How to Learn the Tour de France Drug Testing Regulations

The Tour de France has become infamous for both its drug testing procedures as well as the alleged doping of its athletes. The Tour has set regulations for drug testing of its cyclists that are both easy to understand and simple to adhere to. While the number of tests are high, the standard for testing is the same for every athlete and consistent every year.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Look for testing prior to the start. Every rider is tested prior to beginning the Tour de France.
2. Understand the multiple samples. There are two samples given for testing purposes. In case of a positive result, the second sample is then tested to confirm or nullify the presence of the banned substance.
3. Know what they're looking for. The tour follows the testing guidelines and banned substance list as presented by the Union Cycliste Internationale and the French Federation of Cycling.
4. Note the before and after tests each stage. The race winner and stage winner, as well as up to eight cyclists picked at random, are tested before and after the stage. The random cyclists are pre-selected before the race, although they are in no way aware of what day they will be tested on.
5. Expect the results to come back quickly. The samples are transported by special caravan to a private plane, and flown to the testing lab. After the testing has been completed, the results are quickly reported to the tour officials for prompt action.