Jonas Vingegaard has revealed that he missed a drugs test in 2019 after his “doorbell didn’t work”.
The Dane has won the last two editions of the Tour de France and established himself as the sport’s best general classification racer.
His second consecutive victory in France this summer was part of a Grand Tour clean sweep for Jumbo-Visma, with Primoz Roglic taking the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia and Sepp Kuss securing a breakthrough win at the Vuelta a Espana.
But Vingegaard has now admitted that he missed a drugs test four years ago, shortly after joining the Dutch team.
Under doping testing rules, athletes have to provide a one-hour window each day where they are available and are permitted three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period before receiving a ban.
“I had left my mobile phone in the kitchen, and then our doorbell didn’t work,” Vingegaard explained to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. “They tried to call me, and it was clear that it was impossible to answer. Of course, it’s not cool. But then they came two days later.
“You get tested there, but of course, it’s not great to have a missed test hanging over you. It’s definitely something I think about afterwards to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I don’t think it’s that difficult [to be available for tests]. You always have to remember it. It’s a hassle, but when I’m just at home, it’s not so difficult.”
A culture of suspicion remains around cycling given the sport’s chequered past with doping.
Earlier this year, Vingegaard’s teammate Michel Hessmann was suspended by Jumbo-Visma after a positive out-of-competition test for an unnamed diuretic.
Jonas Vingegaard and Jumbo Visma secured back-to-back yellow jerseys at the Tour de France— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Vingegaard admits that he understands why there remains doubt over whether all riders are clean.
“It’s a good thing to be tested all the time,” the Dane said. “It helps in a way. All your tests are negative, but in a way, it rings hollow because 20 years ago they were tested too.
“I think it’s a shame that we are suffering from what happened 20 to 30 years ago. I don’t want to hide it. It happened and I still think it’s important to talk about the past. Because if you just sweep it under the rug, it makes it seem like you don’t care that people cheat. If you talk about it, you’re more likely not to cheat, I think. Maybe it’s a way to prevent it from happening in the future.
“Somehow riders can still cheat, so I don’t want to just say — as they did in the old days — that I am the rider who is tested the most. I don’t test positive. They did something back then, and people will definitely believe that riders will do it again.”
