Nevertheless, while it may not be directly related to his greed, Pogacar’s all-out dominance of the Giro d’Italia and now the Tour de France has raised the issue of doping in some cycling circles. Given cycling’s dark history with doping, there will always be those who react with fear when a rider achieves such astonishing feats as Pogacar has in recent months.

“It’s funny and I mean that cynically. We had that last year too,” Team Visma | Lease a Bike DS recalls, referring to similar accusations against Jonas Vingegaard, after the Dane’s high level in 2023. “You can set your watch to the moment the booing and insinuations start. It’s unfair. Let it be clear that it’s good that critical questions come from the media and that we are self-critical. It’s unfounded. If someone just shouts something, you can’t do anything with it. It’s especially unfair when you see the sacrifices, efforts and dedication these riders make for their sport. Pogacar has lived like a monk for the past four months with altitude training and rode the Giro and the Tour. He has worked very hard, that deserves respect.”

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