Matej Mohoric has denounced unequal treatment between teams during the extensive anti-doping operation conducted on Monday, the Tour de France's rest day. The Slovenian rider claims he was woken at 5:00 a.m. for a blood test, while Paul Seixas and the Decathlon-CMA CGM team were reportedly tested around 8:00 p.m., a much less disruptive time for recovery. The Bahrain-Victorious rider, currently 88th in the general classification, does not dispute the principle of the tests themselves. He criticizes the timing, their impact on the riders' sleep, and the perceived lack of equality between the different teams.
The entire peloton was checked during the rest day
The International Testing Agency (ITA), responsible for the Tour de France's anti-doping program, conducted a large-scale operation on Monday involving all remaining riders. Blood samples were taken as part of the Athlete Biological Passport, which allows for the monitoring of athletes' biological parameters over time and the detection of any abnormal variations. The ITA confirmed that a comprehensive operation was carried out on July 20th and that all riders in the peloton were included. This operation was based on intelligence gathering and risk assessment related to the race. It followed the widely discussed tests conducted a few hours earlier on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. The two main favorites were tested on Saturday night, which had already sparked criticism regarding the riders' rest periods.
Mohoric claims to have been stopped at 5 a.m.
In an interview with sportsMatej Mohoric recounted the conditions under which he himself had been tested. According to him, the chosen time slot directly cut into his sleep time. "For us, it's quite unpleasant. It reduces our rest time and takes up a lot of our energy. I myself had a check-up at 5 a.m., which is practically the middle of the night, since we go to bed around midnight due to the late finish of the stages and we have breakfast around 10 a.m."
The Slovenian acknowledges the need to guarantee the credibility of the competition, but believes that the methods used must be more protective of the runners. : "They need to show that they are working and that they are in control in order to guarantee fair sport. I also think there is a business aspect to it." In his view, current cyclists continue to suffer the consequences of the history of doping in their sport. He does, however, request that certain limits be respected so that the tests themselves do not become a disruptive factor for the race.
Paul Seixas was checked around 20pm according to Mohoric
Matej Mohoric insists that not all teams were subject to the same time constraints. He specifically cites the Decathlon-CMA CGM team and Paul Seixas, who was fourth in the general classification at the time. According to him, the French team's riders were tested on Monday around 20 p.m., while they were still awake. This is a significant difference compared to the tests carried out at 5 a.m. or in the middle of the night for other teams. : "We are paying for cycling's past, but even so, it would be good to establish some human limits or, at the very least, guarantee equal treatment for all."
Mohoric adds that a French rider well-placed in the general classification, referring to Paul Seixas, would not have had to undergo a nighttime doping test. His criticism, therefore, is not that Seixas was tested, but rather the timing of the test and the potential recovery advantage it might have provided.
The riders' union denounces the nighttime checks.
The protest doesn't come solely from Matej Mohoric. On Monday evening, the CPA, the union representing professional cyclists, had already denounced the tests carried out during hours normally devoted to sleep. The organization considers these nighttime tests to be "an obstacle to the recovery of athletes during the most important and difficult race on the world calendar and contrary to the objectives sought".
The riders aren't calling for an end to doping controls. They're asking that they be scheduled at times that allow them to recover, except in cases of emergency or specific necessity. In a three-week race, where stages sometimes finish late and where medical care, meals, and transfers push back bedtime, waking up at 5 a.m. can significantly reduce sleep time and inevitably create an imbalance in performance.
