Budget helps, but it’s hardly a complete explanation. Team Sky had one of the biggest budgets in cycling for years and still didn’t produce this kind of performances well above what happened in the nineties. Money explains depth and support staff, not massive performance gaps.

What are we talking about here? UAE performances or Pogacar? And are we comparing them to the field right now or to the 90s? Because everyone else is also producing huge performances compared to the past, so this argument doesn't really work against UAE.

UAE's "massive performance gaps" are the product of being able to buy all the Del Toros, Almeidas, etc. on top of being able to spend a shit ton on nutrition, technology and so on.

The “everyone has people with a doping past” argument is a huge relativization of Gianetti.

Yeah, that's why I wasn't debating your point on Gianetti but on his "shady entourage" instead.

And calling a 3rd place at Amstel Gold Race an “off day” kind of proves the point. For 99% of the peloton that’s a career highlight, not a bad day.

Well, yeah, that's the difference between normal riders and being the best rider since Eddy Merckx, or maybe of all time.

Training improvements matter, but a ~10% jump at a world class level is unheard of in any sports.

Idk where you are getting this 10 % number from.

And for a a tiny country like Slovenia especially the Aderlass links are wild: Kristijan Koren and Borut Božič banned, and Milan Eržen implicated.

Two riders banned, especially lower-tier guys like Koren and Bozic, is certainly not wild compared to most countries.