All riders still in the race at the Tour de France were subjected to anti-doping tests on Monday, a rest day, the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced in a statement. Several teams, including the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team of Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, had stated the previous day that they had been tested the night before. The blanket checks were triggered following the controversial tests carried out early Sunday morning on race leader Tadej Pogacar and his main rival Jonas Vingegaard, who withdrew due to a crash just a few hours after being woken at 2:00 a.m. by anti-doping officials.
The ITA did not disclose any results, and a spokesperson stated that it will take weeks to process them. The ITA explained that the nocturnal anti-doping programme "does not aim to directly detect a prohibited substance or method", but rather "monitors certain biological variables over time to identify changes that could indicate the effects of doping".
Several riders, including Pogacar and Evenepoel themselves, had described the nocturnal checks as "inhumane" and disrespectful. The CPA union, which represents professional cyclists, also criticised the procedure for its potential negative effects on riders' recovery between the gruelling stages of the Tour.