“The doubts” on Tadej Pogacar, “given the past of cycling, we must live with it,” says Christian Prudhomme

The Slovenian runner is about to win the Tour de France for the fourth time. A domination that does not surprise the director of the race.

While Tadej Pogacar is about to win the Tour de France for the fourth time, the director of the race, Christian Prudhomme, recalled on Franceinfo Sunday, July 27 that the unrevable domination of the Slovenian over the Grande Boucle does not surprise it, because it is “A 'bottle champion', he was strong immediately”but that it was necessary “Live with doubts, suspicion, given the past of cycling”a sport tainted by doping.

“Tadej Pogacar did third in the Tour of Spain at 20, he was the youngest winner of the Tour de France since (the year) 1904, when he won in 2020 “recalls Christian Prudhomme. It is “A champion who wins from February to October. A champion who, again, is able to triumph in the classics and who even went to challenge Mathieu Van der Poel, the reference, on the cobblestones in Paris-Roubaix and who is there in the Tour de France with a crossing of the ultra-dominating Pyrenees against Jonas Vingegaard”observes the director of the Grande loop. “We always dream of a duel, we didn't really get it”he regrets.

For the French, Christian Prudhomme speaks “a pivotal year, of witness”with great results. Before the departure of the 21st and last stage of the Tour de France which links Mantes-la-Ville to Paris, Sunday, Kévin Vauquelin is 7th in the general classification, Jordan Jegat is 10th. “We have two French people in the first ten in the ranking. In 2024, the best French, it was Guillaume Martin who was 13th”defends the boss of the Tour de France. “The assessment is correct, obviously, this is not an assessment with Kyrielles of stage victories and with a runner who could aim for the geqneral classification”he admits.

“When we see the Constance of Kévin Vauquelin, his ability to ride a time trial, we saw him hang on everywhere, it gives hope for the coming years.”

Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France

in franceinfo

Regarding the fight against doping, around 600 blood and urine samples were collected on the Tour de France this year and 350 others excluding competition during the month preceding the test by the International Testing Agency (ITA), an independent agency to which the International Cycling Union (UCI) delegates operational activities. After each stage, the winner and the yellow jersey are systematically controlled.