Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates celebrates on the podium in the yellow jersey of leader in the overall ranking after stage 10 of the 108th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 190,7 km from Albertville to Valence, France, Tuesday 06 July 2021. This year's Tour de France takes place from 26 June to 18 July 2021. BELGA PHOTO DAVID STOCKMAN (Photo by DAVID STOCKMAN/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
IS TADEJ POGAČAR TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?”—CYCLING WORLD DIVIDED AS DOMINANCE SPARKS SHOCKING WHISPERS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS…..read more…..
At just 25, the Slovenian phenom has rewritten what it means to dominate professional cycling. Tour de France titles, classic victories, time trial heroics, mountain sprints that look like video game cheats—he’s not just beating his rivals; he’s making them look ordinary.
But now, a growing wave of fans, experts, and even fellow riders are quietly asking the unthinkable: Is Pogačar too good?
In the wake of his jaw-dropping performance at the 2025 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, where he launched a solo attack 32 kilometers from the finish and left world-class climbers gasping in his shadow, murmurs turned into open speculation.
“It’s like watching Armstrong all over again,” one ex-pro anonymously told a European cycling outlet. “Only smoother, and scarier.”
To be clear: no evidence of wrongdoing has surfaced. Pogačar has passed every test, dodged every accusation, and continues to present himself as the sport’s golden boy—humble, smiling, fiercely competitive, and incredibly likable.
But in a sport still haunted by its dirty past, perfection makes people nervous.
Especially this kind of perfection.
“Every generation has a superstar,” said cycling analyst Mateo DeLaRue. “But what we’re seeing now isn’t just dominance—it’s a level of control we haven’t seen since the height of the doping era. That doesn’t mean guilt. But it demands scrutiny.”
The buzz reached fever pitch when an anonymous rider in the WorldTour peloton told Velo News: “You go all-in, you train like mad, and Pogačar still makes you look like you’re standing still. It messes with your head. Some guys think he’s just a freak of nature. Others think there’s something more.”
That “something more” is where the cycling world fractures.
On one side: the believers. Fans who see Pogačar as a generational genius, a rider blessed with the physiology of a champion and the heart of a fighter. They point to his consistent test records, his calm under pressure, and his clean background. “We’re finally seeing what a clean legend looks like,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
On the other: the doubters. The ones who remember Pantani, Armstrong, and the entire EPO era. They’re not accusing—they’re watching. And waiting.
“If he keeps this up,” said veteran journalist Thomas Everett, “the pressure will mount. Not just on Pogačar—but on the entire system to prove that what we’re seeing is human.”
Even cycling’s governing bodies are reportedly debating whether more rigorous independent testing is needed—not because of Pogačar specifically, but because his dominance has reignited long-dormant fears.
Pogačar, for his part, remains cool and composed. When asked about the growing noise around his dominance, he smiled and said, “I ride my bike. That’s what I love. I train hard. I recover well. I eat pasta. That’s the secret.”
It’s classic Pogačar—charmingly evasive, almost disarming. And it only deepens the mystique.
Because whether you believe in miracles or math, one thing is clear: something historic is happening. Either Tadej Pogačar is the most complete, most dominant cyclist of the modern era… or we’re witnessing a story that may have a very different ending.
Until then, every pedal stroke will carry the weight of expectation, admiration—and doubt.
