Could Jonas Vingegaard quit cycling after a second bad crash?; Andy Burnham’s Transport Secretary Speculation; Doping suspicions at the Tour; Mad Transcontinental aero set-up + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
BREAKING: L'Equipe confirm judge approved night time anti-doping tests
Some breaking news from French newspaper L’Equipe this afternoon, that a judge approved the International Testing Agency conducting anti-doping tests on the basis of “serious” doping suspicions.
In a statement, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office told the ‘paper that a designated Judge specialising in liberties and detention “authorise[d] the anti-doping controls that occurred on the night of 18 to 19 July.” The Office added that the usual procedures were followed, in line with the French Sports Code.
However the procedures for such a case are not normal. In order to legitimise the ITA’s night testing, the judge must be satisfied there are “serious and corresponding suspicions” that the targeted rider has violated anti-doping rules or is about to do so. The judge must also determine a “risk of loss of evidence.”
L’Equipe also quotes an unnamed source who says this step is unheard of since it was introduced in 2015, and that it likely explains why Tadej Pogacar said in yesterday’s press conference that he was unaware that doping control was possible between 11pm and 6am. In response to being told it was a night control, this is what Pogacar said…
“I don’t argue, and I say okay. I couldn’t sleep after, but I accept it even if it’s a little bit strange. If this is still necessary to prove that we are riding clean, then I totally accept it and commit to this.”
As a reminder, Ryan wrote up a piece yesterday gathering the responses of several riders in response to the raids. Discussion yesterday evening and today has centred around the role the night testing may have indirectly played in causing Jonas Vingegaard’s crash.
L’Equipe’s reporting moves this story on dramatically, showing that the night testing was meticulously planned and rooted in serious allegations. It’s a good thing we’ll be on the ground at the race this coming week…
Brompton could learn a thing or two...
Today’s bit of Instagram nice-ness comes from South Africa, where ‘stance bikes’ are all the rage…
View this post on Instagram
RIP Kevin Keegan
My abiding Keegan memory remains his resignation interview where, worn down after defeat by Germany and haranguing from fans, he admitted he wasn’t good enough.
But for others, it will be Superstars, and the wobbling wheel that gave way to injure the Ballon d’Or winner…
The beginning of the end?
It’s the crash that’s been around the world (ay, ay, ay)…
Of the two days we each covered this weekend, Ryan definitely had the more dramatic day. We thought the day would peak with the overnight doping controls conducted on both Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. And speculation has been rife this morning that the doping controls indirectly caused the Dane to crash and break his collarbone…
But there’s another theory that has left a corner of the cycling internet brewing on the Tour de France’s second rest day. It started with Visma Lease a Bike’s social media post.
View this post on Instagram
“Over the past few years, you battled against the very best riders in the world. You excelled in the toughest mountains, earning five consecutive overall podium finishes, including two victories on the top step in Paris.
“An achievement we, as a team, are incredibly proud of. But above all, we’re deeply grateful. You have left your mark on the Tour.
Sadly, your incredible run in the Tour came to an end today. But we know you never give up, and we have no doubt you’ll come back stronger.
“Wishing you a speedy recovery, champion! ❤️🩹”
It should be said that Visma, for all their comms shortcomings, do have a track record of this ‘open letter’ type of thing to their star rider, here’s one they did after the Dane won the Giro d’Italia with ease…
View this post on Instagram
But still, the tone of the letter provoked some thoughts, not least the retrospection and talk of “an end”, even if it was likely referring to Vingegaard’s record in the race of only finishing first or second in all his participations.
Last week, the Dane even admitted he came close to retiring last year unless the team changed their approach and support around him. He’s also previously hinted at not having a particularly long career. And that thought has crossed the mind of several cycling fans, particularly in light of the Dane’s previous life-threatening crash in 2024…
The more times I read this, the more it sounds like Jonas is retiring…
— Dan Deakins (@dandeakins.bsky.social) 19 July 2026 at 21:29
Here are some thoughts…
“Same. His nerve went after the horrific crashes he had a couple of years ago. Wants to spend time with his young family.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me as he worries a lot about safety in cycling. And also his interviews about wanting to stop cycling if things didn’t change in his race & training programme this year…”
“I was thinking whether he might end his career now (if his contract allows him to do so). I believe after the brutal crash in 2024 his perspective on what is important in life has shifted.”
