FOOTBALL ANALYST ACCUSATION TO TADEJ POGACAR DIRECTLY OF DOPING: “IN A FEW YEARS YOU’LL HEAR WHO ACTUALLY WON”

On the show “Vandaag Inside,” football analyst Jack van Gelder accused Tour de France rider Tadej Pogacar of doping. When asked about the race, van Gelder expressed complete skepticism about Pogacar’s performance, especially as the yellow jersey holder.

Van Gelder stated, “Of course not. They keep finding new things. It can’t be that they keep riding faster and performing better. That’s just not possible. There are limits to the human body. At a certain point, it’s no longer made to do the things that we would like to be able to do in principle. It has to be faster, higher and better and at a certain point you’re limited.” He continued, “Pogacar apparently doesn’t have that limitation: he rides up four minutes faster than anyone in history has ever done.”

However, van Gelder’s claim that Pogacar rode up Plateau de Beille 3:44 minutes faster than Marco Pantani in 1998 is incorrect. The actual difference was only 1:08 minutes faster than Jonas Vingegaard. Van Gelder believes Pogacar’s victory will eventually be stripped, similar to the fate of many riders in the early 2000s. “It might be possible with body-own substances or whatever. But things happen… in a few years you’ll hear who actually won.”

Van Gelder’s remarks drew attention from the cycling community. Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld responded sharply: “Ah, Jack van Gelder is now also a medical specialist who knows exactly the limits of the human body. Maybe next time he can explain how it is possible that footballers run twice as many kilometres as in the 1970s. Or why they sprint so much faster than ten years ago. It’s not about what you believe, it’s not a religion. You have to prove, substantiate and investigate before you shout these kinds of things.”