Full Breakdown
Nighttime Anti-Doping Tests Disrupt Top Contenders at the 2026 Tour de France
7/21/2026, 10:21:03 PM
Core Event
On the night of July 18, a Paris judge authorised the International Testing Agency (ITA) to conduct anti-doping controls on two of the race’s leading riders: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Pogacar was woken at 5 a.m. and Vingegaard at 2 a.m. to provide samples, a procedure that had never before been used under the French legal provisions introduced in 2015. The tests occurred just before the decisive mountain stage to Plateau de Solaison, after which Vingegaard crashed and abandoned the race with a broken collarbone.
Background & Context
French anti-doping law permits nighttime testing only when a judge determines that “serious and specific suspicion” exists that a rider may be doping and a “risk of loss of evidence” would arise if testing waited until morning. The UCI’s anti-doping code mirrors this requirement, allowing out-of-hours controls only under the same suspicion threshold. Since 2016, the ITA—tasked by the UCI with managing cycling’s anti-doping programme—has been able to request such authorisations.
Data & Statistics
- The ITA’s 2026 Tour budget exceeds €10 million, a 35 % increase from previous years.
- Roughly 600 in-competition samples are planned for the three-week race, alongside more than 360 out-of-competition controls conducted in the month preceding the start.
- Over 40 anti-doping officials are deployed throughout the event.
Official Statements & Responses
The Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed that the judge acted under Article L.232-14-4 of the French Sports Code to approve the night-time controls. The ITA acknowledged that such testing can disrupt riders’ rest but argued it is essential for effective testing and to protect the integrity of cycling races.
Criticism & Opposition
Riders and the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) union described the practice as “inhumane” and “intrusive.” Pogacar said the early-morning wake-up left him with only four hours of sleep before the mountain stage, while Vingegaard noted that the disruption affected his concentration. Remco Evenepoel, second in the general classification, called the timing “disrespectful” and urged that sleep be protected in the sport’s toughest race.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Every single test is a targeted test,” — Olivier Banuls, ITA Director of Testing
- “Micro-dosing is particularly challenging because the detection window is much shorter,” — Olivier Banuls, ITA Director of Testing
- “When it comes down to very difficult to detect hormones and peptides, like EPO and humane growth hormone, the clearance time can be quite quickly,” — Jonathan Vaughters, EF Education-EasyPost manager
- “The fact that we have so many ongoing cases means you cannot say the sport is 100 percent clean. It’s a never-ending fight.” — Jonathan Vaughters, EF Education-EasyPost manager
What’s Next
The Tour de France is scheduled to finish on July 26 in Paris. The ITA has indicated that all samples collected will undergo laboratory analysis, with the possibility of re-analysis for up to ten years as detection methods improve. Further nighttime authorisations may be sought if the agency deems “serious and specific suspicion” persists.