“I feel like he’s done what he set out to do. I feel like he might rather go home and be a dad to his littles now. He might come back working with juniors but not til the munchkins are older.”
View this post on Instagram
> Opinion: Vingegaard’s Giro canter proves he’s the 2nd best cyclist in the world
But also some cold water, for good measure…
“There is no way he is making this decision today to the point where he’s already communicating it to the team, so this has nothing to do with him retiring. They are just being dramatic. That’s not to say there’s 0 chance he retires. He might, idk. But this is not about him retiring.”
“I dont understand how Jonas fans are so focused on him retiring. I read it here from everyone and I just dont get it. Sure that crash yesterday was a huge bummer for him and the race but he didnt lost a leg. And I didn’t read or saw anything from him indicating his fighting spirit was broken.”
“It says “come back stronger” – why would they care if he comes back stronger if he was retiring?”
My thoughts, for what it’s worth, are that he won’t retire anytime soon but that he probably won’t renew his contract, which currently expires at the end of 2028, by which point he’ll be 32 and I think both his children will be in school. Although I also have the same opinion on Tadej Pogacar, that his contract – running until 2030 – might also be his last. But that’s an opinion for another day…
Testing Agency defend overnight doping control
As you might expect, the International Testing Agency has defended its own actions, namely waking up the two stars of the Tour de France for doping control, at 2am and 5am respectively.
View this post on Instagram
UCI rules stipulate that athletes should not be tested between 11pm – 6am to protect the riders’ sleep, unless an athlete says otherwise or if the UCI say there is “serious and specific suspicion that a rider may be engaged in doping.”
But the ITA has not indicated that such suspicion exists…
“The ITA is conscious that night-time testing may be disruptive to riders’ rest and recovery. Due consideration has therefore been given to minimise as much as possible the impact testing activities have on riders,” the ITA said in a statement.
“However, the ITA, on behalf of the UCI, has the responsibility to ensure the effectiveness of the cycling anti-doping program and the integrity of cycling races. As such, effective testing must, in limited and justified circumstances, be capable to occur outside standard daytime hours.”
That’s true, but it also remains true that there has yet to be an explanation for why the tests in the early hours were justified. There’s a possibility this story might continue to rumble on…
In the meantime, you can read the ITA’s own pre-race summary of its activities at the race, including an increased focus on Human Growth Hormone and their cooperation with national authorities.
Transcontinental madness
And the award for most insane bike set up for The Transcontinental Race goes to…
View this post on Instagram
The race started yesterday in Trondheim, Norway and Robin Gemperle, winner of the Unbound 350 XL gravel race is in the early lead…
New Transport Secretary incoming?
As I type, we have a new Prime Minister addressing the nation.
Andy Burnham said his appointment is a “circuit-breaker for Britain”, and announced he would present a 10-year plan for Britain.
At road.cc towers, we’re watching for the appointment of his Cabinet later this afternoon and evening, namely his Transport Secretary.
Louise Haigh, the former Transport Secretary and a staunch supporter of Burnham, was a keen proponent of active travel and launched a new Integrated Transport Strategy for England that encourages regions to connect their active travel, bus and tram networks – a lot like what we have seen in Greater Manchester, where Burnham was Mayor. She resigned following revelations of a decade old fraud offence.
Her successor, Heidi Alexander, was initially seen as a less ambitious Transport Secretary, more focused on renationalising the railways. She was also criticised for the smaller scope of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy that was announced last month.
She also welcomed a “dangerous cycling law” first championed by the Conservatives, saying rule-breaking cyclists will face “the full force of the law.”
However, she has also rejected the language of division between motorists and cyclists.
An honourable Bäckstedt mention...
All weekend talk has been about a certain Slovenian, a Yorkshireman going up the road or a Dane on the floor. But in the Baloise Ladies Tour in Belgium, we have a British winner!
Zoe Bäckstedt defended the title she won last year by once again taking victory in both the opening prologue and on Saturday’s split stage time trial. The win keeps the Welsh woman’s record of not finishing lower than second in any time trial for the last year. Some record that…
View this post on Instagram
This weekend's non-racing round-up...
