"I know plenty who are experiencing burnout" - Warren Barguil asks young riders' development is restricted to prevent doping
CyclingWednesday, 22 July 2026 at 03:00
Warren Barguil was once one of the most exciting stage hunters with polka dot jersey and four Grand Tour stages in his palmares. The Frenchman was also tenth twice at the Tour de France, but in the rapidly-growing world of cycling, repeating such feats has become a distant dream for the 34-year-old who is currently riding a rather anonymous Tour.
Whilst the best had to put their every effort into the stage 16 time trial, Barguil could conserve his energy with a controlled effort to finish 122nd. But others have had to risk at times.
And fifth overall Florian Lipowitz paid the steep price. A crash in the final part of the stage cost him the entire race as the German abandoned with suspected collarbone injury.
"Maybe I'm getting old, but risk-taking is different. We experienced the era of rim brakes. I feel like I'm talking about the last century. There's a real generational gap," Barguil told L'Équipe. "It's crazy. People don't realize how much the level has risen. My generation has seen the gap widen."
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Besides taking greater risks than in the past in pursuit of even marginal gains, the Frenchman's other concern is the massive talent-hunt as teams search for a "new Pogacar, Evenepoel or Seixas".
This has inevitably pushed the progress in younger categories into a fast lane. Suddenly, the 18-year-old riders already push same numbers as professionals. Data that allowed Barguil to win a stage of the Tour de France in 2017 wouldn't even get him into the Top 10 in 2026.
"The UCI needs to do something: limit the age of riders in World Tour races," Warren Barguil stated definitively.
"Paul Seixas (who is 19 years old, ed.) is exceptional, but that shouldn't be possible before he's 20 or 21," he continued. "This could reduce that phenomenon. Because while Paul is doing well, I know plenty of others who are experiencing burnout because they haven't been able to overcome it. We quickly idealize the guy who succeeds, but many fall flat on their faces."
Paul Seixas at the 2026 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Real concern
Barguil is further worried that the immense pressure to perform already in junior category to secure a good pathway to professional ranks could push some riders over the edge; towards use of prohibited methods. After all, testing is not as thorough for youngsters as for professionals and the idea is that subtle doping could make a difference... but then the dream'd fall fall apart in a controlled environment of professional cycling.
And focusing 100% on cycling in such young age is not healthy either, Barguil laments: "I'm worried about the young people who will leave school early. Their social circle is limited to cycling. They don't have any friends elsewhere."
"If, from one day to the next, it stops, what will they be able to rely on? Everyone says there's doping among the pros. But now, they're going to end up trying to turn pro by doping. And I'm really afraid of that for the young riders," he concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- So what happens to your mini Pog DT then?Mistermaumau22-07-2026
- Too many problems to solve over at MandisU to focus on cycling.Mistermaumau22-07-2026
- That’s kind of BS MM! You should inform yourself before spewing crap out. Maybe it wasn’t at the time yours was but they can’t do everyone simultaneously. The fact you got chosen is kind of proof the criteria aren’t as suspicious as some make out since neither you nor your team are particularly dangerous in any racing aspect. 150+ other riders also haven’t had 5am sessions, why pick out a single rider?Mistermaumau22-07-2026
- E20,900 so far...... some teams haven't earned that in prize money yet, maybe need to list the UCI Fines in the total prize fundsslappers6622-07-2026
- Cool story bro, love your work. 😘
Andrew22-07-2026 - I’ll take my tongue out my cheek for the next few comments.Andrew22-07-2026
- Evanapoel is certainly on a high. Stage 18 is going to be interesting.Cyclingsbestfan22-07-2026
- Or he could go to UAE and develop there, but I am a fan of UAE and Pogi so my view is biased. Pogi would be his good mentor, and Seixas could take over in 2030, when Pogi retires, after winning TdF 9X. :))mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales22-07-2026
- I always know what you're thinkng. I also know what your twin brother, frieder3, is thinking. Oh you poor souls, I pity both of you. You should both eat fatty fish salmon, for omega-3s, and blueberries for antioxidants. They do wonders :))mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales22-07-2026
- I agree with your general complaint but in this case you have no idea, details fail. Could just as well have been a fan who wanted to ask an autograph, got scared when he crashed into them so rode off. Also, a little silly to call everyone scumbags, some are just completely ignorant or absent-minded and other times we riders are actually also at fault or provoking other users into dangerous manoeuvres. The way some road racers ride it’s no wonder people start hating us. That said, when I last visited the Tour, it was. Tudor van that almost got a group of cycling spectators killed with an overtaking manoeuvre on the way home. You should then remember that stories like THAT have almost ZERO chance of media attention so in the end all that happens is we are left with an extreme biais on reality. To compound, much of the driving in the Tour is unnecessarily dangerous towards spectators and much of the spectating is unnecessarily dangerous towards itself. Conclusion, almost the majority of the population could fall under your definition of scumbag.Jumpyjohn22-07-2026
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