The absolute domination of Tadej Pogacar this season, like his breathtaking victory at the world championships after a solo raid of almost 100 kilometers, is not without raising some questions. Christian Prudhomme, the boss of the Tour de France, was recently questioned on the subject.
This season, Tadej Pogacar exercised incredible domination over the world peloton, winning almost every race in which he participated, often starting in breathtaking solo raids only to finish largely detached, as on the Strade Bianche at the beginning of March or during the world championships at the end of September.
Pogacar has almost won every race he has contested in 2024
To measure the extent of the Slovenian’s domination, just look at his record over the season: Pogacar won the Strade Bianche, the Tour of Catalonia, Liège Bastogne Liège, the Giro, the Tour de France, the Montreal GP, the world championships and the Tour of Emilia. He did not win only two races in which he started, Milan San Remo (3rd) and the Quebec GP (7th). Such domination is not without creating some comments, switching between astonishment and admiration for some (like Remco Evenepoelwho declared after the Worlds “ This season, Tadej is not normal “), more suspicious for others.
“What would I think if Pogacar tested positive? Your question is not illegitimate”
During an interview given to the Dépêche du Midiprobably as part of the probable selection of Toulouse for the 2025 Tour route, Christian Prudhommethe boss of the Grande Boucle, was also asked about his reaction if one day Pogacar tested positive. Prudhomme did not evade, responding in comments reported by cyclismactu.net : « Given the not-so-distant past of cycling, your question is not illegitimate. I don’t have an answer. I notice that he gives quite an impressive performance in competitions. Controls exist, we fought with ASO to have independents, today this is the case with ITA. So… ” Waiting for, Christian Prudhomme made a point of emphasizing the offensive nature of the Slovenian, returning the race to its former glory: “ We find what we have known, that is to say champions who are there from the start to the end of the season and with this desire to win everything. 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 Pogacar does ».
