Jonathan Vaughters, Riders’ Association Weigh in on Tour de France 2 a.m. Anti-Doping Test

The ongoing controversy over the night time tests carried out on Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar and others at the Tour de France has continued Monday with two wildly different takes on the anti-doping measure.

EF Education-EasyPost boss Jonathan Vaughters has given his thumbs up to the practice in a post on X.

“I don’t post here much. But I’ll roll this grenade down the aisle: 2am testing is one of the very effective ways to prevent peptide (EPO, hGH) and testosterone micro dosing. If UCI had tested us in 2001 at 2am? We’d all have been suspended and saved the sport 25 years of drama.”

Vaughters was part of the US Postal Service cycling team, led by Lance Armstrong, which was found to be part of a systematic doping program. Vaughters admitted his own past use of banned substances, going public and also assisting US Anti-Doping Agency USADA with its investigation.

“It’s unfortunate that Tadej and Jonas have to atone for the sh*t we did. However, I’d take some lost sleep for some gained credibility. I should apologize to both of them, honestly.”

Vaughters’ point about microdosing is an important one. The night time testing provision was introduced as microdosing of certain substances can ensure that any trace disappears from the system after several hours.

There were concerns in the past that an athlete could microdose once the normal testing window ends at 11 am but be clear by the time it restarts at 6am.

The International Testing Agency has not given a detailed explanation why the tests were carried at that time, but did tell Velo and others that such work is deemed at times necessary.

“Effective testing must, in limited and justified circumstances, be capable of occurring outside standard daytime hours,” the ITA said in a statement.

Whatever the justification for the tests, the professional riders’ association CPA has made clear that it doesn’t support what happened in the early hours of Sunday morning.

It issued a statement on Monday saying that it “wishes to reaffirm, on behalf of all riders, its full commitment to a strong, credible and effective anti-doping effort.”

Pointing out that pro cyclists are the only athletes who contribute financially to testing, the association did however question what happened.

“Nighttime testing raises questions about its relevance: Interrupting their rest in the middle of the night for testing now warrants serious consideration,” it wrote.

“The Tour de France is a competition that demands exceptional physical effort. The quality of sleep and recovery is essential not only for performance but also for the health and safety of the riders. It is clear that this practice hinders athletes’ recovery during the most important and difficult race on the global calendar and runs counter to the intended objectives.”

CPA argues for more research, adequate recovery

The CPA points out that cycling contributes approximately €10 million to funding the anti-doping fight within the International Testing Agency (ITA) for the collection and analysis of samples. It contrasted that with the €5 million it said the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) spends, on average, across all sports on basic research to develop new methods for detecting and identifying new doping substances.

“Would it not therefore be more appropriate to invest more in scientific research and detection technologies, rather than increasing the number of particularly intrusive unannounced tests?” it asks.

“Our goal is not to call into question the fight against doping — quite the contrary. We want it to be increasingly effective, targeted, and efficient in identifying true cheaters, but always while respecting athletes’ fundamental rights, health, and recovery conditions.

“We also want to ensure that fairness in sports is maintained among athletes and that everyone can benefit from adequate recovery, whereas these targeted and physically taxing tests, on the contrary, hinder it.”

The CPA ended its statement calling for all stakeholders to “come together to clarify the existing processes and, among other things, ensure that the tests conducted are carried out within a strict legal framework.

“An effective fight against doping is essential. An intelligent fight against doping is just as essential.”