"This is a complete lack of respect for the riders" - Fury as Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard woken up for doping tests in middle of the night before mountain stage
CyclingSunday, 19 July 2026 at 13:06
Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard endured a night to forget on Saturday night as both were woken up from their sleep for doping tests. The Tour de France general classification first and second placed riders suffered the disrupted night after Saturday's stage 14.
According to Le Parisien, Pogacar was woken at 5am to undergo the test while Vingegaard was woken at 2am for his test. The publication reported that both riders' sleep was disrupted as a result and their teams unhappy with the unannounced testing and its timing.
Unannounced tests are legally permitted during the race since 2016, with riders subject to on the spot testing between the hours of 11pm and 6am nightly. Speaking before the stage, Vingegaard confirmed the test.
"I thought it wasn't allowed, but apparently it is according to the rules. It's good that they test us, but not if it affects your performance. Checking at 2 o'clock, that's going a bit over the limit," Vingegaard told HLN.
Tadej Pogacar couldn't get back to sleep after his 5am wake-up, so found himself having a long morning as he listened to rap artist Eminem and made coffee.
"I slept four hours last night. I always go to bed late, so 5 am was early for me too. I had a long morning: I couldn't sleep anymore, so I listened to old Eminem songs and made coffees with too much caffeine," he said before the stage.
Jorgenson furious with night time doping test
"I have checks by the Yellow Jersey every day. After all the media obligations, I go to the check, and sometimes they also come 'randomly' in the morning. I feel sorry for the controllers. It is not their fault. They are just doing their job."
Vingegaard's teammate Matteo Jorgenson was bemused as he labelled the testing as a lack of respect for the riders as he explained his fury.
"I was asked to keep my opinion on this to myself. But this is a complete lack of respect for the riders. We are focusing heavily on recovery. That is hugely important, especially between two of the toughest mountain stages in this Tour. And then you get woken up at 2 a.m. That makes me really furious."
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However, with a looming mountain stage on Sunday, the preparation is not ideal for both the UAE Team Emirates - XRG team's yellow jersey holder, nor second placed Visma | Lease a bike leader.
Pogacar surged to an incredibly 25th Tour de France stage win on Saturday thanks to a solo attack in the final kilometer of Col du Haag. Despite Vingegaard's aggressive controlling of the pace, the Slovenian's acceleration went unanswered as he took a 38=second advantage to the finish, with only Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro catching up to Vingegaard over the top of the climb.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- I guerss you really don't have reading comprehension to understand sarcasm ! Look it up clown !frieders320-07-2026
- Your 'god' got beat today by the rider you despise more than Jonas ! LOL !frieders320-07-2026
- Tadeg did comment that the stage wasn't as hard as the previous stage since once the break formed it was cruise mode to the last climb. So not a 'wearing' stage in that sense where the Alp stages will be with multiple big climbs which will probably be Remco's kryptonitefrieders320-07-2026
- ton of people on this site trash lance any chance they get and now we see that those same people that trash lance are against doping controls that comply with the ruleswhkman20-07-2026
- I'd say as hid last race it is unlikely but imminent retirement is quite possible
Rafionain-Glas20-07-2026 - I didn't like the last climb. Pog has now gifted 2 stages he could easily have won. Ok, he really likes IDT but this is the Tour. He's just playing around, amazing to see someone so dominant. Don't think I'll see another one like him before I check out.Santiago20-07-2026
- If you put together several interviews, the clues are there to suggest it. He's spoken about quitting professional cycling over the winter (yes, he said he was enjoying it again after a change in program). He's spoken about "completing" cycling after winning the Giro and not being sure what else he has to do/prove. I think several stages of this Tour made him realize defeating Tadej is unlikely. That near-death crash a few years ago is still there... a bad crash is bound to bring up some memories. Jonas has said time and time again that his family is #1 and how much he dislikes being away from them for cycling/training. He's also been doubling down on his post-cycling career with a rather substancial real estate portfolio in Denmark. Sure, he has a contract and a good salary to go with it - but that's more time away from his family while he could easily live comfortably if he retired tomorrow. I hope I'm wrong; I'd love to see him chase more races .. just saying it's a possibility.JBlake20-07-2026
- You're probably the only one. There was no way that Pogačar would have intentionally passed up a chance to win. He looked easy because he couldn't really sprint after the work he'd done.Rafionain-Glas20-07-2026
- except pogacar was being drug tested according to the rules, not harassed by Australian teenie bopperswhkman20-07-2026
- The title portrays it as though he sacrificed his own safety for Pogačar. In reality, had he hit Pogačar, they'd both have crashed, so for Torito to crash on his own was the obvious decision to make.Rafionain-Glas20-07-2026
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