Although the fight for the Maillot Jaune is seemingly all but over at the 2023 Tour de France, a new, ongoing war has just begun between Jumbo-Visma's Richard Plugge and Groupama - FDJ's Marc Madiot.
The sheer dominance of Jonas Vingegaard's performances in the third week of the race, have raised certain questions, most notably from L'Equipe around whether or not doping has reared its ugly head in the world of cycling once more. Defending his team leader, Richard Plugge attempted to deflect some of the attention. “On the rest day we were in a hotel with a French team. I saw riders drinking pints of beer," he said. "That's poison. Especially when you are tired. At the start of the important third week, you have to be careful about what you drink and eat.”
Although not naming the team in question, Eurosport did some digging and found out the team in question to be Groupama - FDJ. When Plugge's claims were posed to Marc Madiot, the 64-year-old Frenchman did not hold back.
"It's pathetic. On the rest day there is always a moment of conviviality. The leadership then drinks a beer, not necessarily the riders. If there has been drunk at all, it has never been half a liter. Where I sat, only water was drunk," protests the Groupama - FDJ boss. “What Plugge says is shabby. Small and shabby. I'm not going to lower myself by confronting him. But I am very angry.”
