State of the Peloton 2026

[Krzysztof_O]

Interesting. I wonder if the commentators who were so righteously up
In arms about the timing of the testing (like Robbie McEwan with “it’s a violation of human rights”) knew that this probably wasn’t just testing run amuck?

I'm curious if our heroes were under the weather yesterday due to those tests, not due to sleeping less.

 

[Sciatic]

Pogi recounts testing this year -
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...strange-anti-doping-testing-at-tour-de-france

Reason why, I would hazard to guess, is https://ita.sport/news/ita-to-deliv...nce-anti-doping-program-on-behalf-of-the-uci/

“. . . they're doing different a little bit different testing than usual. They're doing everything. They're trying to do different things. ...“

Uh, yeah, while the procedures should be uniform, the timing of the tests should not be predictable so riders can’t anticipate when they’ll be tested.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

“. . . they're doing different a little bit different testing than usual. They're doing everything. They're trying to do different things. ...“

Uh, yeah, while the procedures should be uniform, the timing of the tests should not be predictable so riders can’t anticipate when they’ll be tested.

Fortunately for Teddy, he's safe as long as porridge is not on the list of banned substances.

 

[Tim Cahill]

The implication of the CPA statement seems to be that other riders were tested at the time, though the wording is slightly ambiguous.

 

[nightowl]

Yes, those were not just random tests. Our heroes were targeted (due to some suspicions) and a judge approved the night tests.



After their 2021 exploits the next year they were too weak to even get into breakaways.

True, but they weren’t officially sanctioned or anything

 

[Sciatic]

True, but they weren’t officially sanctioned or anything

If there is a clause in the UCI testing rules that allows testing on occassion during the usually testing-free nighttime hours, then how is it not officially sanctioned?

 

[Tim Cahill]

Other teams/riders have been tested in the early hours.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/tour-de-france/multiple-riders-have-been-subjected-to-night-time-doping-controls-at-tour-de-france

Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Cycling Weekly that at least two other teams have been tested at 5am during the Tour, one in the first week and one in the second week.

Cycling Weekly understands that a number of other teams – perhaps as many as eight – have also been subjected to night-time testing.

 

[k0llye]

The implication of the CPA statement seems to be that other riders were tested at the time, though the wording is slightly ambiguous.

lmao @ them mentioning that 10 million euro contribution and immediately afterwards criticising their methods. in an official letter. amazing optics!

 

[Cookster15]

lmao @ them mentioning that 10 million euro contribution and immediately afterwards criticising their methods. in an official letter. amazing optics!

Seems a good letter? It makes the point that the sport of cycling alone contributes 10 million euros to the ITA and yet WADA spends only $USD 5 million across all sports on research to develop new testing methods.

But if I am a rider in the Tour I think I would prefer to be woken at 5am than 2am. 2am is hugely disruptive to sleep. 5am is close enough to when you need to wake anyway.

 

[nightowl]

If there is a clause in the UCI testing rules that allows testing on occassion during the usually testing-free nighttime hours, then how is it not officially sanctioned?

No I mean in the sense that the team didn’t receive any anti-doping sanctions as punishment.

 

[Sciatic]

Oh thanks for clarifications. We have so mangled the use of the word sanction/sanctions in English, it’s not so 1st time I’ve been confused 🙂

 

[houtdffan]

If there is a clause in the UCI testing rules that allows testing on occassion during the usually testing-free nighttime hours, then how is it not officially sanctioned?

Judically ordered testing supersedes any UCI/WADA rules

 

[awavey]

Interesting. I wonder if the commentators who were so righteously up
In arms about the timing of the testing (like Robbie McEwan with “it’s a violation of human rights”) knew that this probably wasn’t just testing run amuck?

why was Robbie so hot on the topic ? I dont recall him getting that worked up about anything at all before, and Im sure theyve discussed doping on the breakaway before, Maybe it was just the contrast with Romains almost "c'est la vie" attitude to the testing, but he definitely had a right bee in his bonnet.

 

[Sciatic]

why was Robbie so hot on the topic ? I dont recall him getting that worked up about anything at all before, and Im sure theyve discussed doping on the breakaway before, Maybe it was just the contrast with Romains almost "c'est la vie" attitude to the testing, but he definitely had a right bee in his bonnet.

For sure.

 

[Rob5091]

Interesting that apparently lots of other teams were getting tested at unusual hours (and nothing mentioned), but when Pogi and Jonas get tested, it's in the press 7 hours later.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...-night-time-doping-controls-at-tour-de-france

Cycling Weekly understands that a number of other teams – perhaps as many as eight – have also been subjected to night-time testing.

