Having already ensured a level playing field at the Giro d'Italia in May and ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the ITA is working with all involved stakeholders, including the French and Italian authorities, to protect clean sport at one of the world's most prestigious cycling events. 

The ITA will independently manage the clean sport programme for the Tour de France as part of cycling's anti-doping operational activities delegated to the ITA by the UCI. The ITA is responsible for the overall clean sport strategy for the French Grand Tour, including the definition of an intelligence-led and enhanced testing plan.

Features of this year's strategy for the French Grand Tour: 

-The first use of the endocrine module as part of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).

-More than 40 sample collection personnel and ITA staff at the Grand Depart.

-400 out-of-competition tests scheduled in the month before the Grand Depart.

-600 in-competition samples to be collected.

-Close cooperation with the French and Italian authorities.

-Selected samples to be kept for possible re-analysis over the next 10 years.

This plan will be applied on the basis of a tailor-made risk assessment that takes into account a balanced set of relevant factors and will be adapted to current circumstances or new information. It will also consider any information obtained through the monitoring of athletes' ABPs and their features implemented by the ITA, such as the endocrine module, which may indicate the use of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), and any information gathered by the Cycling Unit of the ITA's Intelligence & Investigations (I&I) Department. 

All doping controls at the Tour de France are targeted and can be carried out at any time during the three-week race.  The yellow jersey and the stage winner will be tested at each stage and all riders will also be tested as part of their pre-race medical monitoring. All samples will be sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited anti-doping laboratory in Lausanne.

While around 600 blood and urine samples will be collected during the race, the period leading up to the Tour de France is also key to ensuring a level playing field during the race. The ITA aims to carry out around 400 out-of-competition tests in the month leading up to the event. At the end of the race, the ITA will select samples to be kept for possible re-analysis over the next 10 years, and will continue to closely monitor athletes after the Tour de France based on all relevant data collected by the ITA before and during the race. 

While more than 40 sample collection personnel and ITA staff will be involved in coordinating and conducting the testing of all participants in Firenze, Italy, prior to the Grand Depart, testing throughout the race will be carried out primarily by the ITA's own Sample Collection Officers, consisting of 10 Doping Control Officers and Blood Collection Officers with extensive experience in cycling. 

The ITA will work with the French National Anti-Doping Organisation (AFLD) to implement the anti-doping programme. Chaperones, who will be responsible for informing riders that they have been selected for testing and escorting them to the testing station. The ITA is also in close contact with other relevant French and international players, such as authorities at various sectoral levels, in order to provide support and exchange information. 

2024 marks the second year of increased resources to promote fairer cycling. The UCI, UCI WorldTeams, UCI ProTeams, UCI WorldTour organisers and men's professional road cyclists have decided to strengthen the ITA's capacity to protect the integrity of the sport by gradually increasing its budget by 35% by the end of 2024. This funding will primarily support areas such as I&I, Testing, Science, Data Analysis, Long-Term Sample Storage and Sample Re-analysis. 

In 2023, the focus was put on strengthening the I&I, testing and scientific capabilities of cycling's anti-doping programme. As planned, testing increased by 10% with 15,200 samples collected in 2023 compared to 13,800 in 2022, with a focus on Out-of-Competition testing. The ITA also strengthened its I&I, scientific and data analysis capabilities with the recruitment of recognised experts in their respective fields. 

The ITA is confident that these additional resources will support the implementation of a high quality anti-doping programme to ensure a clean and fair competition environment for all participants in this highly anticipated event.