Tour de France leader Tadej Pogačar has expressed strong levels of sympathy for Jonas Vingegaard after his key rival crashed out on stage 15, arguing that the anti-doping authorities' decision to test the Dane in the middle of the previous night could have played a part, albeit a minor one, in his fall and subsequent abandon.
The Visma-Lease a Bike leader suffered a confirmed broken collarbone injury following his heavy fall inside of 30 kilometres to the line on a fast right-hand bend after a difficult night where he was woken at 2 AM for an anti-doping test.
The highly unusual timing and its effect on the rider's rest sparked strong criticism from stage winner Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) as well as Pogačar, even if the Slovenian also insisted that night testing was acceptable if needed to prove riders were clean.
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As for Vingegaard, his situation worsened considerably when he fell heavily and at speed during the stage, suffering a broken collarbone, which Pogačar argued might have had a possible connection with the anti-doping test.
"It was a really tough day for Jonas," Pogačar told reporters after he finished second on the stage and in which he successfully guided his teammate Isaac del Toro to the line to help the Mexican move up to third overall. "First they wake him at 2 AM for a control, which I think is very inhumane and ruined his sleep."
"In my interview with France TV, it got me thinking that it could be also like a small percentage why he crashed because he probably didn't sleep good today."
Pogačar himself had an anti-doping test much earlier on Saturday morning than usual, but as it was at 5 AM he said it was not as bad as Vingegaard's overnight experience. He was also clearly affected at the prospect of racing in the Tour without the rider who has been his key rival ever since 2021.
"I know how it feels, I was woken at 5 in the morning but at least I got my deep sleep in, it's better than if they come at 2 AM. We all know how important it is to sleep well for recovery, maybe he lost a little bit of concentration. It was also really dangerous there in the town [where Vingegaard crashed]."
"I'm really disappointed and sad for him that he is going home. The Tour is not the same without him. We've been pedalling in the Tour together since 2021. I hope he can recover well."
"I think if I'm not wrong, he broke his collarbone and I hope he's not too down about it and I'll see him soon, and that he has nice holidays afterwards like we spoke about a few days ago."
"Every Tour, I'm used to racing against him, I was still counting on him to be flying at Alpe d'Huez, I'm really sad to see him go home."
Pogačar was at pains to emphasise later on in the press conference that he felt it was acceptable for such night tests to take place, but he said that the authorities' anti-doping testing program throughout the year had varied considerably from previous seasons.
"This year it's been very strange with the testing in general. For example, I was counting how many controls I had at home from January 1 to the end of the Classics; I was already waking up at six to check the door because I had so many visits. I didn't even want to go to the supermarket or for dinner because they were coming at random hours."
A new series of blood testing had been begun at Strade Bianche and continued to be held an hour after stages at the Tour, he added, "so you need to wait for that."
Then there were the tests in the Tour, the latest at 5 AM on Sunday morning. "The physios were really nice, they came to my room and woke me up and apologised for it. It was not their fault they had to come at that time."
"I said - ok, I hope I will sleep afterwards, but I couldn't. It's a little bit strange, but I accept it if this is necessary to still prove we are riding clean, then if this is necessary then I totally accept it and I commit to this. But it's a bit shit when you sleep for four hours in one day in the middle of a three week Tour."
"Probably if he was tested at 2 AM, Jonas slept even less, maybe it ruined his deep sleep, and then it completely ruined the night, but it is what it is. And if this is what we have to do, then we do it."
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