“Just because you don’t see that there is doping doesn’t mean it isn’t there” – Expert casts doubt over Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar is back in yellow after his win on Stage 7 of the Tour de France, and once again, questions are swirling about his performance. With each dominant performance, suspicion follows. The sport’s doping-tainted past remains fresh in the minds of fans and experts alike, and Pogacar’s recent form is prompting renewed scrutiny.

But it’s no just about the world champion. The whole sport appears to be on a level never seen before, and that is amplifying the reason for doubt. Unfortunately, cycling is still paying the price for the doping riddled years in the 80s and 90s, when Lance Armstrong led a peloton where 99% of the riders were doping. To this day, fans and experts find it difficult to trust those within the sport due to the blemished history.

“It would be pretty naive to say no,” said Vest Christiansen, a doping researcher at Aarhus University, when asked by B.T. whether doping might still be part of the sport. “The problem is that we look at indicators that are about wattage, speed, and how fast they drive up various mountains. There they break records and are faster than when they took doping.”

Since 2023, Pogacar’s level has appeared to jump significantly. Christiansen says such dramatic improvement raises questions, even in an era with advanced training, nutrition, and equipment.

“It’s so crazy what Pogacar has done since 2023. It’s understandable if elite athletes raise their level 1, 2 maybe 3%. But it seems like he has raised his level 7, 8, 9 maybe even 10%. It’s amazing – to say the least.”

While Christiansen believes the culture in professional cycling has shifted since the darkest years of the sport, he’s cautious about assuming the playing field is clean.

“Just because you don’t see that there is doping doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”