Tadej Pogacar addressed the persistent suspicion and skepticism surrounding dominant performances in cycling, highlighting the shadows of the sport’s past. Pogacar today is racing for a fourth consecutive Il Lombardia victory.

Pogacar’s dominance this season—marked by his World Championships win and numerous other victories—has drawn comparisons to cycling legends like Eddy Merckx. However, such dominance has also led to unfounded suspicions similar to those seen during cycling’s darkest eras. When asked about this, Pogacar reflected on how the sport's past continues to affect public perception.

“Cycling is a sport where in the past, people were doing everything they could to their bodies, to be better, unknowing what it does to your health, and they were risking their life,” Pogacar said in a press conference, reported by Cyclingnews. 

“A lot of guys that you don't even know, not even the winners, are probably now sick or have some other health problems or mental problems because of what they were doing to their bodies in the past 20 or 30 years.

“In my honest opinion, my humble opinion, I think cycling suffered a lot from those years. There was no trust, and it was up to us, the cyclists, to regain the trust. But there's nothing we can do. We just race our own race, and we hope that people will start to believe us."

Dominance And Scrutiny

Pogacar emphasized that while dominance in sport is natural, it often draws negative attention. “You need to have a winner, and always a winner will get the most eyes on him—that he's a cheater,” Pogacar added. 

“Maybe in a few generations, people will forget about the past, about Armstrong and these guys... and maybe they will move on.”

He continued, “From my personal experience, I think cycling is one of the best sports where people are looking to be more healthy and not more unhealthy, just for the performance... 

"We now realize that cycling is a really dangerous sport. Like with an accident with your heart, you cannot push it over the limit. You need to stay healthy.”

Dominance In Sport Across The Board

Pogacar also expanded on the broader issue of dominance in all competitive arenas, not just cycling. “You see domination everywhere. You see domination in the business world, you see domination in tennis, in golf, in the NBA, in football,” he said. 

“In any other sport, you see domination from teams and from individual athletes. I think there's always domination for a few years, a maximum of a few years, and then at some point, a new talent comes along... There's a generation change, and there will be someone else dominating. It's like that in life."