The Tour de France descended into chaos on Sunday morning as two of its top riders, Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, were dragged from their slumber for unscheduled night-time doping tests. It was a dramatic turn of events that left both riders reeling - quite literally in Vingegaard's case, after he crashed out of the competition with a broken collarbone.
Vingegaard, still leading the Tour at the time, was woken up at 2 am for his test, while Pogacar received an even earlier wake-up call at 5 am. These clandestine controls were carried out under the cover of darkness, outside the standard hours for anti-doping tests, which typically take place between 6 am and 11 pm.
The timing of these nocturnal tests has sparked a firestorm of criticism from riders and team staff, with Pogacar branding Vingegaard's 2 am test as "inhuman" and speculating it may have contributed to his rival's crash. Remco Evenepoel, now second in the overall standings, and Vingegaard's teammate Matteo Jorgenson also joined the chorus of disapproval, with Jorgenson accusing the ITA of showing a "complete lack of respect" towards the athletes.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) acknowledged that night-time testing can be disruptive to riders' rest and recovery, but insisted it is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the anti-doping programme. The agency stated that up to five teams have been subject to similar nocturnal testing during this year's Tour, including Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates XRG and Vingegaard's Visma Lease-a-bike.
Proponents of night-time testing argue it is a crucial tool in the fight against micro-dosing - a practice that allows athletes to use performance-enhancing products undetected for only short periods. Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the EF-Education EasyPost team and a former teammate of Lance Armstrong, has publicly supported nocturnal tests as an effective way to prevent the use of substances like EPO and HGH.
The Tour de France will conclude in Paris on Sunday evening, 26 July 2026. However, there is no immediate timescale for the publication of the results from these specific doping controls - only a reminder that in cycling, you're always under scrutiny, even when the sun isn't shining.