Naesen firmly dismisses Pogačar doping allegations: 'I can pedal for 2 minutes at the intensity he maintains for 45 minutes'

The dominance of Tadej Pogacar and UAE Emirates-XRG is causing some resentment in the peloton in 2026. Over the past ten years, Oliver Naesen has often witnessed how Pogacar’s team—or Jonas Vingegaard’s—dominated the Tour de France. Writing in Het Nieuwsblad, the Belgian domestique sheds his always insightful light on the matter.

"In a league of his own," is how Naesen describes Pogacar. The Belgian rider from Decathlon CMA CGM also saw Ilan Van Wilder's interview on Sporza, in which Van Wilder said "he didn't understand it anymore." “A brilliant interview. So honest. And it perfectly captures the feeling everyone has,” Naesen told Het Nieuwsblad.

"I've been through this with Mathieu van der Poel, too. And it has absolutely nothing to do with doping allegations. But in the classics, you're completely spent as you cross the finish line. You can see that you've pushed your best wattages. You’ve been riding in a group with a few strong riders the whole time. And then you hear that VDP won after an 80-kilometer solo breakaway.”

"You can't wrap your head around it, because you compare that performance to what you're capable of yourself," says Naesen, explaining how people in the peloton view it—and how they ride. "I did the math using Pogacar’s wattages: converted to watts per kilogram, I can pedal for 2 minutes at the intensity he maintains for 45 minutes. Crazy."

The ever-outspoken Belgian reiterates that any allegations are baseless. “If UAE were cheating, a former rider or former employee would have created an anonymous Twitter account long ago and aired the team’s dirty laundry.”

"I know Florian Vermeersch and Benoît Cosnefroy very well. When I ask them about the secret behind UAE, they say quite honestly that there isn't one. I see a rider who has won the genetic lottery, trains incredibly hard, and is extremely motivated,” Naesen concludes resolutely.