Madiot questions expensive transport Van der Poel: "The cycling world is changing"

Marc Madiot already has many remarkable words behind his name, but on the last day of 2024, the Frenchman is happy to add a few more. In conversation with L'Equipe, the Groupama-FDJ team boss talks about a subject that has been on his mind for so long: cheating and the appearance of big money.

Madiot has been in the news regularly in recent months regarding the appearance of the many millions in cycling. He claimed that teams such as UAE Team Emirates and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe "are crushing the market" and further criticized that cyclists are being picked up younger and younger, often based on assets and numbers.

Recently, Madiot also discussed safety measures with ASO boss Christian Prudhomme, who argued that cycling is getting faster and faster and that safety measures must be addressed. "The riders ride faster and faster on terrains designed precisely to slow down vehicles. On the descent, it is even more dangerous. And since many riders do not want to understand what is happening, there is only one solution: reduce the speed," Madiot said. By the way, Tadej Pogacar responded with a laugh.  

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Marc Madiot

Madiot worries about increasingly expensive cycling

In the end-of-year interview with L'Equipe, the financial aspect obviously cannot remain in the background. Madiot takes Mathieu van der Poel as an example of changes. "This is not a criticism, but I see Van der Poel arriving at a cyclo-cross race with his Lamborghini and flying to Besançon on a private jet for 50,000 euros per race. Good for him, but the cycling world is changing. Red Bull is already in soccer, Formula 1, and boats, and so is INEOS. Now they are here. I think in 2025 and 2026, we will see a significant shift."

"The end of an era," Madiot even calls it. "People like Patrick Lefevere and I have a small business, but now we're going to five or six big groups. Calling them teams no longer makes sense when they bring in fifty million. In some time, there will be maybe even ten or fifteen groups. That will raise questions from sponsors, who, for ten million put in, will expect more regarding image investment. They want to make money, whereas we were always in a model of balance. Are we, as a cycling sport, ready for this? Do we want this?"

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Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe

When do we speak of cheating, Madiot wonders

And then there is the category of doping and cheating. Madiot calls it 'ethical balance,' an element he believes is under pressure in cycling. "I fear that because of this transformation in cycling, we are no longer going for marginal gains. There is excessive professionalization, and I would not want what was doping in the past to be called hyper-professionalization today without us realizing it."

What exactly does Madiot imply? With all the latest gadgets and all that money, expectations are raised, which he believes can create a climate where limits are pushed. "In this new system, losing is no longer accepted, whereas until now, we did. That is a huge danger. I've already raised the use of carbon monoxide with the UCI now, and so you have ketones. Things have to be changed. Who is going to define the limits in this zone of progress? Evolution is dizzying; we could be on the verge of a big mess. I'm just observing that and being vigilant."

Read also

Visma's biomechanist gave Jorgenson a reality check: "Like this you're one of the least efficient in the peloton"

Alongside Muys (17) there was also an 18-year-old Danish rider clinging to Pogacar’s wheel during KOM attack: "Toughest kilometers of my life"

🎥 Mathieu van der Poel's rainbow year through the eyes of girlfriend Roxanne Bertels

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