed. There is no competitiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Italian, the root of the problem lies in youth development. \u201cEverything starts at the base, with the federation.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then delivered a striking line about the current situation in his homeland. \u201cIf a child tells his father he wants to start cycling, the father says no.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Di Luca, cycling now truly lives above all in Belgium. \u201cI was at the Tour of Flanders and everything is still the same: the crowd, the passion, the aura. In Italy everything has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout doping I would have won much more\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most controversial statements came when he returned to an opinion he has expressed before: he believes he would have achieved even more without doping.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout doping, the champion shines even more. With doping everything becomes flatter, more balanced.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his view, banned substances reduced the natural gap between elite talent and ordinary riders. \u201cWithout it, the difference between a champion and a normal rider is much bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Di Luca was suspended multiple times for doping offences and was permanently banned in 2013. He still considers the punishment excessive. \u201cAfter thirteen years, I still don\u2019t understand the lifetime ban.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued. \u201cIn life we all make mistakes. Then enough is enough. I didn\u2019t kill anyone. I work, I have a family\u2026 The rest is disproportionate. I am a good person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like an artist\u201d<\/p>\n
At the end of the interview, he reflected on his personality and how he channelled anger and frustration throughout his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, exactly. In some way, I feel like an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n
A sentence that sums up the contradictory figure Danilo Di Luca still is: talented, controversial, punished, and incapable of speaking neutrally about the sport that made him famous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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