23 hours ago
Jonas Vingegaard collapsed retired of nan Tour de France connected nan attack to nan Alpine climb of Plateau de Solaison, conscionable hours aft being woken up successful nan early hours of Sunday greeting to acquisition doping controls.
The double Tour champion, who besides won this year’s Giro d’Italia, climbed gingerly into a title ambulance, his correct limb successful a sling, aft falling arsenic nan main peloton exited a roundabout successful Bonneville.
Both Vingegaard and title leader Tadej Pogacar were subjected to unexpected nocturnal doping controls anterior to shape 15, arsenic nan title headed into nan Savoyarde Alps. Vingegaard was tested astatine 2am by nan ITA (International Testing Agency) and said astir nan acquisition earlier nan shape began.
“I was sleeping very well, but personification knocked connected my doorway astatine 2am,” nan two-time Tour victor said. “It’s bully that they test, but erstwhile it’s affecting capacity and your sleep, I don’t deliberation it’s truthful good.”
Whether Vingegaard’s clang was caused by fatigue and a moment’s inattention aliases down to a abrupt activity successful nan peloton is not clear, though he was successful nan slipstream of respective of his Visma-Lease-a-Bike teammates erstwhile he fell.
After a little hiatus, nan racing continued. Once again, Pogacar, this clip pinch Remco Evenepoel and his UAE Emirates XRG teammate Isaac del Toro successful tow, moved to nan beforehand of nan title connected nan steep last climb, conscionable arsenic Vingegaard, cradling his correct arm, gingerly climbed nan steps to nan Tour’s mobile hospital.
But for erstwhile nan four-time victor did not person nan precocious manus and was incapable to travel past Evenepoel arsenic nan Belgian led location nan sprint for nan shape victory.
Behind nan trio, Paul Seixas and Evenepoel’s Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammate, Florian Lipowitz, gave pursuit but some mislaid almost a infinitesimal successful nan wide standings.
There is definite to beryllium an angry guidance to nan circumstances surrounding Vingegaard’s melodramatic exit. Many successful nan peloton were dismayed by nan timing of nan tests, which brought a peculiarly beardown guidance from nan Dane’s teammate, Matteo Jorgenson.
“I was asked to support my sentiment connected this to myself, but this is simply a complete deficiency of respect for nan riders,” he said. “We are focusing heavy connected recovery. That is hugely important, particularly betwixt 2 of nan toughest upland stages successful this Tour. And past you get woken up astatine 2am. That makes maine really furious.”
Olympic champion and shape victor Evenepoel was arsenic outraged. “They told maine that it supposedly happened astatine 2 o’clock successful nan morning. That seems very unusual to me, because that is not allowed according to nan rules,” he said.
“It is bully that our athletics is, and remains, truthful connected apical of nan anti-doping fight,” Vingegaard’s squad manager, Richard Plugge, said. “Two o’clock successful nan nighttime is not ideal, though it doesn’t matter what clip of nan nighttime it is. It remains not ideal. The ITA will person their reasons for this. We person to travel suit.”
