All riders still in the Tour de France provided blood samples on Monday's rest day as part of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) programme, a longitudinal way of monitoring biological variables in riders' blood that sits apart from regular anti-doping tests.
First reported by Cycling Weekly and L'Equipe, Cyclingnews has received the same information confirming that the 166 riders still left in the race on the second rest day provided samples to the International Testing Agency (ITA) with support from the French anti-doping agency, the AFLD.
All riders on the Tour start list also provided samples in the days running up to the start of the race in Barcelona.
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"The International Testing Agency (ITA) confirms that a comprehensive blood Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) testing mission was carried out during the Tour de France rest day on 20 July 2026. All riders in the peloton were included in the testing mission, which forms part of the ITA’s ongoing intelligence- and risk-based anti-doping program for the race," a statement provided by the ITA reads.
"This mission complements the standard pre-competition testing conducted on all riders in the days preceding the Grand Départ and any test already conducted during the race. Collecting additional blood samples enables the ITA to assess variations in relevant haematological biological markers and strengthen the longitudinal monitoring of each rider’s individual profile. It was supported by sample collection personnel from the French national anti-doping agency - AFLD."
The ABP was introduced to cycling in 2008, and acts as a longitudinal way for anti-doping authorities to detect any changes over time in biological levels in the blood such as hematocrit levels and other variables. The programme "does not seek to detect a prohibited substance or method directly", in the words of the ITA.
"Instead, it monitors selected biological variables over time to identify changes that may indicate the effects of doping and inform further anti-doping action," it said.
Providing regular samples for the ABP programme is distinct from standard anti-doping testing, and is not indicative of any wrongdoing nor suspicion of wrongdoing, and all riders in men's WorldTeams and ProTeams are automatically part of the programme, regardless of any other factors. Samples are routinely collected at regular intervals, including before, during and after big events, and out of competition.
Over time, the data collected in a rider's ABP programme can reveal abnormalities and lead to sanctions, but providing data itself is routine and not indicative of anything unusual. Last year, WorldTour rider Oier Lazkano was suspended after abnormal values were noted in his ABP.
ABP samples do not provide 'results', per se; rather, the data is stored and analysed over time.
Testing at the Tour de France has been in headlines over the last few days, after multiple riders spoke out about being woken up during the night by testers. Before the race, the ITA confirmed that they would be carrying out some 600 tests during the Tour, which equates to just over 25 per day.
Usually, these routine tests do not make headlines, and regular testing at the Tour is nothing out of the ordinary, but has become a major talking point this year.
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