UAE's head coach and Pogacar's guide believes current peloton is mostly clear - "The problem is that you can never prove a negative"
Cycling
Doping is a topic that is never going to be escaping the sport of cycling do to it's very bad past, and occasional cases that continue to be discovered on the yearly. UAE Team Emirates - XRG has it's own suspicions due to it's massive results and the performances of Tadej Pogacar; but his coach Jeroen Swart is confident that the grand majority of the peloton is riding clean and the improvement is part of a massive overhaul in training, nutrition and scientific approaches to racing.
When asked if there has been a general wipeout of forbidden practices at the top of the cycling the world, the coach has responded: "Absolutely. The problem is that you can never prove a negative. But being embedded with the riders and the staff, there’s a complete change in the whole ethos," Swart expressed in words to Bicycling. "I haven’t seen anything that has given me pause in the seven years I’ve been on the World Tour."
At the head of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Swart's role in professional cycling is currently one of big importance. Certainly, the team's past (mostly as the former Lampre team) and current presence of DS Mauro Gianetti as well as other staff that have in the past been involved in doping scandals certainly make it a difficult topic to navigate for the Emirati team.
But Swart is decisive in his answers: "I wouldn’t risk my reputation just to win races. My reputation is everything to me – I wouldn’t have joined the team if I didn’t think the culture had changed completely".
"I can’t speak for other teams, though, and I’m sure there must be cheating. It’s human nature that if you want to succeed and there’s a big payoff, there will always be cheating. But from a cultural perspective, there’s been a massive change". In the interview Swart has talked extensively about what has allowed pro riders in the current peloton to ride at a level as high as it does - not applying to specific riders, but the World Tour as a whole.
Pressed on the subject, Swart says that he and the team do not really look back into cycling's darkest years: "We ignore that era. Most of them don’t really talk about it. Occasionally, there’s the odd joke about it, but it’s not something we actively discuss. We just accept that the culture has changed, and that it’s a new era of racing".
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
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.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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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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