Nighttime Doping Check and Crash: Vingegaard Forced to Abandon the Tour de France

Criticism of Nighttime Checks

Overall leader Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia, who wears the Yellow Jersey, was also tested – according to his own account at 5 a.m. Pogačar stressed the importance of sleep and recovery: „Schlaf ist wichtig. Die Erholung des Körpers ist entscheidend. Wenn man auch nur ein bisschen die Konzentration verliert… Und die Strecke dort in der Ortschaft war wirklich gefährlich.“ After the crash, he expressed sympathy: „Nach einer Nacht, bei der der Schlaf ruiniert wird, liegt es vielleicht daran. Seine Tour ist ruiniert. Es ist wirklich traurig.“

The sharpest criticism came from Belgian stage winner Remco Evenepoel, who won Stage 15 and was able to sleep undisturbed that same night. He said: „Ich kann nur sagen, dass es ziemlich respektlos ist, die Fahrer mitten in der Nacht zu wecken. Kontrollen um 2.00 und 5.00 Uhr morgens sind etwas, das wir als Fahrer eigentlich nicht hinnehmen können. Es ist schlicht unmenschlich, uns mitten in der Nacht aus dem Schlaf zu reißen.“ He also announced he would involve the riders' union CPA, and joked that his team should wake those responsible at 3 a.m. and take blood from them in turn.

Lipowitz Shows Understanding

German pro cyclist Florian Lipowitz, who finished third in last year's Tour de France, expressed understanding for the riders' annoyance. „Kontrolliert wird natürlich super viel bei der Tour, und ich glaube, da wird kein Team verschont. Natürlich ist es vielleicht ungünstiger morgens vor so einer harten Etappe. Gestern kamen wir super spät ins Hotel, und dann zählt natürlich jede Minute Schlaf“, he said. Nighttime checks were „nicht ganz vorteilhaft“.

Rules for Doping Checks

Doping checks at the Tour de France normally take place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Nighttime checks are in principle permitted, but are subject to stricter conditions, such as the existence of concrete suspicion.

After the crash, Vingegaard was taken away in the team doctor's car with his arm in a sling and tears in his eyes. A broken collarbone is feared. With his withdrawal, the Tour loses one of its two great protagonists – for Pogačar's overall victory is now considered all but certain after the Dane's exit.

Consequences for the Overall Victory

Pogačar, who finished the stage at the Plateau de Solaison level with Evenepoel at the front, passed the problematic spot at the roundabout without harm. His lead is likely to grow significantly after Vingegaard's abandonment – and pave the way for him to another overall victory in the French round tour.

Evenepoel's triumph on the mountain stage became almost a side note amid the discussion about the checks and the crash. The Belgian, already a two-time Olympic champion, used the day both athletically and in the media to stoke the controversy over the nighttime tests.

The criticism also centres on the question of whether anti-doping inspectors should carry out nighttime checks on elite athletes just hours before one of the toughest stages at all – or whether the rules should be applied more flexibly in such cases. Vingegaard's crash, critics say, could have been a direct consequence of the lost sleep.