Tour de France boss Prudhomme understands suspicions regarding Pogacar: "That question is not unreasonable"

It started this year on his very first race day at Strade Bianche, where Pogacar won in Siena after an 81.1-kilometer solo. Two weeks later, he took third in Milan-San Remo, sparking an unprecedented winning streak. The Tour of Catalonia, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France — they all fell consecutively to the Slovenian’s victories. In the fall, he added the GP de Montréal, the World Championship road race, and the Giro dell'Emilia. On Saturday, his last major goal of the year is the Tour of Lombardy.

But it’s mainly the way Pogi has shredded his rivals that has left people amazed. In the Giro, he seemed capable of winning any stage he desired. In the Tour, despite the presence of world-class competitors like Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, he made it look effortless. Pogacar claimed six stage wins in both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, breaking all existing climbing records. In a sport with such a significant doping history, his achievements inevitably raise questions.

Tour de France director Prudhomme witnessed how the Slovenian obliterated everyone in 'his Tour'. He watched Pogacar's year with open astonishment. "We’re seeing what we used to know from the past," the Frenchman told La Dépêche. "They’re champions who compete from the beginning to the end of the year with the mindset to win everything. What Pogacar does is reminiscent of what Eddy (Merckx, ed.) and Bernard (Hinault, ed.) did." Prudhomme has often heard Hinault speak about the current generation of cyclists. "He’s been saying for years that these guys need to have fun, that they should enjoy the game. That’s exactly what Pogacar does."

Fun or not, the records that the 26-year-old UAE rider is setting raise questions about credibility in cycling. According to Prudhomme, that’s not an unreasonable thought. "Considering the not-so-distant past of cycling, the question isn’t unjustified." Yet the Frenchman doesn’t dare to make any assertions himself. "I don’t have answers to that. I see that he puts on quite impressive performances in races. There are tests, and we at ASO have fought for independent agencies—today, this is the case with ITA (International Testing Agency, ed.), so yes," Prudhomme also refrains from making any statements.