Remarkably, the driver has only been charged with manslaughter…
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
15 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
@SVXY Shurely some feeble attempt at humour here! Or are you saying that a person on a bicycle in daylight is invisible from behind unless wearing hi-vis (and perhaps that's contributory negligence or recklessness?) but 4 persons (not sure where you get that from?) are ... also invisible? Because per previous comments about no mens rea you couldn't possibly be suggesting that this amounts to provocation, because that wouldn't apply if it was an accident. And careful competent trained driving instructors (no doubt fully in command of their emotions and committed to safe road use) wouldn't be provoked? Also: presumably 4 persons sharing the back seat in a car or bus are exempt from this "abreast" rule, even if the conveyance is not moving at all? Unless they're ... wearing sandals??
another Mail reader said: “She was swaying from left to right with each turn of her pedals. She was an accident waiting to happen” I'm surprised nobody else has yet commented about this aspect of what the unsurprisingly repellent Mail reader wrote: most of us sway with each pedal stroke, to varying degrees. The stabilisation setting on much camera video (almost all of mine) minimises the apparent degree of sway. There was nothing remarkable about Ms Tanton's cycling, yet exceedingly stupid and malevolent (forgive the tautology) expletive-deleted Mail Reader views this as an excuse for the ******* driver and an 'it's her own fault' comment because a cyclist just being on the road is enough for those b******s and for our very own loathsome trolls. Many of us, including me, would have been further out from the road edge, and could well have been even more horrifically injured as a result. Make no mistake: chance alone has protected those of us who have so far been lucky enough to evade such an assault from an unrepentant driver untroubled by his joke suspended sentence. She is forced to rely on the civil court for recompense and the punishment and justice which should have resulted from the criminal court case. I hope it's a massive settlement!
@SVXY Rape has always been a serious indictable only offence and it was right the marital exemption was removed. Careless driving even now remains only a summary offence, careless driving causing serious injury is now an either way offence but that is to do with the outcome. The offence remains careless driving not with intent like rape. Yes he should have slowed down but there is no evidence he saw the cyclist in which case he likely would have. Cyclists who choose to ride on 60mph limit roads could also help themselves by wearing high viz, not wearing sandals and ensuring they don’t ride 4 abreast
I live in Scotland (smug mode initiated).
@james-o A great philosopher once said: "naughty naughty, very naughty!"
@mjvande@pacbell.net TLDR typical Septic thinking the USA is the World. This is the UK, you know, the place without the guns.
@wtjs just because I feel the need to ask, doesn't mean that I expect a rational answer - it was more of a rhetorical question (hence the roll-eyes)
@chrisonabike yes, those would be suitable approaches for the hard of thinking...we need to know who those folks are 😉
@SVXY Yeah....it wasn't illegal for a husband to rape his wife until 1991, does that mean it's not really bad now because it used not to be an offence? Dick has been punished under the law as it stood at the time of his offence and whining that the law used not to be so strict is ridiculous. As for the rest of your drivel, it's amazing how you appear not only to have been present but actually inside his head to know exactly what happened. "Had he seen her clearly he would not have driven so close to her would he and slowed down" - I should think every cyclist on this forum has experience of drivers who have seen them and not slowed down and driven as close as possible. There has been plenty of evidence here and elsewhere that a significant proportion of driving instructors have contempt for and frustration with cyclists, it's just as feasible that he enjoys doing punishment passes on cyclists and simply misjudged this one. As for "He did not do an illegal manoeuvre forbidden by signage on that road", shouldn't you make a beeping noise when you back up like that? You've gone from "he didn't make an illegal manoeuvre" to "there wasn't actually a sign forbidding his illegal manoeuvre". Hilarious. I suppose if he'd been drunk you'd be saying there wasn't a sign saying "don't drive drunk on this stretch of road"? I'm afraid your desperation to defend a person who has ruined a woman's life by committing a serious criminal offence either through staggering incompetence and negligence or a misjudged act of malice has made you look extremely stupid.
Well okay then. The spread of 270 degrees means there is no way to avoid having it blasting you in the eyes. I use a knog cobber front light with 270 degree spread and there's no way I'd put it on my handlebars.
15 thoughts on “Could Jonas Vingegaard quit cycling after a second bad crash?; Andy Burnham’s Transport Secretary Speculation; Doping suspicions at the Tour; Mad Transcontinental aero set-up + more on the live blog”
-Hammersmith Bridge’s future ‘could be driverless’-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyjlekmjndo
@mitsky My god, why wouldn’t people just walk
@Shake
The report indicates it would move at approx 15 mph.
So about the low end for a cyclist with a decent bike I guess.
