Is Pogacar using some kind of mechanical doping?
New year, new Tour de France, new suspicions
For the last 2 years I have had my doubts about Pogacar and his performances. I hesitated a long time if I should post this, but for various reasons I decided to do so now. In this post I will address suspicious performances and behaviour, Pogacar’s environment, the existence and possibility of mechanical doping, and some other riders from present and past.
1) Suspicious Performances and behaviour
Time Trial Tirreno-Adriatico 2022
A first time that I noticed something weird was during the Time Trial in Tirreno 2022. During this time trial (13,9 km), we see on television the power output that certain cyclists are supposedly pusing while they are riding, as well as some information about their heart rate zone.
At the moment that Pogacar has been riding for 3 minutes and 20 seconds, we see his live power output during 1 minute and 28 second, which is fluctuating between 300 and 350 watts, averaging around 320-330 watt (which even the commentator on Eurosport NL found weirdly low). At the same time we can also see that he only has been in his red zone for 3 % of the time, which later even reduces to 2%, meaning that he is riding in his green zone at that moment. This last thing alone could be considered as remarkable, as a 13,9 km time trial is supposed to be an all out effort.
A bit later, Ganna’s metrics are shown as well, and let’s just say they are a little different. It’s shown when Ganna has been riding for 1 minute and 30 seconds, and are shown for about 10 seconds. Here, we see that Ganna is averaging about 530 watt, AND, has been in the red zone for 86 (!)% of the time trial, meaning he has only been in the green zone for about 13 seconds.
Ganna’s metrics on the other hand are completely different. He is pushing more than 500 watts all the time, and after 1minute and 30 second in the time trial, he has been in the red zone for 86% of the time! This means that he has been in the green zone for about 13 seconds, after which he already got in the red zone (as is expected in such a short time trial).
For the record, Pogacar finished third, respectively only 7 and 17 seconds behind Evenepoel and Ganna. Now I know that the weight difference between Pogacar and Ganna (+- 17 kg) plays its role, but, certainly on the flat, a 200 watts difference between riders with that weight difference does not justify an (almost) equal pace, especially given the fact that Pogacar isn’t known for being a super aerodynamic rider, contrary to Evenpoel, for example.
Based on estimations, Pogacar’s power output would need to be around 100 watts higher to correspond to this speed, which happens to the extra power a motor or other ingenious electronical system would create (more about this later).
Another bizarre thing I want to mention, is at Pogacar’s start of the time trial. The moment he rides of the start podium, he makes a weird movement with his left thumb, as if he pushes on a button on his handlebars, almost as if he is activating something. He surely isn’t changing his gear, and I couldn’t think about any other logical thing that he could be doing. Moreover, the spot where he seems to push is the exact place where the activation button of a motor would be located, as is shown by the godfather of small motors, Istvan ‘Stephano’ Varjas, who created the first miniature motors to be used in bikes.
In a CBS documentary (which I talk about further in this post as well) Varjas shows the capabilities of a motor (see video in article below), as well as how to activate it and some other aspects. Ever since then, I always paid attention to Pogacar’s hand movements, and it’s not the only time that Pogacar has made some weird movements with his fingers on times that you wouldn’t expect it.
(If people are interested, I could post the video clips of the power outputs of Pogacar and Ganna, as well as the bizarre hand movement from Pogacar)
60 Minutes investigates hidden motors and pro cycling - CBS News
Other Time Trials
When looking at the relatively flat time trial in the Tour de France 2021 that he won as well, it is estimated by experts that his average output was somewhere between 420 and 440 watts. Once again, this is around 100 watts more than what we have seen him do during the Tirreno the year after.
The most remarkable fact however, which I already found really bizarre before suspecting Pogacar, is what happened during his – out of this world – time trial on La Planche des Belles Filles, where he ultimate won his first Tour de France against Primoz Roglic.
I think that every cyclist fan remembers the shock and astonishment they felt when Pogacar made the other cyclist look like little kids. Second in that time trial at 1:21, Tom Dumoulin, made some comments afterwards that could be interpreted that something wasn’t completely right: “My power output was similar to when I became world champion, so his performance must be out of this world”, “I become second after a rider that sits on his bike like a mine worker. I just don’t understand how that’s possible”, “Pogacar had a special thing today”.
What you might have forgotten, but which is the most surprising part in this story, is that when Pogacar switched bikes at the start of the climb, he decided to ride without a power meter. Personally I never heard about any rider in recent history that prefers riding without a power meter. Now, what could be the explanation for this? Could it just be due to the fact that “Pogacar likes to do things on instinct sometimes”? For what is, at that moment, the most important stage in his career?
