I didn't know where to post this, here or Pogi's page on the main forum. I opted for here since it's a safe bet. It's an interview with
Radoje Milić, who is a specialist in sports medicine and physiology. And has been Pogi's tester (doctor of sorts, in the faculty of sports, where they do tests on athletes and talents) since he was 13.
Link to the whole article is here. You will need to translate it from slovene to english if you want to read all of it. I'll just post a few interesting bits from it.
In an interview with STA, he said that the reasons for Pogačar's exceptional racing are not doping: "
All these insinuations are unfounded and disturbing. I believe that in such cases, it is a matter of envy on the part of certain cycling nations, which are unable to achieve greater success because of him. Unfortunately, there are also some doubts in Slovenia. It is sad that two fan camps have emerged in our country, instead of everyone rejoicing together in the outstanding achievements of Slovenian cyclists. I see improvements in his training since he changed coaches, and in his equipment. The bike has been completely adapted to his abilities so that he can do everything sitting down. We practically never see him stand up anymore, and they have also devoted more time to physical training.
If we compare his physique to that of Jonas Vingegaard, we can see that the Dane is completely flat. He has no buttocks at all, and I see this as a significant advantage for the Slovenian, who also has an excellent team supporting him.
He is the most tested cyclist. I don't believe that anyone could protect him as a Slovenian. He is an intelligent man, he wouldn't risk his health, and I am also convinced that the Arabs for which he rides for would immediately terminate their cooperation with him if they suspected that something was wrong. They invest too much money in the team. Tadej is a bit unlucky because one of the team leaders, Mauro Gianetti, has been linked to doping in the past.
Foreign journalists come to our laboratory under various pretexts. They act as if they are interested in this and that, they film, but in fact they are only looking for things where they might notice something wrong.
I believe that the telephone conversations of those involved are also being tapped. David Rožman (head of assistants at the Ineos cycling team, who had to leave the Tour this year)
also had problems because of a few contacts or conversations that were considered suspicious," says Milić, who claims that the controls are looking for specific things, while completely overlooking others: "
Gianni Bugno tested positive for caffeine many years ago, but now no one pays any attention to him anymore.
He definitely needs to be careful about who he works with. And not just doctors. He needs to be careful about who gives him water bottles, who prepares his food and drinks, and a bunch of other stuff. Such things have already happened in the world of sports," warns Milić, who is convinced that there are people who could deliberately harm the Slovenian.
Pogačar's cycling intelligence also plays an important role in all of this: "
He enjoys riding, he enjoys racing, he is completely relaxed, nothing hinders him. Just like Roglič, he knows how to observe his surroundings, listen to his competitors' breathing, and knows exactly when to attack. He also knows how to hide things with his facial expressions. However, I do not agree that he is less tired than others after the stages."
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