"It's clear that they have an inferiority complex" - Michael Morkov blasts the French for constant doubting of Tadej Pogacar credibility
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has taken the sport of cycling to new heights over the last couple of years, rewriting the rulebook on what many people thought possible through his performances. Given the checkered history of cycling when it comes to doping however, there have some notable doubters of the Slovenian.
Marc Madiot, team boss at Groupama - FDJ has been critical in the past. Most recently he told Cyclism'Actu before Paris-Roubaix: "I have respect, but I'm not a fan," in regards to Pogacar.
Some others haven't been quite so tactful however. Jerome Pineau publicly accused Pogacar of doping after the 2024 Giro d'Italia. “Doping has been around since the beginning of time, but these are not the same products they use now,” the Frenchman told RMC, with Jean-René Bernaudeau, team manager at Team TotalEnergies, stating just the other day that Pogacar should reveals his wattage figures as "cycling cannot afford another scandal."
Something that you may or may not have picked up on with those three examples is that they all come from notable Frenchman in the sport. This point certainly isn't lost on Danish national coach and former lead out supremo Michael Morkov.
"Isn't this as typical French cycling as it can be?" asks the experienced Dane on the Cafe Eddy podcast, claiming the French have a tendency to criticise any foreigner who dominates their races. "They are angry at everyone and see ghosts everywhere, and they can't understand why it's not the French riders who win the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix."
"It's clear that they have an inferiority complex. The biggest races are in France, and they have a huge cycling history, but they have difficulty measuring up to the other nations," concludes Morkov fiercely. "So of course they have an inferiority complex that they have to find an excuse for every now and then."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 9visitors 7
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026 - Eccelente! That's 7 riders in total in Red Bull who come from the devo team, 8 if you include Lipo
Rafionain-Glas09-11-2026 - again, nothing is going to be resolved. it is a discussion board. I simply said I didn't see how MS impeded LBs sprint. the UCI doesn't care about my thoughts, and I am really not that emotionally invested in it.mij09-11-2026
- provoke change, lol. this is a discussion board. nothing is going to change by what I say here. just commenting that it didn't look like MS impeded Brand. beyond that not trying to go too deep.mij09-11-2026
- as excellent as maga rednecks chloe dygert (and quinn simmons)?Ketterechts09-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments