"They are really pushing the boundaries" - Remco Evenepoel reacts to mid-night doping tests on Pogacar and Vingegaard
CyclingSunday, 19 July 2026 at 14:15
The Tour de France is a test of physical and mental ability; pressure and much more which takes the bests cyclists in the world through plenty important tests. The main riders face even more: the constant doping tests. However overnight, both Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar were woken up from their sleep to be tested, something even Remco Evenepoel was strongly against when asked this morning.
Scandalous timing for doping tests, Evenepoel argues
The 'big two' sit in first and second place when it comes to the overall classification, the same positions they have occupied since 2021. If one rider were to benefit from the withdrawal of the two, it would be Remco Evenepoel who sits third in the overall classification.
However when asked on the matter at the start of the stage this afternoon in Champagnole, Evenepoel was strongly against the happenings of this evening.
Jonas Vingegaard was woken up at 2am whilst Pogacar was woken up at 5am, and hasn't been able to sleep afterwards. This directly interferes with the competition, something Evenepoel is not a fan of.
“They just told me that it supposedly happened at two o'clock in the morning. That seems very strange to me, because that is not allowed according to the rules,” Evenepoel said in words to Het Nieuwsblad.
“That is annoying, but fortunately that wasn’t my problem last night. If it really were the case, it would be scandalous," he warns.
Remco Evenepoel sits behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the overall classification
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Have rules been broken?
Doping tests are virtually daily during the Tour de France for the top riders, it does not come as a surprise. However when it comes to timings of the tests, the rules vary from country to country.
In the past, riders have used substances that can only be identified in testing within a certain time frame - hence why the tests are often conducted at random times, and throughout a wide spectrum of moments during races and training blocks.
The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider however, who has plenty experience with testing, is against the extreme time schedules in which this happened from Saturday to Sunday afternoon.
“Normally the rule is from six o’clock in the morning, so I think two hours is going a bit too far. They are really pushing the boundaries then," he argues. "I would say to Jonas and Tadej: wake those guys up at two o’clock in the morning for a change. Then they’ll feel what they are doing to us. It is certainly not respectful.”
Ahead of a key mountain stage, finishing atop the brutal Plateau de Solaison, it certainly is not ideal for Evenepoel's rivals. The Olympic Champion himself is ready to take on the final day of the second week and try to defend his place on the podium.
"Today is about riding uphill as hard as possible from bottom to top, without really being in economic mode, if I may call it that. It is 35 minutes of full throttle. My goal is to lose as little time as possible, or none at all, maybe even gain a little time on someone if possible," he concluded.
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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- Exactly. Sweating and urinating are the fastest mechanisms for something in blood and those take 1-4 hrs. So check at 10pm and again check at 6 am. Its easy to catchabstractengineer20-07-2026
- Most recently on Stage 2.Hills3320-07-2026
- The tour organizers screw up again. It was a fast part of the course, a sudden turn. No warning. Only the first few riders would have been able to know it was coming . At this point I believe they want crashes to happencaptmike20-07-2026
- Shhhh, let people have fun 😉 You have fun too
KerisVroom20-07-2026 - I think, like with most other institutions, you’ll find the total costs outweigh the fine. Apart from US lawsuits, corrupt inofficial authorities and maybe Swiss speeding fines to the very rich, it’s usually the general population or if there is a victim, them, that pays the real price, the punishment is mostly arbitrary and the whole implementation often costs more than the fine. This will be especially true if the judge is Swiss with a Swiss salary, swiss paperwork to write up and Swiss rights to contest to have to deal with. It’s actually a no-brainier, 2-3 500 fines a day doesn’t even cover the hours.Mistermaumau20-07-2026
- Yeah, but we’re definitely not all the same there.Mistermaumau20-07-2026
- And why would good reasons be made public so easily or before findings lead to conclusions? People would go apeshyt if controllers started to release statements why they are turning up at 2am. With their knowledge of past practices, it is hardly unexpected this happens from time to time and sorry, it’s been a real long time since it happened, it’s also been a REAL long time since anyone of interest was caught, that is increasing pressure to be seen to be actually checking. Typical doping checks have been so integrated into the routines that people have probably forgotten they exist, new spectators might not even realise they have them.Mistermaumau20-07-2026
- It’s not that simple. This was part of the whole dilemma of deciding to do the Tour or not. Once you’ve accepted you’ve committed to do media work and you have to be very careful about how, when and to who you decide to opt out. The media makes you but can also break you and it’s pretty risky to set your own rules before you’re established enough to negotiate with many of them. Also, in this day and age you’re also kind of obliged to go in order to control the narrative. If you don’t show up you’re basically giving everyone a blank check to write whatever they feel like and that can increase external pressure even more than doing post-race com work. Best thing is to prepare riders on how to deal with it and cope. Someone who can’t has a handicap to reach the top.Mistermaumau20-07-2026
- It would be interesting to add up the total value of the fines after the tour is finished. I think the amount the UCI make from fines would be surprisingCyclingsbestfan20-07-2026
- I don't think it makes a difference on Seixas being a French rider, it makes a difference for the test-times tho if anyone could've been tested..
leedorney20-07-2026
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