the omerta which shames cycling in the face of an “extraordinary” champion [L’Agora]

Is Pogacar human? This 2025 season leaves us more than perplexed, even disgusts us, as the Slovenian seems to crush everything in his path with insulting ease. Twenty-five victories, records broken one by one, times that are unreal, watts of improbable power, KOMs (King of the Mountain) won in each segment. Pogacar becomes “Pogastrong”, a superman whose performances appear so indisputable that the entire peloton seems to have resigned themselves, swallowing the insult and lowering their eyes. But how far will this heavy silence surrounding the Slovenian and his Emirates team go?

We all remember those dark years when an Armstrong or a Virenque (and yet, as a child, he was my idol!) paraded as a hero before falling for fraud, and yet the lessons do not seem to have been learned. Where are the investigative journalists, the runners who once dared to denounce the inhuman? Today, there is complete silence. Neither team, nor followers, nor organizer have the will to raise the question of Pogacar’s superhuman performances. “You have no proof of what you say” we are told. Neither for Armstrong. Neither for Merckx. For many others neither, before they were caught by the patrol. Or not. It all depends on the money that is invested and the techniques used.

Who would lose? This would be to forget the enormous financial influence exercised by the new players in cycling. The money injected by the Emirates, Israel, and even Saudi Arabia (and soon China) is transforming the peloton into a geopolitical playground, where small teams struggle to survive in the face of the colossal budgets of a handful of super- powers.

The spectators are the jokers, and the arrival of sports betting in the world of cycling also means that some of them remain silent, hoping to also win (while 95% lose) money. on the races.

The problem is not only in the victories but in the worrying omerta which surrounds this domination. The slightest poor performance, the slightest criticism of Pogacar could break this fragile system that the financial powers have established. Teams, sponsors and authorities prefer the security of a uniform spectacle rather than transparency. Small teams, for their part, find themselves trapped, dependent on the crumbs left by the big ones. All that remains is a controlled, domesticated sport, which is careful not to cast doubt on the extraordinary performances of its most “solid” champions.

Where are the cycling lovers who still dare to speak?

For those who love cycling, the disgust is deep. Seeing Pogacar sweep everything has become almost insulting, not only because this supremacy breaks all forms of competition, but above all because it arouses heavy suspicion. Who, today, would even dare to suggest that the Slovenian could benefit from a helping hand? Who would have the courage to scratch beneath the surface of the glitter, at the risk of disrupting the show? No one, apparently, has the audacity to say what is being whispered behind the scenes: Pogacar risks killing the soul of cycling like Armstrong did before him.

Personally, I love this sport too much to continue to say nothing. Yes of course, these cycling years, with attackers, and great stories, from Alaphilippe to Van Aert, from Van der Poel to Pogacar via Evenepoel, are intense, exciting. But this 2025 season will have removed all flavor from what was already, a little, it must be said, about cinema (it is not for nothing that Netflix and Amazon have been circling teams for several years). Who enjoys watching a mutant crush and humiliate everyone? Seriously, when are those with influence in this sport going to open their mouths? Where are the brave?

If nothing is done, this charade could bury a generation of enthusiasts, tired of seeing superhuman performances flooded with praise without any voice raised to question the unbearable domination. The shadow of money weighs on cycling, crushing any attempt at transparency, leaving Pogacar dominating a sport where resistance is no longer a value but a distant memory.

Yann Vallerie

PS: one year, it would really be necessary for the adult public who gather on the side of the roads to see their runners, taking advantage of these unique moments, with family or friends, and one of the last “free” sports, to turn the back when the runners pass, as a sign of protest against this omerta.