Or, could it be that he already knew beforehand that he would deliver an absolutely phenomenal performance, what some even consider to be the best time trial in the history of cycling, and that he knew that he would get questions about the miraculous power output that he would have had to push? And that, if the details of his power meter were leaked, people would notice that his proper power output didn’t correspond with the expected power output and sensational speeds that he achieved?
Furthermore, Pogacar is manifestly against the sharing of his data, according to him because “he doesn’t want to let competitors know his outputs so that they will not be able to use this against him”. Of course, this could be a valid explanation. On the other hand, being the best cyclist in the world and with all the modern technology, most of the power outputs aren’t a big secret anymore to competitors. So could it be possible that there is another reason why Pogacar refuses to share his data?
Why Tadej Pogačar won't share his power data - Velo (outsideonline.com)
Another thing that went under the radar but which caught my eye, is that in the 2021 Tour de France, allegedly 3 riders have declared to the Suisse newspaper Le Temps that they hear weird noises coming from the UAE bikes (as well as 3 other teams). Now it’s true that these riders stayed anonymous so it’s hard to verify this, but very understandable, as you don’t want to be known as “that guy who snitched on other teams”. but I would doubt that a renowned newspaper like Le Temps would be posting such an article if they didn’t have credible sources.
Some parts or the article:
‘Explaining in-depth, one rider is reported to have said: "It is a metallic noise, like a poorly adjusted chain.
“We are no longer talking about a motor in the connecting rods or an electromagnet system in the wheel rims, but about a device hidden in the hub.
[We're talking about] power through the brakes [and] inertia is stored, like in F1. I've never heard that anywhere.
The UCI, and the Tour's organisers ASO, have been conducting tests on bikes during the race to detect any potential motor-doping, just as they have been for the past five years.
A statement from the race on the second rest day reported that up until that point, tests had been carried out on 720 bikes scanning for technological fraud and all came back negative.
Tadej Pogačar, the Tour’s leader going into the final two stages, was asked about the claim in his press conference after stage 19.
“I don’t know. We don’t hear any noise,” the Slovenian said. “We don’t use anything illegal. It’s all Campagnolo materials. I don’t know what to say.” '
A last thing regarding his performances, which isn’t based on any facts but purely on my personal feeling and after having watched thousands of hours of cycling in my life, is that his “body effort” (for example his leg speed, the way his body moves, etc.) often doesn’t correspond the power outburst that he is doing, as well as sometimes having some bursts of pace without actually seeming to be doing much more effort than seconds before.
2) Pogacar’s environment
Now let’s take a look at Pogacar’s environment. The leading figures in Team UAE are raising some serious questions, to say the very least. In short, the prominent figures are known to be die hard cheaters, and as far as is known, have never competed in cycling without having cheated. Let’s take a look:
- Mauro Gianetti, team leader of UAE, was a hardcore user of doping during his active cyclist career and even almost died when experimenting with it, being in a coma for 3 days (now talk about someone who is willing to search the limits for cheating). As a manager, he was leading teams such as Saunier-Duval amongst others, and riders such as Iban Mayo, Riccardo Rico, Leonardo Piepoli and Juan José Cobo. We all know where those guys ended.
- Giuseppe Saronni, manager/advisor of UAE, used lots of doping as well during his active career, and was prosecuted when he was the team manager of Lampre after a 2-year investigation into pharmaceutical/doping issues, as well as almost all riders who were active at that time. We now know that almost all of the riders used doping during their Lampre period (some confessed themselves, for other the investigators had enough proof). When this happened, Saronni decided to leave the Lampre Team, but, funnily enough, UAE team is actually the former Lampre Team, so he didn’t leave for a very long time.
- Joxean ‘Matxin’ Fernandez, sports manager of UAE, has always been close to Giannetti and Saronni, and was involved in the same shady teams as the previously mentioned persons where all the big doping scandals happened (Lampre, Saunier-Duval,..)
There is actually way too much information about them online to put it all here, so you can always look for yourselves, but knowing all the details, it’s mindblowing to me that these kind of guys are still allowed in the cycling world, especially when the UCI tries to show the world that cycling is a much cleaner sport now than before. These UAE guys have done and directed every possible kind of cheating during their career as cyclist and managers, and are very experienced with how to avoid being caught.
I also found it always weird that when certain riders joined the UAE team, their performance seemed to spike, reaching levels that they didn’t obtain before.
3) The existence and possibility of Motor Doping
Now I know than many of you will be thinking “motor doping is technologically not possible”, “it’s too big to fit in the bikes”, “the UCI does checks on bikes all the time”, etc.. Let’s take a closer look to whether it might be possible.
