Not another boring doping thread (I promise) but some advice for UAE and cycling
I'm going to preface this by saying that I don't think Pogi is doping, nor do I have any evidence to suggest he is, but cycling has an unfortunate history for which I am both supportive and understanding of fans' skepticism (both of which are necessary to deter a return to the past). Having said that, optics are more important to cycling than any other sport, and I would really like to see Teams going the extra mile to remove any doubt whatsoever, and that means a completely clean break with the past. Anyone who has ever been in any way associated with doping should be permanently banned from any senior positions within the UCI, team and National Federation structures. This isn't a judgment on those who were bullied, coerced or forced into doping, nor am I even saying that they're bad people, but cycling will not commercially survive another major doping scandal, so the stakes merit a blanket ban.
While I'm not the biggest Pogi fan, I don't condone the endless "Pogi is doping" train from frusrated fans, and I don't think this obsession is healthy, but he also has a responsibility not to give those people ammunition to use against him, his results and his team. However, as Mauro Gianetti, someone with a very unpleasant doping history, remains Director of UAE, I can't blame anyone for assuming the worst. He should not be allowed anywhere near cycling. He is someone who experienced first-hand the harm of doping, and not just from sporting perspective, but it nearly cost him his life.
After confessing his injection of perfluorocarbons to the doctors who saved him, the same doctors blew the whistle to the authorities. Gianetti then appealed to courts, not for libel, but for breaching his medical confidentiality, also suing the doctors for around $1m. As the court upheld his confidentiality, the medical files were not admissible in court, so he basically escaped justice on a technicality. To have running the most successful team and rider in the sport, breaking the all time win record, and dominating from the Spring to September, is just utterly reckless on the part of UAE, regardless of Pogi's cleanliness.
Posted Jul 11, 2026, 1:23 PM UTC