‘They are winning machines’ - Pello Bilbao explains how Pogacar’s generation changed cycling

After bringing his 15 year professional career to an end with seventh place at Il Lombardia, the 36-year-old has reflected on what it has been like racing against a generation of riders who appear increasingly difficult to beat.

Speaking to MARCA, Bilbao explained that the dominance of riders such as Pogačar and Wout van Aert has forced others to approach races differently.

"At times, it has meant losing that hope of winning, or not believing that you can really win, and having to settle for fighting for second, third or the best possible position," Bilbao said.

For the Spaniard, the biggest difference is not simply how strong the leading riders have become, but how rarely they appear to have an off day.

"Before these extraordinary riders appeared, I'd say that anyone could have a bad day, or at least there was always that possibility. Nobody was invincible, at least that's how I felt."

Bilbao believes advancements in sports science, particularly nutrition, have contributed to a situation where the strongest riders can perform at an exceptional level with remarkable consistency.

He suggested that the combination of physical superiority and increasingly precise preparation has made it difficult for other riders to find opportunities, even when they get their tactics right.

"In recent years, with advances in science and nutrition in particular, everything has become very measured, very controlled," he explained.

"And when you have an extraordinary engine that never fails, that has everything under control, you have a winning machine."

It is a situation Bilbao knows well. Throughout his career, the Basque rider established himself as a tactically intelligent competitor, often using his race reading and ability to seize opportunities to challenge stronger opposition.

But he believes there is a limit to how much tactical intelligence can compensate for physical differences.

"There is little you can do against these machines. Often, no matter how much skill or tactical intelligence you use, it's difficult to compete with them when the differences are that big."

Bilbao also sees another side to the dominance of cycling's biggest stars. While their performances have made winning harder for the rest of the peloton, he believes they have also helped the sport grow.

"On one hand, competing against these extraordinary riders has been an incentive, because you see the spectacle growing and how they have made cycling bigger," he said.

"But you also carry that burden of knowing how complicated it is to fight for victory."

Despite that reality, Bilbao remained competitive until the very end. He finished seventh in his final race at Il Lombardia, having already taken sixth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and fifth at the Clásica de San Sebastián earlier in the season.

Speaking to Domestique ahead of Il Lombardia, Bilbao reflected on a career that had exceeded his own expectations, having only reached his peak at the age of 33. By then, adding another victory to his palmarès was no longer his main motivation.

"I think I've completely fulfilled my expectations. I even did more than I expected, especially considering my first years as a pro, when I was not even close to the front of the races," he said.

That perspective was also evident during his final Vuelta a España, where helping younger teammates such as Jakob Omrzel became more important to him than chasing a final stage victory. Bilbao left the sport with little sense of unfinished business.

"I cannot ask for more."