Tour de France Jonas Vingegaard accident mystery
Tour de France is a globally-recognized race only the best cyclists can take part in. It consists of 21 stages, and leads through the mountains and valleys of France and neighboring countries. In 2026 during the 15th stage in the French mountains the second best cyclist of Tour de France Jonas Vingegaard had a crash that removed him from the race this year. As it transpires, it was not a simple accident, that happen often during the big races. But possibly one, that, apart from being painful for the sportsman, may start something truly amazing, not only in cycling.
It was an accident that had a very possible beginning at 2 am the night before the race. Jonas Vingegaard is a two times Tour de France winner. Bike accidents happen, the cyclists fall, but here, the story was different and highlighted very possible consequences of something most of us experience in our lives. Robbie McEwen (three times Tour de France winner) said about this event: Honestly, yes all for doping control, but being woken at 2 am, that's a borderline violation of human rights. It is just ridiculous. Share on X
The brutal Tour de France
Tour de France is a celebrated race and at the same time one with a controversial history of doping. Its past knows famous cyclists being erased from it due to taking the prohibited substances to drive faster and be stronger. Lance Armstrong is the most unfamous example here. His approach to doping had a real impact on what happens in drug-testing nowadays.
The race was first organized in 1903, and nowadays covers around 3 500 kilometers (2 200 mi) in total. Being as prestigious as it is, it attracted a lot of attention and money. Unfortunately, several editions of the race had doping scandals. Wikipedia reports that in 1998 “an investigation by the French government into doping in cycling revealed that way back during the 1998 Tour, close to 90% of the riders who were tested, retroactively tested positive for EPO“. [Wikipedia]
(EPO, the artificial synthetic version of a human hormone Erythropoietin (the kidneys produce it naturally). However, in sports the sportsmen use it to increase oxygen delivery to muscles. As a result, it reduces fatigue and increases endurance. Artificially.
To win or to win
Why did the cyclists chose doping?: to cycle almost day after day for over 150 kilometers a day in heat and steep climbs. To do it, it requires superhuman energy. Furthermore, they need this energy every day in difficult conditions to race against other participants. After the doping scandals, drug-testing happens every year and every day. These are random and targeted blood and urine tests, which the International Testing Agency and the International Cycling Union perform on the cyclists.
The question is: to win at all cost, or to win truly?
On the night proceeding Sunday’s climb two of the best cyclists Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar were woken up by the antidoping controllers. It was 2 am and 5 am for Pogacar, that broke their recovery. The day before both of them took part in stage 14 of the race, that lasted for over 4 hours.
Jonas Vingegaard Tadej Pogacar compete with each other. Jonas won the race 2 times before and Tadey 4 times already. Pogacar was the 1st in this year’s race while Jonas was second. And with all the stress, tension and pressure, the antidoping controls happened in the middle of the night, just between two difficult mountain race stages.
What really matters
Vingegaard spent 40 minutes on the control and went to sleep, while Pogacar could not fall asleep following the control. Jonas Vingegaard Tadej Pogacar compete with each other. And so when Vingegaard collapsed during the race 21 kilometers before the finish line and was taken away in an ambulance, questions were raised. Indeed about a possible combination of fatigue and lack of concentration during the race and interrupted sleep during the night.
…But, what you will learn in the further chapters, it is not the length of sleep disruption that matters, but the fact of sleep discontinuity.
Is this possible that an interrupted night can lead to poorer performance during the day and decreased concentration? While we cannot say this with 100% certainty that it did in Jonas’ situation, in most humans it would. Why is it so profound to sleep well, especially before tiring days?
It is no accident that we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping. The recovery time is crucial to the stability of the Central Nervous System. Insufficient sleep will weaken your concentration, emotional stability and raise the risk of accidents. And this is exactly what happened when Jonas Vingegaard crashed 21 kilometers before the finish line.
~20% of the serious injuries that result from car accidents can be associated with driver sleepiness, independent of the effects of alcohol (ncbi) Share on XThe short term and long term results of disrupted sleep
The thing is, that sleep is a vital biological system. It influences everything in human body and almost everything influence it. It is a key factor for health. Over 70 million Americans and 45 million Europeans have problems sleeping which leads to numerous health disorders. From impacted mitochondria and telomers to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer. Moreover, they lead to:
- poorer concentration
- delayed response time, mental fog
- compromised decision making, problems with memory,
- immune system: lack of sleep lowers the production of antibodies and cytokins, which help you fight viruses and bacteria. Moreover,
- emotional distress, mood problems, behavioral problems
- somatic problems like shortness of breath, physical difficulties like pain, fatigue
The problem is, that according to studies, it is not the length of sleep disruption that matters, but your sleep interruption. What happens in this situation is that sleep disruption leads to sympathetic activation. Your sympathetic nervous system starts your body’s “fight-or-flight” response. What it means for you, is that your heart rate increases, and so your blood pressure, pupil dilation, because in this situation your body is preparing for physical action.
And this is what might have happened at 2 am when the cyclist of the Tour de France Jonas Vingegaard was woken up to see the antidoping control.
He had to withdraw from the race this year, to go to hospital and have his broken collarbone operated. But knowing how serious a consequence of a disrupted sleep might be, you can decide differently, and choose to be more focused on the sleep hygiene.
To sum up, final conclusions
Can you imagine Cristiano Ronaldo or Roger Federer waking up in the middle of the night before a crucial match? It is very unlikely that a situation like this would happen. Why? Both of them and many more of the top athletes knew and know that the quality of sleep is crucial for their performance. Ronaldo even hired a sleep coach to help him perform better. Read more to find out what sleep habits you are missing in your life that can change the results your are experiencing.
Cristiano Ronaldo values sleep more
A man of very humble beginnings, Ronaldo has built himself from the ground up. He fueled his life with hard work, and knowing which habits to form. Among the most crucial to his health and astonishing performance in sports is the one, most of us ignore. Find our more in this article.
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