I assume it is usefull for people who are disabled/elderly etc, rather than people who don’t mind walking a few minutes rather than pay to use it.
And I also guess there would be a wait time to load/unload not forgetting a frequency issue (say once every 5 minutes?).
Also, with 8 seats and space for 6 standing, that’s over 1 tonne just in passenger weight, plus the weight of the vehicle. Okay, they might not usually be at capacity, but a company is hardly likely to run them almost empty. It was vehicle weight which damaged the bridge and they’re solving that with more vehicles?
This report is just a press release reissued.
The Barnes and Hammersmith Electric Light Transit is supposedly a grassroots community group that developed this junk?
Remarkably, the driver has only been charged with manslaughter…
Not remarkable in the sense of surprising. It wouldn’t be murder in the UK either, because all the driver would have to say is ‘I didn’t mean to do it’. With the assistance of the police and CPS in the UK, he might have got away with ‘careless’ by claiming he had changed into reverse by accident, and then had just panicked.
ITA super cops can disrupt sleep and disturb recovery at any time of the night without a warrant. One may wonder how and why officials and bureaucrats have acquired unlimited power and total immunity. Hinault would have never opened his doors at 2.00 a.m. Very likely, the Badger would have had a very public argument with te ITA the following morning.
Could the ITA’s powers be required to detect or deter micro-dosing?
@Another_MAMIL I’d say yes.
I’ve not read up on the requirements lately, but my understanding is that while the heavy lifting of doping tests can be done after competition as it routine at the Olympics and in tennis, or as part of the whereabouts testing (athletes specifying when and where they’ll be for an hour each day), the doping authorities have the right to turn up and request a test any other time, specifically to deter microdosing. They can’t get into trouble if they aren’t there when the testers turn up, but refusing is not an option.
I have heard of testers turning up on mass at tournament hotels used by tennis players, including one time in the run up to the start of the Paris Masters event. I remember because rumour has it that one well known player had a sudden and coincidental family emergency that meant they had to temporarily leave the country. That was around the time biological passports were coming in, and they were taking blood samples.
If memory serves me right, that was late at night, but not the middle of the night. While some players may have been in their pyjamas, it sounded as if all of the top players were targeted, and the tournament hadn’t yet started, so much less disruptive, and harder for any player to claim they’d been victimised.
As much as I support actions to catch or deter doping, it’s because sport should be fair. Having just one or two competitors woken in the night is not fair.
What were their suspicions and what were the results?
Well, the new transport secretary isn’t Lousie Haigh, she’s been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Has anyone worked out what that job is yet?
Much as Louise Haig seemed to start out on the right track as transport secretary
(a) she hardly got going and
(b) if the issue was she hadn’t revealed a fraud then and was outed, I don’t think “now everyone knows so it’s fine, can I come back?” should apply.
Of course others might say that – given the small size of the actual offense and the not mentioning thereof – she’s far below the standard level of shamelessness. Indeed isn’t the usual way to say it’s none of anyone’s business / she shouldn’t need to declare anything etc.?
Yes, I don’t disagree with you. I wasn’t meaning to advocate for her in the role, just observing. Although the ambition was nice to hear, for a change.
Unless I’ve missed something, as of 23:30 the Transport Secretary still hasn’t been announced? Doesn’t say a lot for that as a priority, but I get there are other things to announce first.
I’m more interested in the appointment of Lucy Powell and “changing the education system”. Will wait and see, I suppose.
Unfortunately convicted Fraudster Louise Haigh is unavailable to serve as Transport Minister as she has been given (checks notes) the lead role for Ethics and Propriety as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
That’s right – Burnham has appointed to an ethics and propriety role a person who not only committed fraud, but reportedly stayed silent when the person she sold one of the phones she stole to got arrested for having bought it from her in good faith.
Doesn’t sound good.
On the other hand if you read the papers (particularly Private Eye – recommend their recent podcasts) you’ll see it’s not at all unusual for the poachers of business (consultancy, accounting, tech, gambling…) to become the gamekeepers of the public purse / data – or at least advisors on the same. Who better to know exactly the sharp practices of industry players we should be wary of giving contracts to?
And if we head in the direction of how it works in the US (as some of the politicians seem keen) I can assure you this kind of thing will increase in a way that will make anyone paying attention wish for the innocent days of such minor peccadillos!
The French will try anything to get a Tour de France winner.