{"id":814669,"date":"2026-07-20T18:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/814669\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T18:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:19:09","slug":"multiple-riders-have-been-subjected-to-night-time-doping-controls-at-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/814669\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple riders have been subjected to night-time doping controls at Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"

The International Testing Agency (ITA) has undertaken night-time anti-doping tests on multiple more riders at the ongoing Tour de France,<\/a> Cycling Weekly has learned.<\/p>\n

Visma-Lease a Bike<\/a>\u2019s Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> and race leader Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> of UAE Team Emirates-XRG were woken up at 2am and 5am respectively on Sunday morning by doping control officers and made to provide an anti-doping sample.<\/p>\n

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Tests between the hours of 11pm and 6am are prohibited, except in exceptional circumstances, when the ITA has to request permission from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).<\/p>\n

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The UCI’s anti-doping rules state: “Unless the rider has identified a sixty minute testing window between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., or has otherwise consented to testing during that period, the UCI will not test a rider during that period unless it has a serious and specific suspicion that the rider may be engaged in doping.”<\/p>\n

In a statement late on Sunday, the ITA said<\/a> that \u201ceffective testing must, in limited and justified circumstances, be capable of occurring outside standard daytime hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Poga\u010dar said he did not get back to sleep<\/a> after being woken, while stage 15 winner <\/a>Remco Evenepoel<\/a> of Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe<\/a> said that it was \u201cinhumane\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s something that actually we should not accept as riders.”<\/p>\n

Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Cycling Weekly that at least two other teams have been tested at 5am during the Tour, one in the first week and one in the second week.<\/p>\n

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Cycling Weekly understands that a number of other teams \u2013 perhaps as many as eight \u2013 have also been subjected to night-time testing.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the ITA confirmed that more teams were tested outside \u201cusual hours\u201d.<\/p>\n

The riders\u2019 union, the Professional Cycling Associations (CPA), released a statement <\/a>on Monday lending its support to the anti-doping movement, but questioned the \u201crelevance\u201d of night-time testing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Tour de France is a competition that demands exceptional physical effort,\u201d the CPA statement said. \u201cThe quality of sleep and recovery is essential not only for performance but also for the health and safety of the riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that this practice hinders athletes\u2019 recovery during the most important and difficult race on the global calendar and runs counter to the intended objectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cCycling contributes approximately \u20ac10m to funding the fight against doping within the ITA for the collection and analysis of samples, while at the same WADA spends, on average, only $5 million per year across all sports on basic research to develop new methods for detecting and identifying new doping substances.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould it therefore be more appropriate to invest more in scientific research and detection technologies, rather than increasing the number of particularly intrusive unannounced tests?\u201d<\/p>\n

Night-time testing is only used when anti-doping authorities have concerns that an athlete may be engaged in doping practices. It is particularly useful at detecting substances which may have been taken in small doses \u2013 referred to as micro-dosing \u2013 that isn\u2019t detectable several hours later.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Cohen, the director general of the ITA, told The Athletic<\/a> in April that he was in favour of restrictions around night-time testing loosening \u2013 but cautioned against blanket testing in the early hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go and speak to the (ITA) testing department, they would say: yes, we need to be able to test whenever we can. Certainly, based on information [the ITA has], it would suggest that there is an issue,\u201d Cohen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you would want to do mass testing at the Tour de France, for example, and wake up all the athletes at 3am \u2014 that doesn\u2019t make sense. I think you would need to have very concrete suspicions (about an athlete) and use that in a very cautious manner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t advocate for mass night testing, but certainly for some flexibility if you believe that there is an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

French sports daily L\u2019\u00c9quipe reported<\/a> on Monday that the ITA made their requests ahead of the Tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs is customary in the lead-up to the Tour de France, the public health divisions of the Paris and Marseille judicial courts, which have jurisdiction over doping matters, are in contact with the UCI (International Cycling Union) and the ITA,\u201d the Paris prosecutor\u2019s office told L\u2019\u00c9quipe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe judges of these two jurisdictions have concurrent jurisdiction to rule on requests for nighttime doping controls. A judge of liberties and detention in Paris was therefore indeed contacted by the ITA, pursuant to Article L.232-14-4 of the French Sports Code, to authorise the doping controls that took place on the night of July 18-19.”<\/p>\n