So it’s the magical time of year when we’re all transported to the French Alps. It’s when the Tour de France is on in the background while we’re supposed to be working, and when every climb feels like it might be the one where someone finally cracks.

It’s also when we start looking past the obvious favorites, wondering if a rider tucked somewhere in the bunch is about to have the day of his life and turn the race upside down. Then the real mountains arrive, the new climate turns cruel, the roads pitch up, and the attrition rate rises. It’s awesome, and it’s cycling at its best.

Last but not least, we ask, “Is what I’m watching naturally possible, or am I signing up to be let down by another super-human once-in-a-lifetime effort?”

(Photo by Spring Cycling Agency/UAE Team Emirates)

Is The Tour de France Clean?

The latter question has bubbled to the top more in recent years, especially as Tadej Pogačar looks all but clear for a 5th Tour de France victory. Anyone who lived (and believed) through the Lance Armstrong era knows the feeling, that cheated feeling.

Who can we really ask about these kinda of things? Our buddy (and persistent thorn in cycling’s doping side) Phil Gaimon decided to take a different approach to his yearly “are they doping?” Tour de France talk.

This time, Gaimon brings on Tom Danielson for a longer conversation about doping. If you know anything about Tom Danielson, this is a pretty big deal. You can check it out in the video below or in the linked podcast.

This guest choice is not random. Danielson comes with his own history, including doping sanctions. It is a conversation between people who know the sport’s baggage. But still think the current peloton deserves more than blanket suspicion every time the racing gets hard to believe.

Gaimon is not asking anyone to forget cycling’s past, hes asking us not to forget; it’s impossible not to. Because there’s a difference between healthy skepticism and just yelling “doping” at every result you do not understand.

Ride fast, Do Drugs, Tell Lies… oh, Lance! (Photo/BikeRumor)

So…Are They All Doping?

The conversation between Gaimon and Danleison delves into the uncomfortable aspects of being a cycling fan in 2026. We want fast racing, big attacks, and history-making performances. Unfortunately… when they happen, half the internet decides they must be fake. That tension is not going away, especially at the Tour.

But Gaimon’s conversation is worth hearing. Because the past matters, up-to-date drug testing matters, and transparency matters. So does giving current riders at least some room to race before dragging every old scandal back onto their shoulders.

Doping talk will always be part of cycling. Maybe it should be. The sport earned that baggage the hard way. But this video is a better conversation than the usual comment-section sludge.

Watch the video, hear the argument, then decide where you land.