Are the UCI and ASO on thin ice with nighttime doping tests? Here's what the rules say

The late-night doping test on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar has caused quite a stir. The two top riders were woken up to provide a urine sample, which sparked furious reactions from the peloton. Whether it will affect their performance on Sunday remains to be seen. But what do the UCI rules say about the test?

Vingegaard was woken up at 2 a.m., while Pogacar’s turn came three hours later. This didn’t exactly make the pair happy: the Slovenian couldn’t get back to sleep and had to make do with just five hours of sleep. After listening to Eminem and having some coffee, he felt ready enough for Sunday’s grueling mountain stage.

Angry reactions came from the peloton. UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Florian Vermeersch called it inhumane, while Visma | Lease a Bike’s Matteo Jorgenson was also furious. “This is a complete lack of respect for the riders. We’re working hard to recover. That’s incredibly important, especially between two of the toughest mountain stages in this Tour. And then you get woken up at 2 a.m.”

Many people agree that it is ethically irresponsible. But was it also legally permitted? We delved into the UCI’s rules to see exactly how things stood. We discovered some surprising things.

In Article 5.2, the International Cycling Union makes it clear that any rider may be tested by the anti-doping organization at any time. However, there are some caveats to this. Nighttime testing is, in fact, almost always avoided. “Unless a rider has specified a 60-minute time window between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., the UCI will not test the rider.”

So why did it happen in the cases of Vingegaard and Pogacar? Article 5.2.2 makes it clear that the UCI does not conduct nighttime testing, except under special circumstances. However, the anti-doping authority is permitted to test if there is a “serious and specific suspicion that the rider is involved in doping.”' This is the only legal basis for conducting a doping test at night.

We won’t speculate. But without much information, the ASO and the UCI are treading on thin ice. A nighttime check seems like an absolute last resort—something you certainly don’t do lightly. The fact that Pogacar and Vingegaard were simply at the start of Stage 15 also speaks volumes. According to all available information, the number one and two in the general classification were the only ones singled out during the check.

Will this have any further repercussions? It’s possible. If nothing comes of these tests, the teams might take action. Whether they will do so, however, is far from certain. One more note regarding the rules: “A protest regarding whether the UCI had sufficient grounds to conduct nighttime testing will not be considered a valid defense in the event of a doping violation.”