"It was a big shock for me to get only four hours of sleep" - Tadej Pogacar opens up about doping test and lack of sleep
CyclingSunday, 19 July 2026 at 15:38
Tadej Pogacar has been the main victim of a sequence of doping tests overnight at the Tour de France. The yellow jersey is frequently tested, however this time around the test happened at five in the morning, leaving the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider with only a few hours of sleep ahead of one of the race's queen stages.
The situation has left many upset, and downright angry. Whilst both Pogacar and Vingegaard were rather accepting of the situation in their words to the media this morning; their teammates certainly were not, and shared their frustration with the matter.
In a race where every detail matters, and recovery is taken to the smallest of details, the loss of hours of sleep in the middle of two key stages at the Tour has been a reason for anger within both UAE and Visma.
At the start of the stage in Champagnole, Tadej Pogacar recalled the situation. “Not 2am, but 5am in the morning. I always go to sleep late so it was a big shock for me to get only four hours of sleep today, but I had a very cool, long morning," he said.
In his traditional fashion, the yellow jersey reported on a situation that didn't prove to be too difficult. “I couldn't go back to sleep, so I was chilling listening to some old Eminem hits and making coffee, fully caffeinated and ready to start the day".
"But yeah, it was definitely a shock to get woken up in the middle of sweet dreams".
Tadej Pogacar on Stage 10 of the 2026 Tour de France
Read also
Constant doping tests no longer a surprise for the yellow jersey
Doping tests, in and out of racing, are a constant for a rider such as Pogacar who wins across the entire season. However it is a new situation to be woken up at such a time.
“I go every day. Every day when you have the yellow jersey, you have control after the stage, after the media obligations and all that. Also, they come randomly in the mornings through the Tour, and today they chose nighttime.”
A difficult situation to manage, but also one which was managed as best as possible. The Slovenian ended up with words regarding those who tested him, not transferring the dissatisfaction to them directly.
“I also feel sorry for the guys who are coming to do the controls because I can imagine some riders get upset and angry with them. But they’re just doing their jobs. The people who send them, their bosses, are the ones making the decisions.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- And you’re free to believe that as I am free not to believe it regardless of who my neighbours or work colleagues support.
Andrew21-07-2026 - And you know that how? Did Pog call you, message you?Andrew21-07-2026
- being reported that as many as 8 teams were tested at late hours and from Benjamin Cohen, head of ITA in April: “I don’t think you would want to do mass testing at the Tour de France, for example, and wake up all the athletes at 3am — that doesn’t make sense. I think you would need to have very concrete suspicions (about an athlete) and use that in a very cautious manner. “I wouldn’t advocate for mass night testing, but certainly for some flexibility if you believe that there is an issue.” so really doesn't seem like he's crazy about testing and thinks they should need evidence for late night testing. and here we are, they went to a judge and got the ok so I think they have credible evidencewhkman21-07-2026
- you don't believe or you know?whkman21-07-2026
- "a bit much" is an understatement.whkman21-07-2026
- UAE will suffocate Remco in the big mountains !frieders321-07-2026
- the ita obviously only had evidence on the riders that were tested and took it to the judge and the judge ok'd the 2am and 5am tests. maybe seixas is doped up who knows? but they didn't have any evidence on him to bring to a judge. anyone who thinks the French are biased has forgotten Festina.whkman21-07-2026
- Remco won, Pogi second ! Your worst nightmare ! Ad Acta Clown !frieders320-07-2026
- The youngest rider to start the TdF since 1937 is solidly in the top 5 of the GC contenders after 14 hard fought stages and he doesn't raise any "serious and consistent suspicions"? Seriously bad look for the frogs.mrvco20-07-2026
- Pogi was first 'loser' Sunday ! That would be second place in case that's to hard to figure out!frieders320-07-2026
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