David Stanley
Tadej Pogačar: does he or doesn’t he?
David Stanley is an experienced cycling writer. His work has appeared in Velo, Velo-news.com, Road, Peloton, and the late, lamented Bicycle Guide (my favorite all-time cycling magazine). Here's his Facebook page. He is also a highly regarded voice artist with many audiobooks to his credit, including McGann Publishing's The Story of the Tour de France and Cycling Heroes.
David L. Stanley
David L. Stanley's masterful telling of his bout with skin cancer Melanoma: It Started with a Freckle is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
David L. Stanley writes:
A Note to the Reader: If you think I’m an idiot because obviously all the top pros are cheating and I refuse to state that, or you think I’m an idiot because obviously there is no way those same top pros would risk everything by cheating, I don’t want to hear from you. Get your own column.
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Okay, I'll bite. Something might be a wee bit off within my world of bike racing. First, is there any evidence, other than some remarkable performances, that anything untoward is going down with UAE Team Emirates and their star, Tadej Pogačar? We’ve seen riders have an annus mirabilus before. We had Greg van Avermaet in 2017; his most extraordinary season.
Greg van Avermaet winning Paris-Roubaix in 2017.
But then, let’s think back to 1984. Almost no one knew about blood doping. It wasn't illegal. There weren't any tests. It worked really well. Does this feel a little like that? Maybe.
I'm watching L-B-L right now. What do I see? Tadej opens up the gap with a crazy fast seated acceleration and then builds it up solo to over a minute, then a minute and one-half. All that with Pidcock, Healy, Ciccone, and Alaphilippe working together, and unable to make any inroads? Dang.
Tadej Pogacar attacks on La Redoute in this year's Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
I sure hope there is no hanky-panky, but I will not take a stand without data. If there are hijinks afoot, it’s probably not just Tadej, yes? There are a handful of other guys who are not that far behind him in nearly every race. We all love the Tadej; he projects such an upbeat and positive image, eh? Yet, a lot of dopers during the Dark Times were great guys, too.
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Yes, I’ve heard the argument that “Well, usually the dopers are marginal riders, they turn to the Dark Side, and they rocket to the top.” Except that’s often not the case. Plenty of strong, young cyclists were gifted as juniors, the early years of their pro career and then, seduced by cycling’s Darth Sidious, became otherworldly. Ullrich springs to mind.
Jan Ullrich racing in Yellow in stage 16 of the 1997 Tour de France. He was stripped of all results from 2005 onward for doping. Sirotti photo
Tadej, if you dig through his junior results, was also a top performer. What we do know about cyclists is that some top juniors never see the top as seniors, that some weak juniors stay clean, and come strong as they grow into adulthood. These sweeping claims that profess to explain all? All is sound and fury, signifying nothing.
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I have to be realistic. There could be something going on. I’ve seen this movie before. Am I watching the most extraordinarily gifted and disciplined cyclist in many years perform at the very edge of human athletic capability? I sure hope so.
As Sherlock Holmes said, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly, one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”
Tadej Pogacar winning the 2025 Tour of Flanders
I’m rooting hard for Tadej, rooting hard for clean cycling, but I’m no idealistic Pollyanna. Yet, I will not, cannot, accuse and condemn anyone without solid, tenable data to support that condemnation. Bottom line? We don’t know anything. Enough speculation:
Vive Tadej!
Vive clean cycling!
Now, if you'll excuse me, Josie wants to go out in the back yard and chase after her tennis ball.
David Stanley, like nearly all of us, has spent his life working and playing outdoors. He got a case of Melanoma as a result. Here's his telling of his beating that disease. And when you go out, please put on sunscreen.