Jumbo-Visma is "totally clean" and no rider takes anything illegal, Jonas Vingegaard insisted following all but confirming his Tour de France win on Saturday evening.
Speaking at his winner's press conference in Rocamadour, the Dane defended his team's record at this year's race, one which has seen them take six stages, with three coming from Wout van Aert, two from Vingegaard, and one from Christophe Laporte.
The maillot jaune wearer was asked if the team should be trusted, given their dominance, and cycling's dubious history. This is a question that has been asked of every Tour winner since Lance Armstrong, the man who created much of the dubious history. The question was not asked with an implication of wrongdoing.
There is no evidence that Jumbo-Visma have done anything wrong, either at this year's Tour, or in the run up to it.
"We are totally clean, every one of us," Vingegaard said "I can say that to every one of you."
“No one of us is taking anything illegal," he continued. "I think why we’re so good is the preparation that we do. We take altitude camps to the next step. We do everything with material, food, and training. The team is the best within this. That’s why you have to trust.”
Asked how he had changed from the athlete who had come 22nd in Denmark's national time trial championships in 2019 to the man who now finished second on a 40km time trial at the highest level, the Tour, he said it was down to aerodynamics.
"Of course I would say I’m a better rider now," he said. "I can push more watts, but I think I’m more aerodynamic now than I was then. We do a lot of tests, in the wind tunnel, on the track. We did a lot of work on this and it paid off."
Vingegaard was beaten by his teammate Van Aert, who took his third stage of the race. It is the second year in a row that the Belgian has won the penultimate time trial of the Tour.
He was also asked about the team's record, but first seemed reluctant to discuss doping; in fact, he was annoyed to be questioned on this line.
"It’s such a sh** question, it comes back every year," he said.
Asked to expand, he said: "Because we’re performing at this level, we have to defend ourselves, I don’t get it.
"We work super hard for this. Cycling has changed. I don’t like it that we keep on having to reply to this. We have to pass controls every moment of the year, not only at the Tour de France, also at our homes.
"We’re just training for it. If you just look through our team, how we’ve developed through these years, it hasn’t come from nowhere."
There is no evidence that Jumbo-Visma have done anything wrong, either at this year's Tour, or in the run up to it.
