In an interview given to La Dépêche du Midi, Christian Prudhommethe director of Tour de Francewas questioned about the performance of Tadej Pogacar during the World Championship in Zurich. In Switzerland, the Slovenian took off very far from the finish, to win alone after an exceptional performance. Asked what his reaction would be if one day it turned out that Pogacar had cheated, he first replied: “Given the not-so-distant past of cycling, the question is not illegitimate.”
Video – Tadej Pogacar after his show at the Zurich World Cup
“Controls exist…”
“We find what we have known, that is to say champions who are there from the beginning to the end of the season and with this desire to win everything”explain Prudhomme. “Which makes him look like Eddy (Merckx) but also like Bernard (Hinault)… For years, I heard Bernard say that guys needed to rediscover the sense of the game, to have fun. Exactly what he does Pogačar.”
Then, the director of Tour was asked about doping, as such displays of force can sometimes raise questions. Asked whether he would be disappointed, surprised or disgusted if one day Tadej Pogacar was tested positive, Christian Prudhomme replied: “I don’t have an answer. I see that he’s giving a pretty impressive run to the competitions. The controls exist, we fought with ASO to have independents, today that’s the case with ITA. There you go …”
