Even the most notorious doping offender in cycling history has weighed in on the debate surrounding the night-time checks at the Tour de France. “They turned up outside his room (Jonas Vingegaard’s) at 2 am. They knocked on the door and woke him up in the middle of the Tour de France. 2 am – that’s a human rights issue. I’m speechless,” said Armstrong on his podcast “The Move”.
The debates have been sparked by the withdrawal from the Tour of co-favourite Jonas Vingegaard, who crashed on Stage 15 and suffered a broken collarbone. Before the stage, the two-time Tour champion had to undergo a doping test at 2.00 am. Overall leader Tadej Pogacar, who had to undergo a similar test at 5.00 am, may have seen a connection between the two events.
Armstrong discussed the events on his programme with former British Tour winner Bradley Wiggins and his former key domestique George Hincapie. The trio speculated that, following the long transfer on the previous stage, Vingegaard had probably not got to bed until 1.00 am. “He’d only just fallen asleep, and an hour later he was woken up again. I mean, we can all agree that’s not right, can we?” said Wiggins.
Armstrong, who has been banned for life, was once stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles due to his extensive doping offences. He later admitted everything in a TV programme. The American is no longer welcome at the Tour.
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