Intensified Doping Investigations At Tour de France Threaten Cycling’s Delicate Balance - Defector

What the report says

Defector reports that doping concerns have become a central issue at this year’s Tour de France despite no public positive test results. Writing from Évian-les-Bains, France, Patrick Redford describes a more forceful approach by the International Testing Agency and the Union Cycliste Internationale, with authorities using late-night testing and legal approvals meant to address possible methods that could evade older anti-doping systems.

The article says Jonas Vingegaard was awakened at 2 a.m. and Tadej Pogačar at 5 a.m. before Stage 15 for blood and urine collection. It notes Tour riders already face extensive monitoring through the biological passport program, daily testing for the yellow jersey holder and stage winner, start-of-race controls, and random checks. But Defector highlights that testing outside the normal 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. window requires “serious and specific suspicion.”

Defector also cites reporting that as many as eight other teams faced late-night tests, while all eight Red Bull riders were tested at 10 p.m. on the second rest day, along with unspecified numbers of Decathlon and Picnic Post-NL riders. The piece says L’Équipe reported that the ITA received approval from a French judge, while the ITA did not publicly detail the basis for its suspicions.

The report frames the dispute as a recurring tension in cycling: riders want to be treated as credible when tests are clean, while governing bodies must show vigilance in a sport shaped by past scandals involving Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, Alberto Contador, Operación Puerto and Team Sky. Defector argues that the issue matters because cycling’s current growth and public confidence depend on whether fans believe elite performances are legitimate.