Pogacar and Vingegaard woken by overnight anti-doping test

The top two contenders in the Tour de France, race leader Tadej Pogacar and his closest rival Jonas Vingegaard, had their sleep disrupted by unannounced overnight antidoping tests ahead of the mountainous Stage 15 on Sunday, July 19, 2026. Both riders expressed frustration at the timing of the visits, which they said could negatively impact their performance on one of the race's most demanding days.

Pogacar, the yellow jersey holder from UAE Team Emirates, was visited by officials from the International Testing Agency (ITA) at 5 a.m. He reported getting only four hours of sleep. Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike received an even earlier wake-up call at 2 a.m., a process that kept him from his room for about 40 minutes. The riders revealed the surprise tests during pre-race interviews before the start of Stage 15 in Champagnole.

Both athletes acknowledged the necessity of rigorous testing but questioned the disruptive timing. "Of course it's good that they test, but when it's affecting performance and your sleep, I don't think it's so good," Vingegaard said. Pogacar described being woken as "definitely not nice" and said he spent the early morning listening to music and drinking...