Vingegaard's crash on 15th Tour stage raises questions about nighttime doping controls

The two-time Tour winner had received a doping control from the International Testing Agency (ITA) around two o'clock in the morning on the night before the stage. Vingegaard acknowledged a possible connection in a conversation with the Danish broadcaster TV2: "You can probably say that it certainly didn't help. Whether that's the reason, I don't dare speculate about. It may well have played a role."

Night-time controls under criticism

According to the Dutch Visma team, the controls were carried out on the instructions or with the approval of the French Anti-Doping Agency AFLD. Overall leader Tadej Pogačar, who had to undergo a similar control at five o'clock, also raised the disrupted sleep as a possible cause.

The Slovenian said: "After a night where your sleep is ruined, that might be why. His Tour is ruined. It's really sad." Pogačar also stressed the importance of recovery for concentration in the race and described the section of the course in the town as "really dangerous."

Stage winner Remco Evenepoel also sharply criticized the nighttime controls. "It is simply inhumane to tear us out of our sleep in the middle of the night," said the Belgian, who won the 15th stage. He announced that he would involve the riders' union CPA. "If this had happened to me, I would send my team out tonight to wake up the people responsible at three o'clock in the morning as well, and let them feel for themselves what that's like – and take blood from them in the middle of the night," said the double Olympic champion.

Prominent support for the riders

Evenepoel spoke of a "disgrace" and called for an end to the nighttime testing practice. "Controls at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. are something we as riders really cannot accept," he said. German cycling professional Florian Lipowitz, last year's third-place finisher, also criticized the timing: "Yesterday we got to the hotel really late, and then every minute of sleep counts of course."

The riders received support from an unexpected quarter. Lance Armstrong – heard alongside former Tour winner Bradley Wiggins and ex-teammate George Hincapie on the podcast "The Move" – called the 2 a.m. controls "a question of human rights. I am speechless." Wiggins said: "He'd just fallen asleep, and an hour later he was woken up again. I mean, we all agree that's not on, right?"

Rules and outlook

Night-time doping controls have been permitted since 2016 but are subject to stricter guidelines that require concrete suspicion. Regular tests take place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. With Vingegaard's abandonment, overall leader Pogačar lost his most important rival in the fight for the Yellow Jersey.

On Tuesday, the Tour program features an individual time trial over 21.6 kilometers from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains. For Vingegaard, who doesn't want to let his head drop – "There's no point in hanging your head. That just makes everything worse" – the race is over after the crash.