That’s the big loop is back! From Saturday July 5, 2025 to Sunday July 27, 2025, the Tour de France caravan will cross the hexagon – from the Alpes and Pyrenees valleys, including the cobbled streets of Lille (North) or Caen (Calvados). And if the sports fable should be at the center of public attention, another soap opera should occupy the gazettes and the teams: the fight against doping. Appeared in the late 1990s, the fight against cheating was considerably expanded and perfected.
Christophe Bassons, a great hope of French cycling in the 1990s, was at the forefront of these developments. A rare runner to be committed publicly against the scourge of doping, he continued his commitment against doping by becoming a regional councilor of New Aquitaine of the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD)-the organization which coordinates all controls in France. He deciphers the challenges for The pilgrimnot contenting himself with evoking cycling, calling for better prevention against this scourge, especially in the amateur world.
The Tour de France 2025 rushes into a climate of sporting expectations, but also of vigilance. Where is the anti -doping fight?
We control much more than before and much better. The detection methods have improved considerably, thanks to a rigorous protocol coordinated by the World Anti -Doping Agency (AMA). It is based on two main tools: urine analysis and blood test. The real challenge, now, is to reduce the cost of these levies, which remain high: around 230 euros for an urine analysis, and almost double for a blood test.
One of the challenges to come is to generalize the use of dried blood, a much more economical method – around 70 euros per direct debit – which would further increase the number of controls.
Is this the only obstacle to an optimal struggle?
The main obstacle remains the political will to really attack doping. The regulations are the same all over the world, but the means deployed to investigate and multiply controls vary strongly depending on the country. The fight against doping is therefore closely linked to the commitment of national actors.
In France, we are fortunate to have a well -structured system, with organs present in each region. Nearly 12,000 checks are carried out each year throughout the territory, including around 1,500 just for cycling. Football has similar figures, while rugby has about 2,600.
When will this French will go back?
She really structured herself from the Festina scandal in 1998, which marked a turning point. Before that, the controls were rare and often ineffective, even if wishes existed all over the world. Then everything went faster.
In 1999, France had an ambitious first law under the leadership of the Ministry of Sports. The same year, the World Anti -Doping Agency (AMA) was created in Lausanne (Switzerland) to coordinate and promote efforts. Only, there is still a dead angle: the AMA focuses mainly on competitions, 85 % of the anti -doping controls aim for professional athletes.
What does that mean? That there is doping in amateur sport?
Yes, very clearly. Doping exists in all disciplines and at all levels: from the regional race on Sunday morning to the semi-professional gala of combat sports. It is particularly in bodybuilding, where mass gain is often sought. What is worrying is the exhibition of young people, sometimes from an early age, via uncontrolled food supplements. Many ignore what the proteins they consume contain.
