Retiring pro defends Tadej Pogacar from doping speculation - "As a professional cyclist you cannot be influenced by that and think that everyone is cheating"
Cycling
Lilian Calmejane has enjoyed a career as a relatively popular rider in the peloton and also one who has achieved a lot, having won at the 2017 Tour de France as a career highlight. This winter he is retiring from pro cycling and he has talked about Tadej Pogacar, his performances and how it relates to the doping speculation that is cast upon the Slovenian.
“Look at this year’s Olympic Games, at Léon Marchand, many must have doubts about what he did. Or at the greatest of all time, Usain Bolt. There will always be ultra-dominant people,” Calmejane said in an interview with Cyclism'Actu.
“But who says that Tadej Pogacar will continue at this level for five years? I am not sure. It is normal that there are questions, cycling is a difficult sport with a scandalous past and that will continue for a long time".
After the tremendous 2024 season where he won 25 races, among them two monuments, the World Championships, two Grand Tours and 12 stage wins between them - as well as having climbing numbers that have beaten records - a lot of people who keep up with the sport have began thinking about the sport of 20, 30 years ago.
Cycling continues to be affected by it's history of athletes who took to doping to significantly improve their performances and achieve great success with it, gaining a reputation within sports as one where these acts are regular. Despite having gained more confidence over the past decades, the doubts cannot ever be fully cleared, and currently with Pogacar's success naturally a lot of comments on the veracity of his performances surge.
Happening so much outside the peloton, you could only imagine the same takes place within the peloton. But Calmejane, a World Tour rider since 2021, does not share that sentiment and in relative terms also comes out to defend the UAE Team Emirates rider from the speculation: “As a professional cyclist you cannot be influenced by that and think that everyone is cheating,”
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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