Tour de France Anti-Doping Testers Wake Pogacar and Vingegaard in Early Hours, Sparking Rider Backlash

Anti-doping officials from the International Testing Agency (ITA) conducted unannounced overnight drug tests on Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar and second-placed Jonas Vingegaard in the early hours of Sunday morning, disrupting the sleep of the race's top two contenders ahead of the crucial stage 15 mountain finish to Plateau de Solaison.

Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) was woken at 2am, while Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) was tested three hours later at 5am. The tests were carried out under rules that have permitted round-the-clock unannounced controls at the Tour de France since 2016.

"I got four hours of sleep today," Pogacar told Eurosport before the stage, explaining that he had gone to bed at 1am. "They were here at 5am in the morning. I always sleep late, it was a big shock for me to get four hours of sleep." The four-time Tour winner said he spent the early morning "listening to some old Eminem hits, and making coffees. So I'm overcaffeinated and ready to start the day."

Vingegaard, who sits second overall entering the Tour's final week, described his surprise at the 2am knock. "I was sleeping very well but then somebody knocked on my door at 2am. Big surprise to me but of course I mean it's good that they test, but when it's affecting performance and your sleep I don't think it's so good," he told TNT Sports. The Danish rider noted that the process took approximately 40 minutes before he could return to his room. "It was not the best night. I still feel okay, but just not the best night."

Pogacar, who as race leader would also have been subject to the daily post-stage anti-doping controls on Saturday, expressed sympathy for the testers themselves. "I feel sorry for the guys that are doing the control, I can imagine that some riders get upset and angry with them, but it's not their fault. It's the bosses. The guys doing the control are just doing their jobs."

Rider and Team Reactions

The overnight tests drew sharp criticism from teammates and fellow competitors. Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Matteo Jorgenson was particularly outspoken. "I was asked to keep my opinion on this to myself," the American said. "But this is a complete lack of respect for the riders. We are focusing heavily on recovery. That is hugely important, especially between two of the toughest mountain stages in this Tour. And then you get woken up at 2am. That makes me really furious."

UAE Team Emirates rider Florian Vermeersch went further, telling reporters: "Tadej dealt with it well, but I find it almost inhumane and completely absurd. As far as I know, it is also the first time he has been woken this early for a control. People will say we are complaining, but this is ridiculous."

Remco Evenepoel, currently third overall behind Pogacar and Vingegaard, expressed disbelief upon hearing the news. "At 2am? That cannot be right. No, surely that is not allowed," the Belgian rider told Sporza. Asked how he would respond to a middle-of-the-night knock, Evenepoel replied bluntly: "I would not say anything. I would just keep sleeping."

Within the Rules

Despite the backlash, Visma manager Richard Plugge acknowledged that the late-night tests are permitted under current anti-doping regulations. "We know this is possible, these are the rules," Plugge told Wielerflits. "From one minute before the start of the Tour until the finish in Paris, checks can take place 24 hours a day. That is stated in the rules, so you know this can happen."

Plugge framed the testing as a positive indicator for the sport's integrity. "The fact that it is happening is also a good sign. I keep saying it: because in this sport we do everything we can — much more than in many other sports — to ensure that cycling remains fair."

Le Parisien reported that Pogacar and Vingegaard appeared to be the only riders subject to these overnight controls. The ITA has not yet commented on the matter. Pogacar leads the Tour by four minutes and 30 seconds over Vingegaard, the largest gap entering the race's final week since Vincenzo Nibali's victory in 2014.