"I can pedal for 2 minutes at the intensity he maintains for 45 minutes" - Oliver Naesen responds to Tadej Pogacar doping suspicions
CyclingTuesday, 14 July 2026 at 13:17
Oliver Naesen has shut down suspicions around Tadej Pogacar amid his dominance of the Tour de France. As the Slovenian cruises into week two with two stage wins and a firm grip on the yellow jersey, suspicions have arisen given his clear superiority over the peloton.
Pogacar put 2:38 into nearest challenger Jonas Vingegaard on Thursday's stage 6 in the high mountains, dominating the race and putting himself firmly in the GC driving seat. The performance has seen several online accusations as former professionals and riders discuss doping. No clear evidence has arisen and all claims are speculative.
Decathlon CMA CGM rider Naesen claims he has been through the motions before, stressing Pogacar's domination and the effects it has on the peloton is something he has felt in the classics in previous years.
Describing the experience of emptying the tank and posting record power numbers in spring classics, only for Mathieu van der Poel to have won solo further up the road, is a frustrating experience.
"I've been through this with Mathieu van der Poel, too. And it has absolutely nothing to do with doping allegations," Naesen explained on Het Nieuwsblad.
Naesen can't fathom Pogacar's level
"But in the classics, you're completely spent as you cross the finish line. You can see that you've pushed your best wattages. You’ve been riding in a group with a few strong riders the whole time. And then you hear that VDP [Mathieu van der Poel, Ed.] won after an 80-kilometer solo breakaway.”
Naesen finds performances from Pogacar hard to fathom, claiming that the numbers Pogacar would put down in winning efforts as unsustainable for him to hold.
"You can't wrap your head around it, because you compare that performance to what you're capable of yourself," Naesen said.
He added: "I did the math using Pogacar’s wattages: converted to watts per kilogram, I can pedal for 2 minutes at the intensity he maintains for 45 minutes. Crazy."
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Naesen dismisses doping allegations
When it comes to allegations, Naesen doesn't see any evidence or sustained claims as he dismissed allegations. He said: “If UAE were cheating, a former rider or former employee would have created an anonymous Twitter account long ago and aired the team’s dirty laundry.”
Citing conversations with members of the team, he says there's no big secret. According to the Belgian, Tadej Pogacar's genetics paired with his motivation and training make him so strong.
"I know Florian Vermeersch and Benoît Cosnefroy very well. When I ask them about the secret behind UAE, they say quite honestly that there isn't one. I see a rider who has won the genetic lottery, trains incredibly hard, and is extremely motivated."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- The chance that Vingegaard wins a race from 2024-2030... (and I'm not talking about individual stages, but any world tour race overall) when Pogačar is on the starting list is equal to my chance to break Usain Bolt's record in 100 m of 9.58. There is no difference, believe me, the chances are identical for both.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- I'll never not be convinced that UAE aren't on something...
leedorney14-07-2026 - 😁leedorney14-07-2026
- Thanks Thomas may i suggest you tell other teams how to ride or perhaps give the special stuff to help that you used to be in the peleton may make them go faster or give them Dutch courage 🤣🤣🤣paultryan200214-07-2026
- Well, if you look at past winners, the percentage is pretty shocking and from having learnt about human nature, I’d find it VERY hard to believe suddenly everyone (especially people wanting/needing money) has lost interest in discovering new enhancement products and selling them. Now, apart from suspicion, what else happened each time in the past when something undetectable was introduced? Exactly, nothing.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
- Pretty good points Some more, 90% of the sport watching population has their main vacation time around July/August, it is why almost ALL major sports events (except ice/snow dependant obviously) have been, are, want and will be programmed then. Hardly anyone will take time to follow a Tour around during work time and if the stages take place during work hours, no media is going to pay top dollar for the privilege of live coverage. Now, if somebody would like to remind the likes of Tadej and the Union spokesperson that it’s likely their demands would lead to quite a drastic reduction in rider salaries, I’m not so sure they’ll stay as vocal with their « solutions ». I’m still ride in these temps (it’s actually more refreshing than sitting around outside), alone and without getting paid and certainly no slower than during normal temps (in fact, some days it feels like it’s easier to be fast in these temps) or having serious goals, the hard part is the first couple of days but you quickly get used to it and as long as you adapt hydration and avoid consuming anything nefarious, nothing happens. We’re going to get to the point of telling pro swimmers to stop in heatwaves because there’s an increase in drownings. Speaking of cooling down methods, maybe some of these are as dangerous as the heat itself. Many people drown from the reactions we have to thermal shock, jumping into cold water after being hot. Yet what are teams doing with ice packs and cryobaths? Maybe, again, it’s all about how resilient and experienced individuals are, no scandinavian would worry about sauna/ice bath consequences, but that doesn’t mean everyone should copy them without some initiation? Same with pros, no point to consider their fragilities similarly to the general population.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
- Dear UAE Please stop being better than everyone else....... doubt this would be an issue if it were a Dutch, Belgian, French or Italian team.. old cycling just can't stand the newslappers6614-07-2026
- Yeah, but I've heard cycling fans say, if Pogi was in team Visma, he would already be a 6X Tour winner, this year he would be "fighting" for his 7th Tour. What do you think about that?mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- The 'problem' (for lack of a better word) is the grand tours are all in Europe, so if you shift the TDF, then the Giro or Vuelta (depending on which way they shift the calendar) will then have to be held in the heat. There are also many other races, so the calendar is quite packed and there's not much room to shift. I think it's just something they have to put up with unfortunately. Us cyclists are tough and ride in most weather conditions and the pros are even tougher, so I think this is just more of a "discussion point of the day" and we'll all move on tomorrow to discuss something else haha (24hr news cycle etc).Pogboom14-07-2026
- Can i get an amen up here. We certainly do have a Pogi 1.0 and a Pogi 2.0.
Andrew14-07-2026
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