Wave of Tour de France night doping tests as Decathlon, Groupama FDJ and Picnic-PostNL also visited after Red Bull confirm tests
CyclingTuesday, 21 July 2026 at 12:51
The 2026 Tour de France night doping test saga has continued to unfold as it's reported that a wave of night tests took place on Monday night, on the eve of stage 16. With reports first emerging that Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe were visited and underwent tests, it's now been reported that three other teams also had tests.
The story began on Saturday night as Jonas Vingegaard was awoken at 2am for an unannounced test as he and his teammates voiced their concerns on the timing of the tests. A few hours later, at 5am, yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar was also woken for a test.
The Slovenian revealed he couldn't get back to sleep in the interim and was forced to endure an early morning before a brutal mountain stage on Sunday. Meanwhile, Vingegaard crashed during the stage and was forced to abandon the race with a broken collarbone.
The Pogacar and Vingegaard night tests were approved by a judge of liberties and detention (JLD) at the Paris judicial court. According to a report, the incident is the first application of provisions introduced into French law in 2015.
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. The judge must also determine a "risk of loss of evidence."
Red Bull and other teams tested on Monday
On Tuesday morning, Red Bull team manager Ralph Denk confirmed that the entire team was woken at 10pm and all riders tested as he noted the inconvenience could affect the team's recovery.
Now, a Le Parisien report says Paul Seixas also got a visit from the International Testing Agency (ITA) as the Decathlon CMA CGM team underwent tests at 8pm on Monday evening. At 9pm, Groupama FDJ United were tested while Red Bull and Picnic PostNL subject to a 10pm visit.
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It's unclear at the time of reporting whether the Monday night tests were applied under the same law as Saturday's, however, they did all take place at an earlier time to that of Vingegaard and Pogacar.
"We were also visited last night. Some of the drivers [riders, Ed.] were already asleep and went along with the checks," reported team manager Ralph Denk on ZDF's morning show.
“It certainly hinders recovery,” Denk said. “Primarily, we have a dark past in cycling, and therefore it’s good that checks are being carried out here."
He added: “The regulations allow for checks to be carried out late at night. It ensures that our sport is clean, that it’s credible, and therefore this is part of it.”
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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- They are testing but are they Lance era testing or active testing. Lance era was "oh, looks a bit high but he is a big drawl...it's fine". Active is, positive pull them out of the race and banmd197521-07-2026
- it hinders recover if you're using epo for recoverywhkman21-07-2026
- 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
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