Marc Padun opened up for the first time about the doping allegations that have been tailing off since last summer, revealing that he was hurt by the accusations.

The Ukrainian rider has been relatively quiet in his first three years as a professional, but came to life last summer at the Criterium du Dauphiné.

The performance immediately aroused suspicion, and the French newspaper Le Parisien anonymously published the words of the rider and team boss, who spoke of "absolute disgrace" and a return to the "dirty days of the 2000s."

The ensuing allegations were hardly mitigated when Padun was removed from the Bahrain Victorias team for the Tour de France and the team itself became the subject of a doping investigation by French police, who terminated his contract a year early.

He was subsequently signed by EF Education Easy Post, and team boss Jonathan Vaughters alluded to the allegations in an exclusive interview with Cycling News, detailing the tests and background checks conducted against Padun.

And now Padun himself has opened his mouth in an interview with the French newspaper L'Equipe (opens in new tab) ahead of his debut in the 2022 season.

"Certain people write unfounded things, like 'this guy is a cheat' or 'he came from nowhere,' but those are all lies. First of all, I'm not a cheat, and besides, I produce results every year," Padun said.

"It's very offensive and I feel bad. Even if a few weeks after the Dauphiné, by talking to people close to me, I tell myself, 'Well, this is part of the game.'"

Padoun turned pro with the Bahrain team in 2018, winning a stage in the Tour de l'Alps before finishing third in a stage of the Vuelta a España, his Grand Tour debut. He then won a stage and overall at Adriatica Ionica in 2019, as well as the Ukrainian time trial title, but his 2020 campaign was derailed by a pandemic, with the highlight being a stage second at the Giro d'Italia.

Padun also cited stage wins at the Giro della Regione Friuli, Giro della Valle d'Aosta, and the U23 Baby Giro d'Italia, highlighting his results before turning pro.

"These results prove that I did not come from nowhere," he told L'Equipe.

"For me, it's hard to get down to my race weight and maintain it. But it's hard to maintain that form. You have to push yourself hard, but not too hard. I put too much pressure on my body, I got out of shape, and I came up empty."

Padun remained tight-lipped about his departure from Bahrain Victorious, saying he was never told why he was not selected to represent the Tour. That decision was "one of the reasons" for his early departure. What about the others?" I don't want to share."