Double Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard withdrew from the race on the first Alpine stage on Sunday following a crash near Bonneville. The incident occurred in the afternoon as the main peloton exited a roundabout, resulting in a collarbone injury requiring surgery in the coming days. Vingegaard’s exit came just hours after he was subjected to an unscheduled doping control at 2am by the International Testing Agency, conducted outside the standard testing window of 6am to 11pm.
Vingegaard’s rival Tadej Pogacar, the four-time Tour winner, characterized the early morning test as “inhuman” and suggested the disrupted sleep may have contributed to Vingegaard’s crash. Pogacar himself was tested at 5am the same morning. Before the stage, Vingegaard acknowledged the impact on his rest, stating that while testing is appropriate, the timing’s effect on performance and sleep quality was concerning. Pogacar noted the difference between his 5am disruption and Vingegaard’s 2am wake-up call, suggesting the latter allowed less opportunity for deep sleep recovery.
Despite the nocturnal testing, Pogacar’s performance remained unaffected during the stage. However, he was unable to secure victory, with Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel taking the stage win ahead of Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates’ Isaac del Toro. Evenepoel, now second overall, was equally vocal in his criticism, calling the testing practices “inhuman” and emphasizing that sleep represents the sole recovery opportunity for athletes during competition.
The International Testing Agency defended the practice, stating that while night-time testing disrupts rest and recovery, such measures are necessary under limited circumstances to ensure anti-doping program effectiveness and race integrity. UCI rules permit testing outside standard daytime hours when there exists serious and specific suspicion of doping. The ITA noted that all testing adheres to world anti-doping code safeguards and UCI regulations with consideration for rider welfare and rights.