A textbook example of cycling. Anyone who appreciates the technical and tactical subtleties of this sport must have been captivated by today's stage. In Bourg en Bresse, he won. Kasper Asgreen. The Danish of Soudal-Quick Step together with his escape companions Victor Campenearts, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Jonas Abrahamsen were the authors of a long nail-biting action. Four rouleurs who fought hard. And the peloton knew it, so much so that they never gave them much space.
The teams used up a lot of men to chase them and in the meantime Alaphilippe, Asgreen's teammate, was disrupting the changes in the group. The two Lotto-Dstiny They focused on one man, Eenkhoorn, and Campenaert led the sprint. Okay, they lost, but the breakaway arrived. Technically, in our opinion, it's... the most beautiful gesture of this Tour after the lunge of Lafay in San Sebastian.
Control issue
But if in Bourg and Bresse people were rejoicing for Asgreen, to hold court at the Tour de France Today there was news about the surprise checks carried out at the Jumbo Visma and the UAE Emirates starting yesterday from Saint-Gervais. This news was reported by the Dutch media CyclingFlits.
This check, carried out literally behind the stage of the signature sheet, on the respective team buses, caused astonishment, because probably and fortunately we were no longer accustomed to certain news.
So why these doping controls? The finger was immediately pointed at the performances of Tadej pogacar and above all of Jonas Vingegaard. The two captains and all their companions were checked.
The teams said these checks are welcome, if they serve to dispel suspicion. They have accepted them willingly, rightly rejecting any kind of insinuation, however veiled. The same Vingegaard was mobbed at press conferences.
Word to the expert
What we're keen to clarify, however, is to technically understand what happened. And why such a situation occurred. And to do so, we turned to a WorldTour team doctor, Dr. Emilio Magni, by force ofAstana-Qazaqstan .
The question has been raised as to whether the teams in this Tour had to sign a special agreement, regardless of whether they belong to the MPCC (Movement for Credible Cycling).
«It's possible – explains Dr. Magni – that this type of control exists. I don't know who carried them out, whether it was Nado or Wada, but the regulation states that riders can be checked. They are part of a competition and it is therefore legitimate to carry them out. Belonging to the MPCC or not has nothing to do with it.».
This institution has more of a divulgative value, of scientific literature. It wants to make available to the publicUCI the data from the checks carried out, the changes in the biological passport over the course of the year and they refuse any form of cortisone, even that for therapeutic purposes.
Two hours
Jumbo-Visma and UAE Emirates they did not join the MPCC, like many other WorldTour teams (they did only nine). But this doesn't mean anything about their loyalty, let's be clear. What's surprising is that these checks were carried out a couple of hours after other checks carried out by the same teams in the hotel before coming to the departure.
"This situation," Magni continues, "has already occurred a few years ago. In fact, on two consecutive mornings: checks upon waking up and then on the bus a couple of hours later. This was to prevent anyone, feeling "free" from the morning checks, from taking something before leaving..
«In fact, it's been a while since a situation like this has occurred, but better one more check than one less. In this way Whoever is tested can prove that they are right and dispel any doubts. And those who follow these athletes (the fans, ed.) have faith in them."
In reality, a similar case, of checks on the bus just before the start, it also happened last year at Tour of Italy. These checks involved another WorldTour team, but the motivation was purely logistical, if we may say so. In practice the inspectors had shown up late at the hotel and had therefore carried out the collection on the bus.
Two types of tests
Another aspect that gives pause for thought concerns the yellow jersey. In 48 hours, Vingegaard underwent four blood and urine tests. Not a little.
«There are two types of controls – explains Magni – the one for the biological passport and the anti-doping one. The first looks for the number of red blood cells, reticulocytes, and other parameters that indicate blood "consumption." The other looks for illicit substances. These are different methodologies that can even occur at the same time. Not too long ago, I happened to have four checks: two boys for the biological passport and two for anti-doping.
«Luckily that Blood samples, which can be up to 15 cc, do not affect the athlete's health or performance. The human body has 5 liters of blood, so we're talking about "point zero"... Vingegaard was not harmed, in short."
