Night-time testing authorised
A Paris judge authorised night-time doping tests for Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar and his closest rival, Jonas Vingegaard, in the early hours of Sunday morning. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Monday that the International Testing Agency (ITA) had petitioned a judge specialising in liberty and detention matters to approve the anti-doping tests conducted between 18 and 19 July.
Vingegaard and Pogacar underwent unexpected nocturnal doping controls before stage 15, outside the usual testing window of 6 am to 11 pm. These tests occurred as the peloton headed towards Plateau de Solaison in the Savoyard Alps. Vingegaard was tested by the ITA at 2 am on Sunday, while Pogacar‘s test took place at 5 am.
The timing of these tests drew criticism from several riders and team staff. Remco Evenepoel, currently second overall in the Tour, described the tests as “inhuman” and “disrespectful.” Vingegaard‘s teammate, Matteo Jorgenson, also stated that the tests showed “a complete lack of respect” towards the riders.
Before the start of Sunday’s stage, Vingegaard commented on the situation, saying, “I was sleeping very well. It’s good that they test, but when it’s affecting performance and your sleep, I don’t think it’s so good.” Pogacar suggested that Vingegaard‘s 2 am test might have contributed to his crash on Sunday, which resulted in a broken collarbone and forced him to withdraw from the Tour. Pogacar remarked that Vingegaard‘s sleep was “ruined” and that this could have made him “a little less concentrated on the descent.” He added that the Tour would not be the same without Vingegaard.
Rationale and impact of nocturnal controls
Under the anti-doping regulations of the International Cycling Union (UCI), which delegated its anti-doping programme to the ITA in 2021, tests between 11 pm and 6 am require “serious and specific suspicions that the rider may be involved in doping activities.” The judges responsible for liberty and detention have concurrent jurisdiction to rule on requests for night-time anti-doping tests, as confirmed by the Paris public prosecutor’s office.
The ITA acknowledged that “night-time testing may be disruptive to riders’ rest and recovery.” However, the agency stated its responsibility to ensure the effectiveness of the cycling anti-doping programme and the integrity of races. It added that effective testing must, in limited and justified circumstances, be capable of occurring outside standard daytime hours.
Nocturnal testing was primarily introduced to combat the micro-dosing of performance-enhancing products, a practice that leaves only a short window for detection. Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the EF-Education EasyPost team, supported the night-time tests, suggesting they are effective in preventing peptide and testosterone micro-dosing.
It is also understood that up to five teams, including Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates XRG and Vingegaard’s Visma Lease-a-bike, have been subjected to nocturnal testing during this year’s Tour. The ITA confirmed that “other teams also have been subjected to ‘night-time’ or early morning testing,” without specifying numbers.
Vingegaard’s withdrawal and race standings
Vingegaard, who was seen as a primary contender to Pogacar, crashed on a tight right-hand bend, causing his front wheel to slide out and leading to a shoulder injury. This incident also involved other riders, including Pogacar‘s teammate Isaac del Toro, who landed on a spectator. Vingegaard will undergo surgery for his broken collarbone and will not continue in the Tour.
This withdrawal marks a significant setback for Vingegaard, who had shown strong form leading up to the Tour after previous victories. He had, however, lost considerable time to Pogacar on earlier stages, including the climb up the Col du Tourmalet and the stage up Le Markstein.
Pogacar remains in the overall leader’s yellow jersey, with a five-minute lead over Evenepoel. Evenepoel is 58 seconds ahead of Del Toro. The Tour is scheduled to conclude in Paris on Sunday evening.
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Source: theguardian.com
