“Every podium contender should receive the same treatment”: Richard Plugge demands answers after Jonas Vingegaard's late-night anti-doping test
CyclingThursday, 23 July 2026 at 06:00
Team Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge has called for greater consistency in anti-doping controls after Jonas Vingegaard underwent a night-time test just hours before his Tour de France ended. While reaffirming his team's commitment to strict anti-doping measures, Plugge argued that all general classification contenders should be subject to the same testing conditions.
Plugge defends anti-doping but questions consistency
Plugge remained silent during Monday's rest day following Vingegaard's overnight anti-doping test and subsequent crash-induced withdrawal from the Tour. Speaking before Tuesday's individual time trial, however, the Visma | Lease a Bike boss addressed the controversy in detail.
The Dutchman began by highlighting his team's long-standing commitment to clean cycling. “In 2012, I named the team Blanco [meaning white in Spanish] because we wanted to start with a clean slate and leave the dark past behind us,” Plugge said in words gathered by L'Équipe.
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He argued that the squad has consistently supported stronger anti-doping measures. “Since then, as a team, we have had a very strict, very rigorous policy against doping, and we were among the first to push the International Testing Agency (ITA) to be at the forefront of testing and prevention. We have worked very hard on that.”
However, Plugge questioned why only certain riders appeared to be targeted with overnight controls. “On the other hand, all the other general classification contenders should be subject to the same strict rules, let's say the top ten, at the same time.”
Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar chat before the start of a stage at the 2026 Tour de France
Visma seeks answers from the ITA
According to Plugge, Visma has formally requested an explanation from the ITA regarding the timing and selection of the overnight tests.
“We have asked the ITA these questions: can you explain why there was different treatment? Why was only one rider (Vingegaard) tested at 2 a.m., apparently another rider at 5 a.m. (Tadej Pogacar), and why not the rest of the top ten?”
For Plugge, equal treatment is fundamental to maintaining trust in the anti-doping system. “If you want to safeguard the integrity of the sport, every podium contender should receive the same treatment, in my opinion.”
At the same time, he made clear that he is not opposed to overnight testing itself. “The purpose of anti-doping is that everyone is treated equally. And if the ITA believes that night-time controls are the best way to proceed, then that is probably the best way.”
Plugge said he hopes to receive a response from the ITA before the Tour de France concludes in Paris.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- Love the guy but I hope he doesn't. We need a grand tour that has a genuine competition in it for GC.Cyclingsbestfan23-07-2026
- "(...) and why not the rest of the top ten?" Unfortunately in the rest of TOP 10 is a french rider which is somehow invisible for ITA.averagecyclist23-07-2026
- Oh he is. Was mentioned here somewhere. Also ironic if you consider the behaviour of american fans at the Ryder Cup.
Andrew23-07-2026 - LA Doper with drug testing whining ... not unexpected!frieders323-07-2026
- The headline is kind of click bait-y. Watch the YouTube clip yourselves. I don't think the headline is what I took out of the discussion. If I had to summarise, Geraint doesn't really assign blame, but it's kind of inferred that he probably thinks Campenaerts is to blame for following the moto and as a result, goes round the roundabout too hot. Geraint does say outright that he doesn't blame the 2am testing given that the peloton had already ridden through lots of dodgy corners safely earlier in the stage. I think this has been the key debate every fan has been discussing (whether the 2am testing had an impact) - I know there was even some heated debates on the Escape Collective comments, which is usually quite civilised...Pogboom23-07-2026
- If he’s American that’s extremely ironic considering how many of them consider Trump to be a goat (I don’t like shouting).Jumpyjohn23-07-2026
- First of all, there is no 100 fine so most likely a typo. Secondly there are dozens of regulation breaches, each with different severity so no surprise to see differences in punishment (a bit like you when driving through a red light or not stopping at a pedestrian crossing. You need to do more homework to find details if it interests you.Jumpyjohn23-07-2026
- Says the prototype stereotypical american who although now lives elsewhere is an americam by birth.Andrew23-07-2026
- "Stage 16 (...) - DS Steven De Jongh (Lidl-Trek) fined 2,000CHF for breaching regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race. (...)" "Stage 17 (...) - Team Visma | Lease a Bike DS Arthur van Dongen: Breach of regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race and failure to comply with the instructions of commissaires. 100CHF fine, Yellow card, DS relegation (loss of positions in the convoy)." Lidl-Trek DS, 2000CHF fine, Visma DS 100CHF fine?Lobz7722-07-2026
- Pretty rich from Thomas also known as the crash test dummy in the peleton. Not very classy really . He should know better than most never throw stones in a glass house.paultryan200222-07-2026
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