Yesterday, the Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (AFLD) and the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF), the independent body mandated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to define and carry out the fight against doping in cycling, confirmed that they will continue their close collaboration on anti-doping controls during the Tour De France 2015, which begins on 4 July.

The agreement covering the Tour de France, is part of the cooperation agreement signed again this year between the UCI on the one hand, represented by the CADF, and the AFLD on the other, which aims to ensure efficient anti-doping controls at all the major cycling competitions in France (Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de France).

Regarding anti-doping controls for the Tour de France 2015, it is a global approach that will prevail to maximize the efficiency of the control system, including targeted controls at the start of the competition - in particular through data exchange regarding the localisation of the riders – as well as the sharing of information concerning the “biological passport”.

Several control measures put in place in 2014 will be renewed, such as:

- The AFLD has again carried out controls this year on a number of cyclists who will most likely participate in the “Grande Boucle”;
- Shortly before the start of the race, blood checks will be carried out on all participants;
- During the stages in France, the decision regarding which cyclists to test will be jointly decided by the CADF and the AFLD, on the basis of shared information, in order to have a well- targeted approach towards the riders;
- Based on intelligence gathering, some samples will be kept, possibly for several years, in order to allow subsequent analyses with the benefit of technical progress concerning detection methods.

Finally, the cooperation agreement between CADF, AFLD and the French police has been renewed. This will allow the gathering of more information in order to improve the quality of testing during the race

Francesca Rossi, Director of the CADF, said: “Our 2015 testing programme focuses more and more on qualitative rather than quantitative aspects. The anti-doping programme put in place for this year’s Tour de France has all the elements necessary to meet anti-doping objectives, both in terms of protecting the cyclists’ health and ensuring the sport’s ethics.”

Bruno Genevois, President of the AFLD, declared: “I am more than ever convinced of the necessity for all actors in the fight against doping to work together and I hope that the cooperation between the French Anti-Doping Agency and the CADF sets the example for other sports. “

UCI President, Brian Cookson, stated: “I am extremely pleased that this partnership between the UCI, the CADF and AFLD on the Tour de France continues in 2015. The UCI is now collaborating much more effectively with all anti-doping stakeholders both directly and, where appropriate, through the CADF. I strongly believe that it is by joining our forces that we will protect clean athletes more efficiently.”