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Next Sunday should go down in the history of the Tour de France. If nothing crazy happens, a Slovenian will be on the highest podium in the world’s largest cycle race for the first time. It is Primoz Roglic (30) or Tadej Pogacar (21). Hardly anyone believes that the Slovenian holiday can still be prevented. Because: “Rog” and “Pog” are not only in the first two places of the general ranking. No, they also dominate the tour at will. As others battle for the mountains, the super duo effortlessly flies towards the goal.
“There is nothing to hide”
That is admirable. At the same time, it also kindles a fire of suspicion. There is nothing to hide from me. In any case, I can be trusted, ”says Roglic. The former ski jumper explained that he was only awakened at 6 a.m. for a doping control on Sunday before his coup at the Grand Colombier. One thing is for sure: when the largest court case in Germany begins on Wednesday in the course of Operation Aderlass, many Slovenian bike fans will look to Munich in fear. Erfurt doctor Mark Schmidt is charged: He is said to have helped several elite athletes get blood doped over the years.
Super Slovenians too? The UCI World Cycling Federation wrote in spring 2019 that “the activities of various Slovenian individuals, including drivers, supervisors and team management personnel, are being carefully monitored to identify potential roles in a number of different studies.” Nothing came of it. However, there are indications that Operation Aderletting was also active in Slovenia. Furthermore, Milan Erzen, the discoverer of Roglic, is said to have been involved in the affair.
Ex-teammate was captured
In Pogacar the situation is different, but no less suspicious. His former teammate in the United Arab Emirates, Krisijan Durasek (Kro), was caught performing bleeding surgery. And former pro Andrej Hauptmann, who discovered the 21-year-old bicycle prodigy, was banned from touring in 2000. His hematocrit was too high, an indication of EPO. And there is something else: the executive director of the UAE team is Mauro Gianetti. Gianetti? Exactly: the ex-Ticino pro fell off his bike at the Tour de Romandie in 1998 without outside interference. At the hospital, the doctors fought for his life. The attending physician said that Gianetti had taken perfluorocarbon (PFC). Officially, the “case of weakness” was caused by an allergy.
Back to Roglic and Pogacar. After they walked away from their big competitor and former tour winner Egan Bernal (23, Kol) on Friday, he said: “I handled the best watts I could. But Primoz and Tadej were simply faster. “What is finally left in relation to the Slovenian duo? Exactly: a” Gschmäckle “, as the Swabians say. One could also say: a bad feeling.
