Organized doping at the top of cycling? "Not even in my wildest imagination," says Mørkøv

With the astonishing performances of Tadej Pogacar, as well as other stars like Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard, it's clear we're witnessing a special generation of top cyclists. However, these feats have also been met with a fair share of skepticism, raising questions about whether the sport is truly clean. Michael Mørkøv, the recently retired Danish cyclist, has no such doubts.

Speaking on the Café Eddy Podcast, hosted by former rider Brian Holm, the former Soudal Quick-Step rider shared his firsthand experiences in the peloton. He witnessed the greats perform up close. "It's true that Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, and Jonas Vingegaard deliver incredible results," he said. "But I’ve ridden with them, and they are also lighter and stronger than me. I don’t think anything unnatural is going on. But it’s clear that these spectacular performances bring back memories of the dark secrets of the past."

In France, particularly, there have been strong negative reactions to the dominance of riders like Pogacar and Vingegaard. Jean-René Berneaudeau, team manager of TotalEnergies, didn’t hold back in voicing his concerns: "The attractiveness and credibility of the sport are at stake," he said late last year. A Radio France investigation into performances noted that Vingegaard had cycled "in relative anonymity among the juniors." Tour director Christian Prudhomme remarked that the doping rumors surrounding Pogacar were "not unreasonable."

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Mørkøv was Mark Cavendish's adjutant in his senior year

Organized doping in modern cycling: "We’ve left that behind"

Pogacar himself responded to Prudhomme's comments, saying, "Cycling is a sport where, in the past, people did everything to enhance their body's performance without knowing what it meant for their health." Mørkøv stands firmly behind the world champion's view, emphasizing that the sport's doping history belongs in the past. "I think we’ve left that behind," Mørkøv said resolutely. "I can’t even in my wildest imagination imagine there's organized doping at the highest levels of professional cycling today."

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