In January 2017, a “60 Minutes” investigation visited Istvan Varjas, former cyclist and scientist, who built the first motor in 1998 (!). He is adamant that motors have been used in professional cycling and the Tour de France. He even confessed that in 1998, after he invented the first motor, an anonymous client bought if from him for 2 million dollars, on the condition that for 10 years, Varjas wouldn’t work on it or speak about the existence of motors. In the documentary, Varjas shows that even with the old bikes and old technology, it was absolutely possible to place a secret motor in bikes. Especially given the fact that back the day, there were absolutely no checks whatsoever for motor doping
60 Minutes investigates hidden motors and pro cycling - CBS News
(Now, this is a story for another time, but is there any cyclist or team that had a lot of money that comes to mind, that started dominating cycling from 1999 onwards? Former Tour de France boss Jean-Pierre Verdy has had its suspicions long before (and looking at some footage from back then, there are some very bizarre, but always the same, hand movements from a certain rider. Now this could all be coincidence, but when you look at video from the article below, you might start frown a bit)
The motor allegedly used by Lance Armstrong to cheat | Marca
What about former suspicions? How does the UCI deal with this?
Former cyclist Greg lemond, who was a broadcaster for television in 2015, worked in secret with Varjas and the French police. Varjas actually admitted to the French police that before the Tour de France of 2015, he sold more motorized bikes to an unknown client. Beside the motors in the bike frame, he also invented a motor that could be hidden in the wheels, but the wheels would weigh about 800 grams more than normal wheels.
Now, before the time trial stage, the bikes of the cyclist were weighted. Taking into account how important the weight of a bike is and how meticulously every team acts upon this, all bikes from all teams were more or less the same in terms of weight. Except for 1 team. Team Sky. Their bikes were about 800 grams heavier than those of the competitors. Now, do you remember how Team Sky absolutely demolished all competitors during the 2012-2019 period, with always the same tactic of just putting up a super high pace with the whole team until all competitors were dead?
During the 2015 Tour, and after talking with Lemond and Varjas, the French authorities even agreed on testing the bikes of the rider. But they were stopped by.. the UCI, who didn’t allow this to happen. The UCI claims that their own techniques of testing bikes on the presence motors are sufficient. However, Varjas actually proved this to be false. He even volunteered to test the bike himself, in presence of the UCI of course, but he UCI refused to test the bikes in the way that Varjas recommended. Bizarre.
Now, I don’t want to think that the UCI is actually involved in this. But, given their history, we never know. If we imagine it would actually be true, what could be the reason? Would the UCI be too afraid that he news that motors are/were used would leak out, knowing that this could be a fatal blow to the cyclist sport in general, losing all credibility? Or could they simple like the fact that this facilitates certain riders to be on a phenomenal level, becoming idols for both young and old, which helps the cyclist sport in more than 1? It could be.
The most infamous rumour about motor doping, which probably everyone has heard about, dates from 2010 (which coincidentally is 1 year after Varjas was allowed to work on motors again after his 1999 deal?), when Fabian Cancellara won Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix after some incredible surges and multiple bizarre changes of bikes, which is well shown in the 12 minutes video “Cancellara n’a pas tout dit”. The preliminary bike changes that clearly had been planned in advance, just before making some incredibly attacks without looking to be doing a 100% effort are suspicious to say the least. In this video, the first few minutes are more about the possibility that it could just be a combination of some phenomenal efforts, and some bad luck regarding bikes. However, after that, more details are shown, and when looking at everything together, personally it becomes even hard not to believe that a motor was used .
Cancellara n'a pas tout dit (youtube.com)
As far as is known, the only time that a rider was actually caught was during the 2016 Cyclocross World Championships, when the UCI found a hidden motor in the bike of U23 rider Femke Van den Driessche. Now if this person tried to cheat, I would be surpised that there is no other professional cyclist or team that would try it as well.
Conclusion :
I obviously don’t have any hard evidence if Pogacar or any other cyclist is using some sort of mechanical doping, but the combination of all these facts might raise eyebrows.
As someone who has been a hardcore cyclist fan since 5 years old, I honestly hope that it’s not the case and that he is just a superb rider with incredible talent, in which case, my full kudos to him. Even if mechanical doping is present, but is used equally by all teams to enhance entertainment in a Zwift like way, where you can you temporary power-ups, I wouldn’t even mind that much. However, if it’s just one or a few riders/teams that are cheating on the other teams, I think they should be banished from the cyclist sport altogether.
Cheers,
TVC