And as for the judge signing off on night time testing, the only evidence the ITA needs to present is the speed of the peloton this year.
The ITA had all the legal niceties done before the Tour, therefore the warning about testing during the Tour at any time -
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...-night-time-doping-controls-at-tour-de-france

French sports daily L’Équipe reported on Monday that the ITA made their requests ahead of the Tour.

 

[Rob5091]

why was Robbie so hot on the topic ? I dont recall him getting that worked up about anything at all before, and Im sure theyve discussed doping on the breakaway before, Maybe it was just the contrast with Romains almost "c'est la vie" attitude to the testing, but he definitely had a right bee in his bonnet.

McEwen sounds like he, "doth protest too much". Maybe he should explain how it was to work with Leinders at Rabobank back in the day.
And then the CPA trying to muddy the waters with talk of anti-doping funding instead of why the heck night time testing is even considered. Also with so much money in cycling now, don't people think that teams would have the same testing abilities as the anti-doping organizations?

 

[Rob5091]

The ITA says they're targeting HGH abuse and back in March the US authorities, seized 200kg/455 pounds of HGH and steriods.
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/dangerous-human-growth-hormones-stopped-chicago-cbp

During March officers seized 351 shipments in air cargo totaling 455 pounds of unapproved human growth hormones and steroids.

The ITA rolled out a new detection system at the 2024 Olympics in Paris -
https://ita.sport/news/detecting-hu...nches-a-targeted-project-ahead-of-paris-2024/

 

[hrotha]

The efforts to blame Vingegaard's crash on the tests are infuriating, such a blatant display of demagoguery. Really shows the extent to which anti-doping has become passé

 

[pastronef]

The efforts to blame Vingegaard's crash on the tests are infuriating, such a blatant display of demagoguery. Really shows the extent to which anti-doping has become passé

I'm trying to decide if the judge authorizing the night-time control (decision taken before the Tour started) is some kind of old style "rest day stunt" that come to nothing, or they are actually incredibly trying to do something (other teams have been tested in the night)
and what I'm curious about is what the DS's and the people in the corridors are thinking/saying. is it surprising for them too? are they thinking "wait a minute, it's happening" or they keep going normally?

 

[ColonelKidneyBeans]

The efforts to blame Vingegaard's crash on the tests are infuriating, such a blatant display of demagoguery. Really shows the extent to which anti-doping has become passé

Vingegaard and Plugge themselves have said that he was well rested and that it wasn't a problem but some pundits and riders still won't shut up about it even after that...

 

[Brullnux]

Seems a good letter? It makes the point that the sport of cycling alone contributes 10 million euros to the ITA and yet WADA spends only $USD 5 million across all sports on research to develop new testing methods.

But if I am a rider in the Tour I think I would prefer to be woken at 5am than 2am. 2am is hugely disruptive to sleep. 5am is close enough to when you need to wake anyway.

Depends on stage timings - 2am isn't a massive deal if the next day only begins in earnest at 9am. 5am may be more annoying if it was late night/late morning. Either way, it would disrupt your next day's performance and I see the argument of having a more blanket approach for a level playing field.

I am unsure of the impact on safety and concentration. I think riders nowadays have much better sleep than even 10-15 years ago, and I don't think bad sleep was an excuse for crashes back then. I'd also imagine that mid-race the general adrenaline etc kicks in to surpass the sleep issues to the point that general race fatigue affects decision-making more than any disrupted sleep.

Besides, when riders are ill they will sleep badly, and there aren't many crashes caused by that?

 

[awavey]

Interesting that apparently lots of other teams were getting tested at unusual hours (and nothing mentioned), but when Pogi and Jonas get tested, it's in the press 7 hours later.

Well they both mentioned it in the morning pre stage interviews and it was largely given the well thats unusual but ok kind of attitude, it only blew up in the media really after Jonas crashed, and they had another angle to talk about it

I wonder if we'd even still be discussing it had he just finished the stage normally

 

[Rob5091]

Vaughters seems to think it's not a bad idea with 2 a.m. testing,
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...authorised-paris-judge-tour-de-france-cycling

"If [the] UCI had tested us in 2001 at 2am? We’d all have been suspended and saved the sport 25 years of drama.”

 

[Rob5091]

Well they both mentioned it in the morning pre stage interviews and it was largely given the well thats unusual but ok kind of attitude, it only blew up in the media really after Jonas crashed, and they had another angle to talk about it

I wonder if we'd even still be discussing it had he just finished the stage normally

Apart from the sporting section, (a.k.a. The back page), probably not. A rest day meant also a bigger exposure then normal. The sporting experts/ fanboys of course will move on tout suite.

We await the test results from the ITA. My bet is sanctions arising from the passport and from what the ITA have said themselves, Spanish guys most likely.

 

[yaco]

So these overnight tests have involved multiple teams. So the ITA have multiple suspicions about a number of teams which seems to be a long bow. It does not make sense to me.