Are Cyclists In The Tour De France Still Doping? (Explained)

Last Updated on July 10, 2023 by Emmanuel

The Tour de France interests many worldwide because it is the most prestigious racing, but this ride event has also experienced downsides following doping scandals.

Many individuals still believe riders dope, while others don’t; this article will examine thoroughly if cyclists in the Tour de France are still doping.

How Did The Tour De France Doping Start?

Some riders outperformed their counterparts through performance-enhancing drugs.

These scandals have damaged the reputation of race and cycling, but organizers have taken steps to reduce the phenomenon.

They have implemented more rigorous testing protocols for riders participating in racing events, including regular blood tests and urine samples.

Riders must also submit to the test targeted screenings for substances that enhance performance illegally.

Do Cyclists In The Tour De France Dtill Dope?

The main observation is that the media speak little about it, meaning the phenomenon would have decreased significantly.

However, one can not say that this practice has stopped because doping in cycling is a long history.

Cyclists dope for many reasons, including maintaining training levels before the tour starts.

Most are smart enough to be caught because they stop using prohibited substances before the race starts.

To some extent, doping helps them to maintain their bodies destroyed by cycling, which is very demanding in terms of effort.

Besides powering cyclists to push their bodies through the limits, doping can also help them to recover from pains faster after each training session.

In summary, no official evidence exists that cyclists in the Tour de France are still doping.

Why Did Lance Armstrong Only Compete In The Tour De France?

The Tour de France was Lance Armstrong’s favorite, but saying it is the only one he attended is a wrong allegation.

• Lance started biking when he was 17 by training in Colorado with the U.S. Olympic cycling developmental team.
• He won the United States Amateur Cycling Championship in 1991, which was the beginning of his rise.
• In 1993, Lance Armstrong won ten titles, including the World Road Championships race.
• In October 1996, he stopped cycling to undergo surgery and chemotherapy after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
• Moreover, this famous cyclist was among the top five finishers in the 1998 Tour of Spain.
• It was until 1999 that he won his first Tour de France and went on to win six consecutive others, thus a total of seven.

Besides winning titles, he won eleven individual time trials and twenty-two separate stages.

Unfortunately, good things never last; this phenomenon cyclist retired in 2011 aged 39.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) found him guilty in June 2012 of being doped throughout his cyclist career.

He has since been stripped of all Tour de France titles, and his glory became an absolute nightmare.

People have opinions about this cyclist, but many agree that his success made them dream, and his failure made them cry.

He won seven consecutive Tour de France titles, and nothing tells us if other cyclists were not using prohibited substances.

They never caught him all these years, making us believe there were control failures. Likely, many other competitors did the same without the authorities knowing it.

It’s like in a neighborhood with many thieves; whoever you catch is responsible. Many will never forget Lance Armstrong as one of the best cyclists ever.

RELATED: Why Is The Tour de France Regarded As A Global Sporting Event?

What Bikes Was Lance Armstrong Riding?

Lance Armstrong won the Tour of France in 1988 using a Carbon Fibre Trek Madone bike, one of the fastest road bikes.

He continued using Trek bikes until 2005 and won seven titles, as outlined before.

Besides Trek bikes, this company’s other cycling products are Bontrager, Diamond bikes, and Electra Bicycles.

Trek Corporation quality road bikes sell from $1,200 to over $13,000. The brand also offers city, electric, mountain, and kids’ bikes and parts and accessories.

What Happened The Titles Stripped From Lance Armstrong?

The titles stripped from Lance Armstrong remain vacant; they have not been awarded to anyone.

Other cyclists stripped from their Tour de France titles for doping include:

1. Floyd Landis.

Froyd Landis revealed Lance Armstrong’s long doping history following the allegations he was doing the same.

During Lance’s reign of dominance in the cycling industry, Landis was his teammate on the U.S. Postal Service cycling team.

He was also Armstrong’s confidant and had known his doping secrets for years but never revealed them before the investigation occurred.

Floyd Landis was also found guilty of doping, leading the authorities to strip his title, but he never recognized the allegations.

They awarded his title to Oscar Pereiro, the dolphin or holder of the green jersey.

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2. Alberto Contador.

Alberto Contador won four Tour de France titles. In 2010, the cycling bodies investigated the allegations that he was doping and found clenbuterol in his blood samples.

Furthermore, Spain’s Cycling Federation decided to withdraw his 2010 title.

Contador claimed the cause of clenbuterol in his blood was the s substances ingested in his food without him knowing, and his title’s winner became Andy Schleck.

3. Jan Ullrich.

The German Jan Ullrich is another famous cyclist who lost his third position in the Tour de France in 2005.

The Cycling Court of Arbitration said Ulrich was part of riders allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs.

Jan Ullrich lost his third place, and they banned him from participating in cycling for two consecutive years.

Many also thought the Olympic committee would strip Jan Ullrich from his men’s racing Olympic medal won in 2 000, but it never happened.

Final thoughts.

Several doping happened on the Tour de France, but the organizers, the community of cyclists, and the anti-doping agencies have stemmed the phenomenon.

Anti-doping measures, testing protocols, and severe sanctions exist, but one can’t ensure that doping has been completely eradicated from professional cycling.

We hope you will appreciate this blog post concerning whether cyclists in the Tour de France are still doping.