Asked about Tadej Pogacar’s extraordinary performances, Christian Prudhomme expressed his feelings…
There is no one above him in the world of cycling, at least almost. When he is at the top of his form, that is to say almost the entire season, Tadej Pogacar is unbeatable and is considered the big favorite as soon as he participates in a race. This year 2024 has once again been exceptional with a Tour of Italy, a Tour de France and the title of world champion a few days ago, near Zurich, after starting at the front 100 kilometers from the ‘arrival.
A few days before the presentation of the next Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme was invited to comment on the Slovenian’s performances and the rumors and suspicions, still very important, of doping. “Given the not-so-distant past of cycling, the question is not illegitimate.”he replied to the Dépêche du Midi. He adds: “I don’t have an answer. I see that he’s giving cycling competitions, in stages or one day, quite impressive results. The controls exist, we fought with ASO to have independents, today today this is the case with ITA (international control agency).“
The UAE Emirates rider, who once again plans to string together victories this season with his new rainbow jersey, has never ignored questions about doping. During his victory in 2024 on the Tour de France, crushing the competition and in particular his rival Jonas Vingegaard (although the Dane was not 100% after a violent fall at the start of the season), the Slovenian is entrusted.
“L“Cycling was one of the cleanest sports”but there will be “always doubts because cycling has been so damaged in the past. When someone wins, no matter the sport, there are always jealous people and haters”, explained the three-time winner of the Grande Boucle at a press conference.
No offense to the most skeptical, the checks are nevertheless very important and almost daily for cyclists. “The controls are carried out seriously. We spend 10 million euros, to the International Cycling Union, in the fight against doping”, explained David Lappartient, president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) and the International Cycling Union (UCI) for France Info. “We do mechanical checks on the bikes. We x-ray the bikes and nothing was detected,” he assured, while “Tadej Pogacar has up to three checks per day”.