"You have to ask permission from these riders to win" - Iván García Cortina is a little resigned against the cycling's 'Big-6'

Iván García Cortina may consider himself somewhat lucky and unlucky at the same time. The Spaniard was thought to be one of the leaders of the upcoming generation at Classics, but he, just like many others, was steamrolled by the impact of the so-called Big-6 (Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, MvdP, Wout Van Aert and Roglic) who shook the cycling world with their alien-like dominance in nearly all areas of the sport.

"Cycling has changed," the 28-year-old told Marca. "In the last four years the change has been brutal. For the spectators it's wonderful, for us who are there racing not so much. They, the Big-6, go to the races with great hunger. And they don't fail. It's not normal. It seems easy, but it's not. And all six are together in the same historical period!"

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"When Pogacar started at the Volta, no one could follow him," continued Cortina. "He opens the throttle and that's it, bye. That's how it is. You more or less have to ask permission from these riders to win, because they win almost whenever they want. The reality is that, when they aim for something, they don't make mistakes."

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