Night-time doping tests for Pogacar and Vingegaard: Judge approved checks before 15th Tour stage

France – 20/07/2026: It was a night that is still reverberating through the Tour peloton. Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard were woken from their sleep before the 15th stage of the Tour de France on July 19 to undergo unannounced doping tests. Pogacar, the wearer of the yellow jersey for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, was awakened at around 5 a.m.; Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike as early as around 2 a.m.

The timing turned an ordinary measure into a sporting and political issue. Before a demanding mountain stage, every hour of recovery matters: sleep, hydration, muscle relaxation and concentration are all part of performance. Vingegaard said before the start that the test had significantly disrupted his sleep. Pogacar later explained that he was barely able to fall asleep again after his early-morning appointment.

Monday’s new information is this: the tests were apparently not merely an organisational decision taken on site. According to L’Equipe, a judge had authorised the procedure outside the usual time window. This gives the case a legal dimension, without allowing any suspicion or finding to be inferred against either rider.

The International Testing Agency is responsible for the Tour’s anti-doping programme and works on behalf of cycling’s world governing body, the UCI. Before the start of the race, the ITA had announced a targeted testing system based on risk analysis and information from the biological athlete passport. Tests can therefore take place throughout all three weeks and are not limited to finish areas.

According to the ITA, more than 360 tests had already been carried out on expected participants in the month before the Tour started. Around 600 samples are planned during the race. The overall leader and each stage winner are tested regularly; in addition, the selection of tests is intended to respond to performance data, investigative information and further risk factors.

This is precisely why the debate is sensitive. In cycling, the independence of testers is regarded as a fundamental condition of credibility. At the same time, a three-week race demands maximum physical precision from riders. A test in the middle of the night may be legally permissible yet still problematic from a sporting perspective if it noticeably shortens recovery before a high-mountain stage.

The Tour de France runs until July 26. For Pogacar and Vingegaard, this night left above all an unusual image: two rivals at the heart of the general classification, housed separately, both captured by the same system. The incident documents the rigours of a modern anti-doping programme – and the conflict between comprehensive testing and the protection of athletic recovery.