Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard BOTH woken in the night before Tour de France Stage 15 by 'borderline violation of human rights'
By Leon Imber
Published 19/07/2026 at 14:26 GMT+1
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Cycling's anti-doping testing process has come under fire after Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) both received surprise overnight visits, disrupting their sleep ahead of Stage 15 of the Tour de France.
Vingegaard's late visit by anti-doping control 'a borderline violation of human rights' - McEwen
Video credit: TNT Sports
Pogacar and Vingegaard - two great rivals in the men's peloton - revealed the unexpected visits from International Testing Agency (ITA) officials during their pre-race interviews with TNT Sports on Sunday.
Vingegaard said he was woken at 2am, while Pogacar - the four-time Tour de France champion and yellow jersey holder - received the visit at 5am.
Vingegaard said: "I guess the ITA [International Testing Agency] didn't allow me to sleep much.
"I was sleeping very well, but then someone knocked on my door at 2am. Big surprise for me.
"Of course it’s good that they test, but when it’s affecting your performance and your sleep, I don’t think it’s so good.
"Hopefully, I’m not the only one – because it has to be equal for everyone. Not the nicest at two o'clock."
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Vingegaard details disrupted sleep after surprise visit by anti-doping control - 'Not the nicest'
Video credit: TNT Sports
The Danish rider, still chasing his first stage win at this year's Tour, added: "It took me 40 minutes before I was back in my room, so it wasn’t the best night.
"I still feel okay, but not the best night. But I cannot change it. It’s part of it, I guess."
Pogacar, meanwhile, said he only got "four hours of sleep" ahead of Stage 15 after the visit from the anti-doping control.
"It was a big shock for me also to get four hours of sleep today," the race leader said.
"I had a very cool, long morning. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I was chilling, listening to some old Eminem hits and making coffees. So caffeinated and ready to start the day, but it was definitely not nice to get woken up in the sweet dreams."
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'A big shock' - Pogacar racing Stage 15 on 'four hours of sleep' after anti-doping control visit
Video credit: TNT Sports
Panel rail at decision to disturb stars
In the TNT Sports Breakaway studio, Robbie McEwen was left puzzled by the timing of the anti-doping control visit, which followed a brutal, climb-heavy Stage 14 on Saturday.
"Yes, all for doping control, but being woken at 2am, that’s borderline a violation of human rights," McEwen said. "It’s just ridiculous, 2am, two weeks into a stage race - it is not normal."
That sentiment was echoed by fellow panelist Matt Stephens, who also acknowledged the importance of integrity in the sport, but was critical of the manner in which Pogacar and Vingegaard's preparations were hampered.
"It’s utterly disrespectful," Stephens said. "They’ve got a very important job to do, but there are times to do it.
"To wake a rider who needs that sort of sleep. You see Jonas, I’m surprised he wasn’t a little more forthright, because you can read between the lines. That can have a massive impact on the way he rides today."
The ITA announced ahead of this year's Tour that it would conduct 600 tests over the course of the race. The yellow-jersey holder is subject to testing after every stage.
The UCI states in Article 5.2 of its anti-doping rules: "Any rider may be required to provide a sample at any time and at any place by any anti-doping organisation with testing authority over him or her."
Pogacar explained the rigours of his regular testing, having retained his lead in the general classification since Stage 6.
"I go [for testing] every day," Pogacar said. "Every day when you have the yellow jersey you have control after the stage, after the media obligations.
"The chaperone is following you, you go to control and do that. And they come randomly in the mornings through the Tour, and today they chose nighttime.
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"I feel sorry for the guys coming and controlling, I can imagine some of the riders get upset and angry with them, but it’s not their fault. It’s the guys [above] who send them. The guys controlling us are just doing their jobs."
Cyclists not the only ones impacted
Late-night visits by anti-doping control agents are not limited to just cycling. Last month, tennis legend Serena Williams was critical of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) protocols she felt were "unprofessional".
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was given a four-year ban from tennis after she refused a test when an agent came to her house in the night. The Czech player said she was "scared" and did not feel safe.
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