"They’ve lost the plot a bit" - Óscar Pereiro condemns late-night anti-doping controls on Pogacar and Vingegaard
CyclingTuesday, 21 July 2026 at 03:00
Óscar Pereiro has taken aim at the anti-doping control system during the Tour de France. The 2006 winner criticised that riders such as Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard are woken in the small hours for tests, a practice he deems harmful and unjustified in the middle of the race.
Speaking on Tiempo de Juego, the former rider stressed that rest is one of the key factors in elite performance and questioned the need to carry out controls in the middle of the night.
Pereiro noted that tests can be conducted within a window from 22:00 the previous day to 06:00 in the morning, but he finds it unacceptable to wake a rider at two in the morning.
“Anyone who has ridden a bike, even for half an hour, has to understand how important rest is.”
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The Galician insisted that disrupting a rider’s sleep in a race as demanding as the Tour can directly affect recovery and performance.
“Waking a rider at two in the morning is something that cannot be allowed.”
Pereiro: “It’s like having a gun pointed at you”
Pereiro also criticised the message he believes these controls send to athletes. “It’s like they point a gun straight at you and say: ‘You’re a cheat, and we’re watching you at two in the morning because you’re a cheat.’”
The ex-professional argues that this approach treats riders under a constant presumption of guilt. “They’ve lost the plot a bit.”
Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France
The 2006 Tour de France winner also questioned why these situations are commonplace in cycling while, in his view, they do not occur with the same intensity in other sports.
“What’s the difference between cycling and the rest of the sports? Why does cycling, even today, still put up with this crap?”
His comments come as anti-doping controls during the Tour return to the centre of debate, especially when they affect the race’s leading favourites, such as Pogacar and Vingegaard.
Although Pereiro made it clear he supports the fight against doping, he believes that work must be done without compromising the rest and recovery of riders facing the biggest physical effort on the racing calendar.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Success usually corrupts and makes one arrogant. This is very impressive.
KerisVroom21-07-2026 - Marc Reef: We had the race in our hands, and we were ready to give it a shot with him We had the race in our hands? Someone else needs to be tested for something else with this comment. Jonas was barely top 5 the day prior.mij21-07-2026
- this is a ridiculous comment, no basis behind this.mij21-07-2026
- The article states, "The judge, according to the sports code, must verify that there are "serious and consistent suspicions" that the specific riders have violated anti-doping rules or could do so". Since only Pogacar and Jonas were tested, I would like to know what was the serious and consistent suspicion that made them the subject of the testing? For context, several riders broke the time record on the Tourmalet and the Peleton has broken some long standing average speed records. No reason to just suspect the two of them.
PogiFan2Day21-07-2026 - vaughters is right it adds credibility if the riders pass the tests. record speeds in record heat doesn't add credibility. beating your own time up tourmalet by 2.5 minutes from 3 years ago doesn't add credibility.whkman21-07-2026
- It's good to read a calm, sensible comment for a change. Unlike many of the usual contributors here, who just post heated nonsense and blindly affirm or deny things like true believers.hb5012521-07-2026
- Kudos to Mom & Dad.
Front24221-07-2026 - I know... I'm being sarcastic. I want nothing to happen to Paul. I think he's a nice guy.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales21-07-2026
- Maybe wait until he reaches the podium or rides away from the others? You don’t think he’s been tested ever? It’s taken 8 years at the top for these two and now Remco to get an unexpected call, Tadej also didn’t get any when he was young and outperforming peers.Jumpyjohn21-07-2026
- Pretty silly and dangerous. One unexpected incident and that lead can be wiped out.Jumpyjohn21-07-2026
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